Two different spells exist that are capable of reducing the size of something: Shrink, which can make a willing creature tiny, and Shrink Item, which can make an object the size of a coin. Shrink takes two actions for its magic to work and is a second level spell, while Shrink Item takes 10 minutes to cast and needs a third level slot to cast. While the duration on each is vastly different (an object can stay small for about a day while a creature shrinks for only a few minutes) I find it a bit bizarre that shrinking a living, breathing (usually) creature in a way that doesn't fundamentally break all the complex internal processes required to continue being alive somehow takes less time and magical effort to do than doing the same to an object that doesn't come with a million extra ways to break as soon as it starts shrinking. Is this a balance issue, or have the wizards of Golarion really put that much more effort into optimizing techniques for shrinking living beings than they have for inanimate objects?
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He/She's probably confusing it with Baleful Polymorph
Anyway the basic idea is that Shrink is a lower duration encounter oriented spell developed to flee and pursue situations where do you need to pass through some tiny or smaller place faster.
While Shrink Item is an utility spell developed to help the transportation of up to gargantuan size objects. It's long cast time probably is to prevent characters to steal such big thing in an encounter and run. Also it's non-magical object limitation also prevents many of it's usages making this spell relevance questionable (for example I cannot steal a magical totem that protect a city from curses with it).
It is in the nature of living beings to grow, and to a lesser extent, to shrink with age or hunger. It is in their nature to change. This both makes it trivial to alter their size, but difficult to keep it altered- and that assumes that the will is aligned. If the will is set in opposition, then it cannot be done at all, no matter how powerful the mage, and greater magic is needed to first alter the living being's nature altogether.
By contrast, unthinking objects are fixed in their nature. They are much harder to alter, but retain such changes far more readily.
(No need for Wizards to have optimized one spell more than the other when there are perfectly good esoteric explanations! As a general rule of thumb, "magic can easily make temporary alterations to creatures, while objects have fewer effects, but are often longer in duration and/or casting time" holds up well enjoy that you could include it as a general principle of the setting's magic with exceptions and do all right.)
He/She's probably confusing it with Baleful Polymorph
Anyway the basic idea is that Shrink is a lower duration encounter oriented spell developed to flee and pursue situations where do you need to pass through some tiny or smaller place faster.
While Shrink Item is an utility spell developed to help the transportation of up to gargantuan size objects. It's long cast time probably is to prevent characters to steal such big thing in an encounter and run. Also it's non-magical object limitation also prevents many of it's usages making this spell relevance questionable (for example I cannot steal a magical totem that protect a city from curses with it).
Ummm, shrink item is 20 cubic feet. For an item that's a perfect cube, thats about 2.7 ish ft per side. You can shrink up to a Small item; albeit one with a lot of density
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This seems like a mixed argument of both mechanics and description. Pick one.
Is there a game mechanics balance problem with Shrink being 2 actions and Shrink Item being 10 minutes in casting time? Not really.
Neither spell is meant to be used in offense. Shrink requires a willing target, and Shrink Item takes too long to cast during battle (or without starting a fight if one isn't already in progress).
Is there a lore/description disconnect with Shrink being a 2nd level spell that takes a few seconds to cast and Shrink Item being a 3rd level spell that takes 10 minutes to cast? Maybe, but not much. If it becomes important, use some creativity in the description of how magic works.
But by having the argument be a mix of both, it feels like an argument trying to use the description and lore of the spells as a reason to change their balance.
Basically if someone is arguing both at the same time, they are hoping that we will all go, 'Oh yeah, that's strange. Sure make Shrink Item be a 1st level spell that only takes 2 actions to cast.'
Because of course then the next time we play with them they are going to have Shrink Item prepared and immediately cast it on an enemy's weapon...
I feel there's also a factor of scope when it comes to the implications of both spells.
The shrink spell is very short; basically long enough to scurry away from danger into some underbrush; having a faster teammate scoop you up and run with you, getting past an obstacle where a normal sized person couldn't pass, but someone thats housecat sized could, etc
Shrink item lasts a full day; and if the more dubious parts of the forums are anything to believe, has a means of cheating an infinite duration that doesn't cost slot upkeep in the form of just putting the item into a bottle.
Generally speaking, mechanically, in pf2e, things that last a long time have one or both of a longer cast time or a high spell slot compared to the effect. It's kinda like how raising a temporary minion for a minute is a spell slot, but if you want a permanent minion, you need to spend 8hrs making one.
Most likely, the 10 min thing is to make sure the spell can't easily be used to carry out thefts of large items, or offensively in combat as a terrain manipulating effect. A 2 action cast would let you possibly shrink things like halfling sized boulders and the like, and a 1 minute cast is easily doable for stuff like swiping large ingots of precious metals. 10 min means that you can basically only use it when the coast is clear, or if using it in a heist, when you have the cover of your allies