How To Reduce Scratch Project Size? | Compress Scratch Project

Pallabi Mohanty
August 10, 2022

Updated By

Rahul Lath

Reviewed By

Nipun Bindal

Compress Scratch Project: Creating projects on Scratch projects such as games, animations, stories, etc. is a fun way of learning how to code. These projects are made by dragging and dropping block codes from the code palette onto the Scratch editor and arranging them strategically for the project to run. After you are done you save your project either to your computer or to the Scratch website itself. However, if the project size exceeds the recommended size limit, the project won’t get saved. Fret not! There are a few ways you can edit your project inorder to compress Scratch project and save it..

In this article, we will explain everything about how to compress Scratch project. Scroll down to find out more.

This is Chapter 2.2 in the
Advanced Scratch Tutorial

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Is There Any Scratch Project Size Limit?

Yes, like everything else, Scratch also has a project size limit. And any user exceeding this limit wouldn’t be able to save their Scratch project.

Although Scratch, allows its users to make a variety of creative projects such as animations, artwork, stories, games, and so on, there is a limit to the size of Scratch projects. If you exceed the recommended project size limit, your project will not be saved, so read the blog to find out what the correct scratch project size limit is and how to compress Scratch project.

What Is the Max File Size for Scratch Project?

The maximum Scratch project size is 50MB while all the assets are limited to 10 MB.

To put in other words, in the latest Scratch 3.0 version, all assets must be under 10 MB and the project JSON (the data format used by Scratch to store information about projects, sprites, and scripts) must be under 5 MB. Due to this, the smallest possible projects can contain as many assets as possible and the largest project that can be created while staying within the explicit limit is 70,847 assets (708 GB or 660 GiB).

In comparison to Scratch 2.0, Scratch 3.0 uses a different methodology for measuring project size, allowing Scratchers to make projects larger than the old Scratch project size limit, i.e., 50 MB, while all assets are limited to 10 MB.

How To Compress Scratch Project?

If your Scratch projects exceed the recommended size limit, then you won’t be able to save your project. But there are a few ways through which you can edit your project to bring the project size to the recommended size limit. Here are a few tips and tricks on how to compress Scratch project.

1. Removing Unnecessary Sprites and Scripts

Your project may contain unnecessary sprites and scripts which might be taking up a lot of space. Delete the unnecessary sprites and scripts in your project to free up some space.
You can delete duplicate sprites and use cloning and stamping instead to minimize space.
There may be big actions that are repeated multiple times, which can take up a lot of script space. This can be fixed by using custom blocks or broadcasts.

2. Deleting Unused Backdrops and Costumes

There might be some backdrops and costumes that are not in use in the project, delete those.
If you are using Bitmap images, they can be easily compressed by using free online tools like TinyPNG, etc.
Also, while painting costumes and backdrops, use vector graphics instead of bitmap graphics, especially with simple costumes like circles and boxes as vector graphics tend to take up less space. Don’t just simply convert the bitmap costume or backdrop into vector format, it won’t reduce its size.

3. Compressing Sound

There might be some unused sounds in your project, delete those to free up some space.
Pay attention to sounds included in your project by default in all sprites. If you are using external music from your computer or the internet, always use a compressed version. One way to compress your sound is to convert them into an MP3 file by using online convertor tools like cloudconvert.com, etc.

You can also read our detailed blog on the audio size limit for the Scratch project to know more.

SB3 File Compression

What is an SB3 file?

SB3 file is the file format of projects in Scratch 3.0. SB3 file format was introduced in Scratch 3.0, earlier the projects in Scratch 2.0 were in the SB2 file format. The SB3 is a .ZIP archive that stores contents such as sprites, scripts, costumes, and sound.

How to Compress an SB3 file?

Follow the below mentioned steps to convert an SB3 file to ZIP and vice-versa:

Step 1: You can convert SB3 file by using an online converter tool. One of the tool is ezyZip. Click on this link to access the website. In this website, you can now convert an SB3 file to ZIP and vice-versa.
Step 2: Upload your SB3 file from your computer.
Step 3: After you have uploaded your SB3 file, now click on the “Convert to ZIP”.
Step 4: Now, your SB3 file is converted to a ZIP file.

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FAQs on Scratch Project Compression

What is the project size limit in Scratch 3.0?
In the latest Scratch 3.0 version, all assets must be under 10 MB and the project JSON(the data format used by Scratch to store information about, projects, sprites, and scripts) must be under 5o MB. Read the above article for detailed information.

What is the Scratch stage size?
The Scratch stage size is 480×360.

What is the biggest Scratch project?
The biggest project that can be created while staying within the explicit limit is 70,847 assets (708 GB or 660 GiB).

Is there any block limit in the Scratch project?
There is no limit to how many blocks you can put in a Scratch project as long as the project remains under 50 MB.

What is the Scratch project’s thumbnail size?
The thumbnail size differs for different categories like Scratch project, Scratch studio, backdrops, etc. For the Scratch Studio thumbnail, it is 200×130, and for the Scratch backdrop it is 480×360 or 236×193, the size of the backdrop is still debatable.

What is Scratch addons?
Scratch addon is a browser extension of Scratch that provides additional features, themes, etc for the Scratch website and editor. These add-ons are also free to use and customizable.

What is Scratch studio thumbnail size?
The size for the Scratch studio thumbnail is 200×130.

Scratch provides its users with the freedom of imagination and creativity through its fun and interactive projects. You can create various types of projects, like, stories, games, animations, etc., all the while learning about coding. Just pay attention to the size limits of the project, which is pretty straightforward and allows users to explore more and not restrict their imagination. But don’t worry if you exceed the limit you can always edit a few things here and there to fit the norm!