Lightroom Export Settings Every Photographer Should Know.
Editing with Lightroom is a great experience, but when I try to export my edited images, I get a little confused about the export settings. Then I found some great Lightroom export settings that I am going to share with you. Here are the detailed export settings to keep the high resolution of the images.
I am going to discuss the right export settings for the web and all social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. These are a little more complex than other Adobe Lightroom alternatives because of the different Lightroom settings. But I have explained them very simply so that you can easily access your edited content.
Choosing the Best Lightroom Export Settings
Here are the detailed export settings you should know when exporting photos from Lightroom to social media platforms.
Step 1: Choose Settings under Export Location.
First, choose File, then Export and choose an export location that is suitable for your file. The original image file can be saved by “selecting the same folder as the original image”. On the desktop, you can also save them to a folder. You can also use the Lightroom MOD APK catalog options to save edited photos or save them to a subfolder.
Sync the Library > Synced Folder folder to access them later. Select the exported file or give the file a name. Lightroom MOD APK has an export function that prevents the camera from capturing the folder name. However, there are several options you can use to name the file.
Step 2: Make changes under File Name.
Open the File Naming tab and change the name of the file. Next, click on the drop-down menu to access the File Name Template Editor. Lightroom offers several options for naming files, such as name, title, series number, and date. You can also select the copyright on the metadata and the image number. Press Enter to apply all changes.
Step 3: Adjust the details under File Settings.
Now you can adjust image details under file settings such as image size, format, color space, quality, and file size. Set Image Format to JPEG, Color Space to sRGB, and Quality to 100 to display images in web browsers.
Step 4: Adjust the numbers under Image Size.
In addition to performance, camera settings also greatly affect your image. Since the Mac display is 227 pixels per inch, it has an aspect ratio of 2560 x 1600 pixels. Lightroom also offers the option to adjust the size under Image Size.
Optimal Display Size for Export
If you have just edited a wedding photo and want to export it for printing, the original display size works well. If you want to post online, you need to check the box for resizing and you can choose the dimensions you want. All platforms have different optimal dimensions for images, some crop the image, some max out the size, and some allow for aspect ratios.
Recommended sizes for different platforms are listed below:
Instagram: 1,080 x 608px or 4:5 aspect ratio or 1,080 x 1,350px
Webmaster: 2,560 x 1,440px.
Pinterest: Display >> 1,000 px, Portrait >> 1,000 x 2,100 px, Landscape >> 1,000 x 1,500 px.
Flickr Pro: Display of 6,144 px or 2,048 px.
Twitter: 1,200 x 675px (16:9 panorama)
Facebook: 4:1, aspect ratio 1,200 x 1500 pixels
Best export resolution and “do not enlarge” box.
If your image is small, you will not be able to enlarge it with Lightroom. First, check the box “Do not enlarge” or try resizing Photoshop or ON1 RAW AI. If we talk about the best export resolution, it is 72ppi or can be increased up to 300ppi.
Step 5: Adjust the output acceleration.
Now adjust the sharpness of the images that define the edges and add brightness to the images. You can also choose from the sharpening presets that are available in Lightroom CC and Classic. Also, the Lightroom export settings have different sharpening levels and you can choose from Low, Standard, and High.
Step 6: Adjust the metadata settings
Your photo information is stored in metadata that contains GPS coordinates, making them easy to find. You can add any type of information like your personal details, address or any other details that you want to add. When you upload the image, all the information associated with it is also uploaded, but there is an exception in the case of Instagram where all the metadata is removed.
But you can also filter out bits of information, like people and personal information, and upload photos with camera settings and copyright information.
Step 7: Add Watermarks to Photos
If you’ve edited photos for your social media platforms, you can add watermarks to them. This is an art or signature that your photos save when you post them to social media profiles. When you export, you can add text or images so that you can edit or remove them later whenever you want.
Open Lightroom Classic Click the box next to Watermark, then click Edit Watermarks. Click the icon to open the watermark editor, then add images or type text and then adjust the size, opacity, or position.
Step 8: Export Presets
There are several steps in Lightroom’s export settings that are easy to forget. To simplify, export presets from the Lightroom Export dialog. Simply click on the Add button to select the desired export presets.
Best Lightroom Export Settings for Different Platforms
Apart from the steps described above, there are also Lightroom export settings available to export images for their intended use. These settings are used by professional photographers to build a strong portfolio and thus attract more potential clients.
1- Lightroom Export as Catalog
Lightroom export settings have different catalog systems and when you choose to export photos, you will get the option to “Share as Catalog” and the process is very simple compared to others. When you select this option, the new catalog is linked to images and their metadata information. Here are some steps that people take to export images from a catalog:
2- Lightroom Export Settings for Prints
Wedding photos can be edited in Lightroom and come in different sizes, from portfolio size to gallery size, and exported for prints. By exporting them in larger sizes, Lightroom ensures that they retain their high quality. Here are some of the best Lightroom export settings for prints that maintain the quality of images:
3- Lightroom export settings for web
The best Lightroom export settings are also available for the web and the small size of the image despite the high resolution is important in this case. Here are detailed Lightroom export settings for the web that allow you to export high-resolution images.
4- Lightroom export settings for Instagram
You can also use Lightroom’s web export process on Instagram. However, there are several points to keep in mind here.
Set a smaller image size for better viewing and you can even share work with clients for a preview.
5- Lightroom Export Settings for Facebook
If you set the image size to high resolution for Facebook, the image quality will automatically be set to 100. Don’t forget to set the sharpening for larger screen sizes. You will have significant changes.
Why is exporting photos from Lightroom complicated?
Several reasons make exporting images from Lightroom complicated. Some of them are as follows:
1- Saves images differently.
Lightroom saves images differently because of its non-destructive properties. Your original images remain intact, while other Adobe software does not have features that make the original content irreversible. Changes you make to your photos are saved in the metadata options. Exporting the same image to different formats becomes a bit complicated.
2- Unique catalog system
While editing in Lightroom, you can save your photos in a unique catalog system so that you can place your photos wherever you want and set a preview. You can select multiple catalogs and also create backups. So, it has a detailed process for exporting images from Lightroom.
3- Export based on desired use.
Lastly, image usage while exporting is very important, whether you want to export your images for printing or sharing on social media platforms. Keep an eye on the export settings that ensure proper placement or export of images based on the intended use.
Why are the right Lightroom export settings important?
Well, Lightroom export settings are important because they ensure that you export the right images for the intended use and that they are displayed correctly. It preserves the quality of images, their sizes, colors, and image details on different social media platforms. If you do not use the right Lightroom export settings, your images will be blurry or in a standard format.
These right settings will check all the issues and keep your file size small for better export. Because the large image size makes it difficult to share on different social media platforms, especially on mobile devices.
Why use Lightroom export presets?
Lightroom is known for its export presets because with just a few mouse clicks and some keyboard shortcuts like “CTRL-Shift-E” or “CMD-Shift-E,” you can export all your images smoothly. Lightroom export presets contain predefined settings that allow you to export multiple images at once or the same image to different formats.
These Lightroom presets have predefined settings that save you time and energy while exporting images. They help in seamless editing that provides a better user experience.
The Result
There is no doubt that Lightroom export settings are a bit complicated, but my step-by-step guide will help you a lot. The right export settings improve the quality of your image and take care of the colors, pixels, and sizes. In Lightroom, you can choose different sizes for the same image while exporting.
Choose the best Adobe software to edit your photos and also export them to your social media platforms. Based on the use of image intent, I found Lightroom export settings to be the best. It makes my day to try it!
