Why does a 170 Kb file becomes a 3.5 Mb when I save it as theme?

The reason the files get large is that it is saving the theme images into each and every slide. Normally it references the theme master images from the library but when you "add" it you do just that! It also works the same way when you save audio and video into the file.

No don't remove the themes from the library unless you want them gone altogether. To get the files smaller simply un-select the "copy theme images into document" in the preferences. Now since you make the slideshow on one mac and then share it with others each of those mac will need to have the same themes in their libraries. If they are aftermarket themes you may have to buy them for each mac.

Hello,

I also have this problem.

I created a custom theme in a blank keynote document and it was only about 1.5mb, but once I saved it as a theme and applied it, it jumped up to 4.6 mb!

I really need to shrink this theme size down and any advice/ideas/help would be greatly appreciated. I've already minimized the images in the theme and erased each one by one to see if there was one thing causing this size jump but it barely made a difference. In my preferences, "copy theme images into document" is unselected and I'm out of ideas.

Please help!

Thank you

OK, problem solved. I was having this same issue & every presentation that I made from the new template was over 3.5MB, even if it contained only text. I now have it down to 229kB.

I used a plain black theme as my basis for a custom theme. I modified the fonts, layouts, etc, just as I wanted them. Then I saved as a template. The file size balloned to 3.5MB. The reason turns out that the default charts fot the black theme have woodgrain surface textures & these are being saved into the custom theme file (in a folder called "theme-files" within the custom theme package). So the solution is to remove all references to textured charts in the custom theme.

So... Get your custom theme ready & save it as a regular presentation somewhere for safe keeping. Now create a new chart on a new slide. (NB. A new regular slide, not a Master Slide.) For simplicity, choose the top-left-most chart type (column chart). Open the Inspector; go to the chart tab; select Chart Colors. In the new Chart Colors window, select 2D Color Fills & pick any colour. Click Apply All. Go to the menubar item Format --> Advanced --> Define Column Chart for All Masters. Click OK with the default option of "6".

Now, use the Inspector to change the chart to the next chart type along. Repeat the process above of changing the chart colours to a 2D colour fill, then applying this to all masters. Repeat, repeat, repeat for all chart types. I couldn't select a colour fill for some chart types, such as the line graphs.

Once you've defined all charts as using a 2D colour fill, there are no references to textures any longer. So, now delete the chart & its slide. Go to File --> Save Theme. Give it a name.

Now, check your custom theme file size in the Finder. Hopefully, it's come down in size now!

After searching the web for half a day, your method finally solved my problem. It is really SILLY for Keynote to have this issue. Hope fix it soon.

Keynote 5.3 on Mac Air Mid 2012, MacOS 10.8.2

Message was edited by: boy_king