The Best Instagram Export Settings for Adobe Lightroom

[@patkay]

for those asking, this is the Classic version of Lightroom, not the cloud version. if you're not seeing the same thing in this video, consider using the Classic version of lightroom!

[@byronvontreal7046]

I mostly use my phone. I’ll transfer my images to my phone and upload to Lightroom. After editing, I use to download to my phone, but I’ll just export (after setting these settings) straight to social media. What’s your thoughts, is that better considering it’s straight from the source and not so many transfers?

[@dennisarnott9854]

@@byronvontreal7046 I do this aswell, would like to know the answer also

[@RexNathanChan]

Actually, I just noticed there's a "high quality" option on the iOS IG app in the settings... does this affect uploads??

[@rahulterencedias7950]

@@RexNathanChan Yup it lets you upload pictures at the highest quality Instagram supports

[@nolimitjrod2224]

What do you mean by cloud version ?

[@marienj.malloy2582]

FINALLYYYYYYY!! My images looks WAYY BETTER! Thanks thanks thanks gracias gracias gracias!!

[@halal815]

Finally I got the desired quality of the exported photo. Thank you very much for this video!

[@ayrtons1572]

Someone who explains it simply! Having gone through a few of these export setting recommendations your channel stands out best, much appreciated.

[@patkay]

glad you found them helpful! :)

[@DJFITME]

What about facebook settings?

[@TersiusvanRhyn]

Hey Pat, I thoroughly enjoyed this video, as I do with all your other videos lately, and have a question. Let's say you are done in Lightroom with your editing, but you want to edit that image in Photoshop because maybe there are some areas that you want to touch up, patch, clone etc. My question is, do you save that image in Photoshop which in return will update the image in Lightroom automatically and export from there or do you have some tips on the right export settings within Photoshop that corresponds to your Lightroom settings? Would love to hear your thoughts on this! Greetings from Switzerland.

[@giuliopalumboschiavone582]

Man, your content is mind-blowing: great descriptions, great video quality and lighting, flawless step by step and clear explanations. Subscribed

[@patkay]

thank you mate! appreciate :)

[@darkyolks]

Awesome video and helpful information however in Lightroom when I try to put the Height value to 0 it gives me an error code and requires it to have a value of 1 to 65000. How do I fix this? Using Lighroom Classic

[@GeorgeVellios]

may i ask something ? what if i transfer my edited photo from my computer mail to my phone mail and then download it ? . does it compress there ?

[@robin14441]

Nop, no compression. Good method if that works for you

[@dayflaubert]

Nice video, friend. my lightroom doesnt have this export window. it is just some options but it doesnt open this window. It seems i am using the version 4.1 but i have no idea of what it means.

[@iceorbz]

Yeah I don't have any of it either :(

[@seempaq]

Is this the classic or CC version ?

[@ReplicOC]

These settings are in Adobe Lightroom Classic, not sure if the other one has something similar...

[@neelpatel6709]

@@seempaq classic

[@mel2998]

You have them in lightroom cc. When you export the image. For mobile: Choose export as and you will get to a menu similar but not the same to what classic has. If you want the sharpening it will be in the more option tab. For laptop/pc: when you export choose custom setting and you will get same menu as in mobile.

[@shanesterling1983]

conventional wisdom says to downscale images to 1080p, but I just tested the 2160p method and you are right. Why don't you recommend people simply transferring their photos from their computer to their phone via usb?

[@H1HP100]

This video was for people who use such apps. Ofcourse the cable method is the best

[@krnlpan1c]

Firstly, thank you for your videos, I really enjoy watching them. You mention to use 1x-3x your focal length to determine your shutter speed. Do you adjust that according to the frame of your camera body? i.e. if I am shooting an APS-C sensor, do I do 1x-3x x 1.6? Thank you again for sharing all of your years of knowledge with us!

