An extremely important part of AVA is its ability to import, convert and save files in a range of file formats. Files can be opened into AVA and then saved in a number of different formats, including TIFF, BigTIFF, JPEG, PSD, PSB, PDF, PNG, BMP, GIF, and AVA’s own format, AVA4.
AVA4 is the only file format that can save all of the features supported in AVA such as colourways, guides, grids, multiple repeats and Layout Windows. Like BigTIFF, it can also handle and save files which are over 4GB in size.
What’s more, saving in AVA is done in the background, meaning you can continue to work on other files while another file is saving.
Note: The .ava3 format is still available to open but is no longer recommended. The only reason that saving a .ava3 format is still available is to enable you to continue sending to legacy workgroups, however you are strongly encouraged to use .ava4 where possible so you can enjoy its benefits. If you were to save them in the .ava4 format then they would become smaller and work faster.
To open all readable files
Go to File Menu > Open and click on the file to be opened.
If the file you need to open is grey or does not appear in the window, it cannot be read by AVA and is therefore unsupported.
Alternatively, supported file formats can be opened by dragging its icons onto the AVA icon in the Dock.
ava4 files
.ava4 is the default file format selected when saving all new documents in AVA. This is our only multi-threaded format, meaning there is a phenomenal increase in speed when saving a document. Engravers working with particularly large files will reap the benefits of this file format. The snapshot below demonstrates the speed improvements between ava3 and ava4 formats when saving.
File used for this test was 254 dpi, had 16 x 8 bit layers. 6404 x 5889 pixels, compression was on Better. File size 135.4 MB
Note: The .ava4 format is not backwards compatible. This means files saved in this format will not open in AVA versions below 4.12. ava3 files will however, open in 4.12 and above. If you need further information, please contact AVA Technical Support.
AVA file compression
You can choose which compression to apply to your AVA files in the File Format preference pane.
- Faster - will save the file quicker, but the file size may be larger
- Better - will take longer for the file to save, but will apply higher compression, and the file will be smaller
Make
Quicklook previews (recommended) - will produce high quality image previews of the file which are viewable in Quicklook.
To use quick look simply highlight a file in the Finder Window and do one of the following;
- Press the spacebar on the keyboard
- Click the Quicklook icon in the Finder’s toolbar:
Both options will open a preview of the file.
- Old custom icons (stops Quicklook previews) - reduces the quality of the Quicklook preview
To recognise an AVA file format on a PC
Sending AVA files by e-mail or storing them on a Microsoft Windows Server tends to make some AVA files impossible to open, as your computer cannot recognise the application which created them. The Mac®intosh relies on a hidden tag which identifies the file type and creator. Unfortunately, these tags are often removed or lost when placed on a Microsoft Windows file Server or transmitted via e-mail. It is best to compress files in these situations to avoid the risk of corruption.
AVA automatically adds the file extension when saving documents. For example if you are saving a file in .ava4 format, the extension “.ava4” is appended. If the “Hide extension” box is ticked when saving, users will not notice the automatic addition of the file extension.
If you work only on Mac®intosh, there is no need to do this. However if you are sending a file by e-mail or working with a Microsoft Windows Server, you should always check that you have the correct extension. Any AVA legacy file can be renamed to show the extension if required.