How to decrease arexport file size in Spark AR Studio.

Reducing arexport file sizes leads to faster loading times and smoother performanes on older file sizes. Here are some good practices when it comes to reducing file sizes in Spark AR Studio.

Why decrease file sizes in Spark AR Studio?

There are limits to file sizes in Spark AR Studio for Instagram and Facebook.

This means that if your file size is above that limit, your filter will not be accepted.

Currently, these are the file size limits on Meta for Spark AR Studio files:

1. Instagram — 4 MB or less.
2. Facebook — 10 MB or less, 2 MB or less for the best reach.
3. Facebook ads — 5 MB or less.

Realistically, most Instagram filters made on Spark AR Studio will be intended for Instagram.

Therefore, we are left with a 4 MB file size limit to work with.

What file types can be compressed in Spark AR Studio?

These are the file types that can be compressed in Spark AR Studio using different methods:

1. Images — pngs, jpgs and animation sequences.
2. 3D models — FBX, OBJ, glTF models.
3. SFX, music, soundtracks — m4a audio files.

How to reduce image sizes in Spark AR Studio?

Reducing image sizes in Spark AR Studio is the easiest.

In most cases, you will be reducing pngs and jpgs.

Use Crushee to reduce file sizes for images.

With Crushee, you can reduce file sizes for single images as well as for images inside a folder.

This works best for single use cases like exporting logos and face masks, but also for animation sequences that may contain 50+ photos.

Reducing file sizes for 3D models meant for Spark AR Studio.

To reduce the file size of 3D models that you will be using inside Spark AR Studio, it is best to use the Spark AR Blender Toolkit.

Blender is a free to use software that lets you create and edit 3D model.

You need to add the Spark AR Toolkit, which acts as an add-on plugin.

With the Toolkit, you can reduce triangle count for your 3D object, which will in turn reduce your size.

For reducing 3D model file sizes further, simply bring in textures later.

This allows you to compress textures individually and then link them to your 3D model inside of Spark AR Studio.

Size compression for audio inside of Spark AR Studio.

Even though audio is not used as often as textures and 3D models, they can add to your file size when being used in Spark AR Studio.

But this is easy to fix, with the use of Digital Audio Workstations and compression tools you can find online.

In most cases, the audio you have will be either mp3 or wav file.

The mp3 file is a compressed version of the wav file, saving plenty of space to begin with.

Nonetheless, when you want to bring in an entire song or a long running sountrack, it is important to compress further so that you can save more space for other content inside your filter.

The first step is to convert your audio into mp3. This is the most compressed version of your audio that you will have.

Open your mp3 file in a Digital Audio Workstation like FL Studio.

What we want to check here is the bitrate and the sample rate.

Files of the mp3 format that have a bitrate of 192 kbps or 256 kbps will have a larger file size.

The goal here is to change the bitrate to 128 kbps and the sample rate to 44.1 kHz.

You can reduce the birate further but then the quality of the audio file will suffer.

Place your audio file in the channel. Use the cut feature to remove any unwanted audio bits — this is completely optional.

Then go to file > export > mp3.

Set the bitrate to 128 kbps and the sample rate to 44.1 kHz.

Export once done.

You can also reduce the file size further by using an online mp3 compression tool.

Once done, convert the file to m4a — the file format accepted in Spark AR Studio for audio files.

In case you only have the m4a file, then the best option is to use only what you have. Compressing m4a file sizes is not recommended, as the audio quality will take a hit.

Things to keep in mind while reducing the arexport file size in Spark AR Studio.

Here are a few important things to keep in mind when reducing the arexport file size:

1. Remove textures and other files that are not in use.
2. HDR files can be compressed, but the quality and overall appeal will take a hit.
3. Spark AR Studio does not accept videos, so mp4, mov and other file formats are irrelevant when discussing compression.
4. If you are using textures from the Spark AR library, chances are that they are heavy in size. Read their attribution and if it’s okay to do so — locate the file in the folder, reduce its file via Crushee and then use it in your project.
5. There is no way to compress an arexport file on its own — all files in use will have to be compressed individually rather than the main file.
6. If you are using scripts, the file sizes won’t be that significant — nonetheless, remove scripts that you are no longer using.

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