[@RealPearlMania]

I use APS-C and do portrait photography. I mainly shoot with 35mm lens which is equivilent to 56mm on APS-C. Therefore, the minimum shutter speed would be 1/60th but that's not at all recomended, as any lower than 1/60th would result in blur/out of focus. Ideally you'd want about 1/200th for sharp photos with this lens, which is the nearest to 3x the eqiuvilent focal length of 1/60th. Hope this helps.

[@ericlarson2444]

Great info. I especially like the Lightroom export settings. A workaround on the last step is to post directly from your computer. Google Chrome has in the developer module the ability to emulate your phone and allow you to post from the browser. A quick google search reveals instructions to do this.

[@aimlezz8855]

Nice video! One comment: instead of transferring your exported images to your phone, simply upload them straight to Instagram web, since you're already on your computer.

[@dimac7422]

hii pat great video. U mentioned in the video that u dont want to go into the technical details why u used 2160px but i was curious about it to know why and i am sure couple of people are too. Great video

[@charles_luke]

Very informational video! Thanks! Hey, I just have a follow up question about the image sizing "2160 = Width" and then you said leave it blank for the height? Apparently for my lightroom classic, by default it shows 1000, what do I do?

[@Katgrrlxo]

Hi, thank you for sharing this valuable info, 👍😊 Please give me the settings to export to Instagram from the free Lightroom mobile app. For the longer portrait 4.5 size, And should I change the resolution of the pic to 1080 x 1350 before exporting? Or leave the pic a much higher quality but crop it to a 4.5 crop? Lightroom mobile only gives the option for long side / custom or small or largest available dimensions.

[@easywhitechocolate]

I'm wondering this as well as I use the mobile app

[@Katgrrlxo]

@@easywhitechocolate I have been trying to find the answers everywhere & no one will answer 😿 please let me know if you find out this info. Thank you ❤️

[@MichaelMai-j8d]

Does slow internet affect the quality of uploading photos on Instagram? Though the images are sharp after editing in Lightroom.

[@rickg2967]

Why would you set your width to 2160 (2x instas max res) if Instagram's maximum is 1080, wouldn't it be better to use 1080px width to avoid having Instagram compress your photo at all?

[@patkay]

Because you can't actually avoid instagram compression and resizing. no matter what resolution, quality, or otherwise you set, the compression process will always be present. Knowing that, it then becomes better to the approach it with the question "what resizes most cleanly?".

[@rickg2967]

@@patkay Very interesting, thanks for the response!

[@quinlan9860]

@@patkay When I try to leave the height blank in image resizing, Lightroom is requiring me to input a value of at least one. Just a heads up if you wanted to put a note in the description addressing that. Not sure if lightroom made some sort of update since you uploaded.

[@hellopeople1824]

What if my photos are really good from my gallery , but everytime i post a story or a post they turn really blurry. What can i do ? Or when i have to cut a video from an app like xrecorder , it gets really blurry. Plz how can i fix this ?

[@xineeddine]

Me watching the entire video without having a camera :'(

[@IamdanimalFg4]

We all been there bro

[@terrysuresh8276]

Hello Pat, I really hope to receive a response to this comment. Sony alpha 7r4 via Creators app to android phone and then editing in Lr in android phone and exporting the same way you told us to gallery and then to instagram. Does this sound like there's any loss of quality here? Apart from my beginner(poor) photographic skills ofcourse 😅

[@therealcinnimo]

I feel like you guys in Australia have very different lighting or amount of lighting than we do in Europe... like julia trotti said even on ☁️ weather she basically never gets to shoot at less than 1/400 shutterspeed while in Germany at ☁️ weather I have to go down to 1/200 for portraits and even that is only possible when I bump my ISO up to like 600 even though my f stop is at 1.8 .. wtf...

[@ilyaIvanov_personal]

Very nice, easy to understand, and informative video! Thank you! I also wanted to ask you if you have ever noticed that after exporting an image from lightroom, the exported JPG photo looks different than in Lightroom (colors, fade, etc..) Is it because of the conversion to SRGB?

[@patkay]

it could be, or it also could be monitor calibration issues. either or, check the colour profiles that are going in, and match them as they're going out :)

[@InfiniteTony]

I'm using the mobile app version and some of these settings are missing.. would it matter as much? 🤔

[@krejn]

Fantastic video, but the video title os literally backwards, it's supposed to be lightroom export settings for instagram

[@lorelee8436]

I'm actually in love with you, I came for the knowledge I stayed for you. Lol but for real tho, you are very attractive!!

[@vernondekoker8797]

Great Video, just a question what is the setting and dimensions for facebook

[@lindsaywebb1904]

As long as you only upload 1 image per post, you can direct upload from your computer using dev tools in the browser

[@jonathanb.1625]

Facebook creators studio is the best !

[@nigrumspeculum]

and it will compress like hard.

[@lindsaywebb1904]

@@nigrumspeculum the compression happens at the Instagram end, that is not negotiable

[@Carboose]

Thank you for the great explanation of things! This is the information that I needed. Somewhere along the way I have one of those 'phantom compressions' and the photo comes out looking like I took it with a candid camera. Is it possible to get into the 'super technical' image ratio (the 2160px = twice the 1080px part) or do you have a link with information I'd be able to look into? Thanks in advance, keep posting this great content! 💪

[@lawlinyourface]

I upload my photos from SD card directly to LR then upload from there to my Computer back to Instagram. Is this the best way without zero compression issues?

[@ElShaddai-bz3fy]

So if I do these settings and save to hard drive, will it be good for sharing to others and printing?

[@msntung]

does the settings work for landscape ?

[@dylanzchen]

Does exporting from the LR mobile app have any bearing on the final output when uploaded to instagram? Or is that the same process as LR desktop then file sharing via airdrop/ google drive?

[@patkay]

it depends on the flow; if you've uploaded raw on to your phone, then edited in LR mobile, then exported (and it still stays on your phone), then uploaded to Instagram, that's the most optimal route. i wouldn't have that flow if you've started on desktop though

[@omatousou]

Uploading from pc web version if insta for better results. Don't use phone

[@josebrivera1716]

I don’t understand something. Why would some take great photos only to shoot them up to Instagram, a platform made for mere phone cameras! And why send a photo to one’s phone at all? Is there a platform for DSLR photographers which can be uploaded to via a desktop?

[@miloslepotic]

11:50 or just connect your devices via usb cable

[@tehdreamer]

Transferring photos from PC to phone via USB cable is the best.

[@migdon470]

Can anyone help answer this: If I am using the LR app and after I edit the photo and Download/save it into my photos app. Does that affect the image?

[@Alezcollection]

Hm… doesn’t let me set my height to 0. When I try to set to 0, it gives me this error: “Invalid constraint size. Must be a number between 1 and 65000. Closest value inserted.” So it automatically sets my height to 1. Is this fine?

[@Santosss29]

Seems like I’m having the same issue! Also gonna leave it at 1 just to see what happens..

[@shanesongsataporn4531]

Hey Pat, this question might be too much to answer, but you said to keep the resolution on the image size at the default, which was 72ppi, because it's only really for prints. Is there a desired resolution for prints? And is there other things to consider for prints as well? Love your work by the way! Been a follower for so long

[@patkay]

ideally you'd want to set your output DPI to 300 for prints! the only other thing to consider is to remember to sharpen for print too (which is usually a little oversharpened if you look at it on a monitor)

[@shanesongsataporn4531]

@@patkay thanks a lot for the info Pat!

[@kwa_nguyen]

how to send uncompressed photos to yourself on whatsapp : create a group chat with yourself . Send photos from Pc/desktop/mac as a Document.

[@SaraWC72]

Do you have exporting advise for Facebook too?

[@KevinChun]

Could you make a video on the best export settings for Facebook too Great video by the way really useful

[@fiftycalguru]

THANK YOU!!!! a great video nothing but information from start to finish no fluff and even a recap of the subjects taught!

[@patkay]

no problem! glad you dug it :)

[@tomgohpy]

I tried this method, but the photos still comes out choppy and pixelated on Instagram 😢

[@mishstone7611]

Excellent video, you made everything seem so simple. However, when I tried to do the Image Sizing - Lightroom Classic didn't allow me to enter zero? It came up with Invalid constraint size. must be between 1 and 65,000. Closest value inserted. What am I doing wrong I put in Width and Height, Width 2,160 height tried zero and selected pixels and don't enlarge. Would really appreciate if you could answer this for me.

[@pharpshotextra9657]

just clear it,meaning dont input any digit in.....empty.

[@noahleonardo3517]

Can I transfer from my computer to my phone through we transfer or will it compress it ? 😊

[@bobfankboner]

What are your thoughts on using the lightroom mobile app for editing. Typically I shoot, transfer pics to my phone via lightning-to-SD connection. Are there export settings you would recommend before uploading to IG? Thank you

[@patkay]

that's a great workflow too! for that, i'd use the same export settings and just upload to instagram straight from exporting from LR mobile =)

[@j33heyk]

When I put these photo into a IG reel, the quality looks so unsharp again... any solutions?

[@geokh92]

Awesome tips Pat, this has given tons of ways to import my photos for instagram! Do you recommend using the browser version to upload the photos or directly from the phones instead?

[@patkay]

they're both the same =) up to you which you choose!

[@LoYaL_RR]

Hey, why not directly upload the picture form the computer on IG? Since last month, we now have that option. Does it decrease the image quality?

[@jordanmiranda8038]

I wanna know too @Pat Kay

[@j2mchugh]

Great video Pat, thanks. Have you ever tried uploading to IG directly from your Mac by using Safari's built in developer tools? That is, using Develop/User Agent/iPhone to trick IG into thinking you're uploading from a mobile device? Does that help or hurt in getting shaper IG images? The workflow is faster, but it's not clear to me if quality is any different.

[@patkay]

ah, i've never tried that but it could make for an interesting experiment!

[@AnwerCena55]

will transfer via cable from PC to mobile compress the image quality ??

[@H1HP100]

No

[@snehalgandham]

isn't the width 1080. Thats what I heard for the posts and reels?

[@avatr7109]

Theres also one thing i have noticed ,when you upload Via an android the image/video quality isnt that good ...when compared with IPhones or iPads etc In Android whether it is stories or IGTV....and if it is a VIDEO ,*Then the quality is Gone..................... completely wishy washy ,artifacts all over .* (I guess the artifacts are less when uploaded via samsung but...) *And that is one reason why the "Celebrities" or the marketing teams for say Mercedes ,Jaguar use an IPhone for the content.* It is probably because Apple has less range of devices ie one/less algorithm on all devices , but for Google they have to consider all the devices from range of companies AND their processors etc... _(read it somewhere probably linus or mkbhd)_

[@patkay]

this is a far larger topic than the scope of this video, but you're not wrong-although there is far more to it than simply what you mentioned. unfortunately quite out of scope for this video and topic, but thanks for your thoughts!

[@mxtreme87]

U can actually upload straight to Instagram from pc or mac.

[@Ramonphotography]

How

[@Covicake]

How about a USB cable from the PC to the phone?

[@HellScyThe132]

and posting in instagram directly from my pc?

[@yanavilkina959]

Thank you for your work, Pat ! So easy to understand . I already can see improvement in my photos after watching few of your videos ♥️

[@kev16]

What can i do if i use lightroom on my phone?

[@patkay]

use the same export settings and upload straight to Instagram from there :)

[@kev16]

@@patkay bah I'm a newbie I can't locate the export settings on the app 😭

[@robin14441]

I've read somewhere Instagram doesn't compress images that are under 1 MB. Then that would makes sense to export as 1080px for width to keep the file size low, but I'll give your settings a try :) Thanks for the video

[@aimlezz8855]

That's what I read too. 1080px always works for me - the images are super sharp.

[@LimpTicTac]

Wouldn't it make more sense to use 'Short Edge' set to 2160 instead of Width? The width will always be the bottom edge of the photo regardless of orientation so I don't think this is optimal for any crop or AR like you mentioned. Maybe I'm missing something?

[@SCU3A_S7EVE]

The width on Instagram is always 1080, even for landscape images.

[@albertomurgia5443]

Good video , what about moving photo from pc to android witha usb cable?

[@H1HP100]

It doesn't compress. Its the best way if you have a pc with you, near you.

[@ayaazjaorawala4219]

Thank you so much to consider my request and making the video on this topic. One more thing I wanted to know is what do you use to upload your photos iPhone or Android? Also how do you make your instagram stories? How does they look so crisp and sharp? When I upload a story it becomes blurry but your's look so sharp.

[@banjedisney3412]

Also if you don't mind, I don't know if you have experienced this but sometimes when I export my images on my phone they do look oversaturated on my laptop monitor. Would love to see a video on that...

[@darun225]

Search for "Monitor Calibration for photography"

[@WritersInkTHEWORD]

I can upload straight from laptop to Instagram

[@tommytalim4591]

Very good info! Just curious, which Focus Area (wide, zone, etc.) is recommended for taking landscape photo? Or is it better to take the shot with Manual focus instead? Thanks!!

[@patkay]

It's pretty situation dependent to be honest, but you can never go wrong with flexible spot, even if it might take a little longer to get the focus exactly where you want it =)

[@tommytalim4591]

@@patkay Got it! I am still experimenting on my a7iii currently. Still wondering sometimes on how others have a very sharp result (especially on landscape / urban), whether its due to the camera or focus or post editing hahaha

[@yogatheseekeroftruth9169]

@@tommytalim4591 You should check your lens on google at which aperture it performs best. Some 11/16 or 22 check my insta @rawartphotowork

[@yogatheseekeroftruth9169]

@@patkay check below 👌

[@Juuuusy]

so if i have windows and iphone what am i do?

[@koreath]

QUESTION! Why do the edits change once I export the photos from Lightroom. Sometimes the colors slightly change, or the details.. or SOMETHING... doesn't make sense.

[@alanalain4884]

Great video, thank you. One question though, since it's possible to post on Instagram through your Windows computer with Chrome, in this case isn't it as good than using Dropbox service or such, since posting directly on Instagram from your PC shouldn't generate any compression loss, aside of the Instagram compression itself which is anyway applied disregarding from where the picture is downloaded from ? What do you think ?

[@AryanNarula]

you can post from windows. open instagram in chrome, inspect elements, top right side there will be an icon like phone. click it, reload the page. but the downside is that it will still be compressed.

[@eliazbowman6809]

what about if you have a pc but an iphone

[@pidi_tube]

Thanks for the tips! To post my images on Instagram, I simply use an Instragram Extension in my browser. There's no need to transfer the images to the phone and do it from there. :)

[@olubunmiolajoyegbe545]

Welcome to my world. So, thanks for your tutorial as I found it very, very helpful. 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿❤️

[@rfish2]

Gonna use all these tips! Thanx Pat! Great channel! Gaining a lot of inspiration!

[@streetsandeats]

Thanks Pat. How would these export settings change if you were going for a print?

[@patkay]

that's a whole other topic altogether! there's a completely different process for that which i follow, hopefully i'll be able to make a video for that one day!

[@KPSCTIMES]

Addicted to your channel brother.

[@abduljalilattahir4764]

Hello Pat. I've set my Width in Export settings as 2160. I'm trying to leave my height blank but it's telling me I've to put in a number between "1-65000" Pls what should I do?

[@Hidrocan]

did you find out what to do mate?

[@abduljalilattahir4764]

@@Hidrocan not at all. Do you've something for me?

[@abduljalilattahir4764]

I guess after putting it on 2160, don't type any value for height. It should work that way I suppose

[@jjtaylor6067]

Pat, what export dimensions do you use for posting on your website, and for portfolio images? Thank you so much for the great content.

[@DavidPankarican]

now that IG supports uploading from a computer, is there anything different to do?

[@tupokraju3109]

i think its better to upload from pc

[@massimilianomolinari7846]

Thank you very much Professor Pat for these interesting and important tips!!! 🙏 🙏 🙏 I will follow your foundamental suggestions and will adapt to Luminar Neo cause I don’t use Lightroom. But it’s ok 👌👍🏼 . Have a good week end. Max 👋🏼

[@petersoi]

Thanks Pat, have you tested uploading via android phone vs iPhone for image quality? I read Instagram is more optimised for iPhone hence better image quality.

[@patkay]

I haven't personally, but don't see a reason why the two platforms would have different compression methods, especially if you have a clean way of exporting and getting your image to Instagram in the first place

[@syiian3309]

Hi, sorry for my bad english and dumb question, but why jpeg and not png? What's the difference?

[@giacomosolbiati4957]

i've got a question for you. After i edit i move my shots from the computer to the phone by sending myself a mail. What do you think about that in terms of compression?

[@H1HP100]

Nothing that I understand of, he said app to app such as snapseed or google photos. I transfer from pc to phone using a cable, and it doesnt compress. Think of it as transferring a movie or a document to your phone. No compression made, same thing in this case.

[@aimlezz8855]

Why not upload them to Instagram on your computer? Why take the extra step? :)

[@rasecroel2366]

Great video friend.. I export them via email high resolution.. Do you recommend that?. Thanks

[@Gaffneydaniel92]

For what ever reason my airdrop never works from my Mac to my iPhone. Am I losing quality by taking Lightroom exports to my Apple photos in a shared album and then accessing the album from my iPhone?

[@chrisdavis280]

Is there any compression when synching Lightroom Mobile with Lightroom Classic desktop? My workflow starts on my PC. Then I synch my edit to Lightroom Mobile, tweak based on my iPhone screen, download to camera roll, then upload to Instagram. Is there any compression going on there? Also, Very well done video! I’ve watched a few of your videos now and they are well thought out, organized, to the point, and filled with great info!

[@Redhotlugnut]

I uploaded a bunch of pics to google photos and I didn't see any compression or loss of quality. Perhaps this is a 2020 thing? Also as of 2021, the native resolution for 4:5 is 1080 x 1350 (4:5 ratio)

[@kuantou]

I use 1200px and 86 quality. don't have complains

[@genobambino]

Pat, why transfer the files to your phone before uploading? Couldn't you just use Safari settings that emulate a phone [Develop > User Agent> Safari - iOS - iPhone] and just upload the photo from the browser of your computer? Have you tried this and does it add a stage of compression?

[@miriamnovoa4368]

Oh! you made my day with this video, thank you so much! -// question , for uploading to a website , do you recommend the same settings as for IG?

[@sveneezy2059]

Subscribed. Love the way you explain things! Watched the color calibration the other day and I'm draw in by the way you teach.

[@RLperspective]

Very clear and easy directions. But I have a question, do you or anyone know if images compress sending from laptop to android phone via Bluetooth.

[@igormartin7948]

is gmail okay to export

[@traveltomodachiankit]

Wow! Why I couldn’t came across your video earlier???

[@patkay]

haha i just started though :)

[@jonstan525]

What about exporting photos from LR Mobile to your phone’s picture storage and then uploading the file to Instagram? Do iPhones compress image files for their photo storage?

[@milani223]

Thank you pat kay , but i cant understand now when i crop the image in 4:5 put the 2700px in w box or 2160

[@austinmorphew9100]

I load through Dropbox

[@infinitebeing211]

Thanks, I can't wait to try this later today. This has been the absolute biggest hurdle for me 😢. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[@rachelg7371]

Dumb question: how do I use air drop on my mac? For IG, I usually export from Lr to my desktop and then drag the image to a text message to myself… then from my phone I post to IG. Too many steps, right?