Lightroom Export Settings: A Step-by-Step Field Guide for Photographers
How to Export Photos from Lightroom Classic for Every Use
Image by Flora Gibson
Edited with Field & Fade Creative Look
If you've ever exported a photo from Lightroom, uploaded it to share to Instagram or Facebook, and watched it come out soft and compressed, or sent a "high quality" JPEG to a print lab that came back looking dull, the problem probably wasn't your editing. It was your export settings.
Lightroom's Export dialog has a lot of panels, and it's tempting to just reuse whatever settings you used last time for everything. But social media, your website, client galleries, and print all have different technical requirements. Using one-size-fits-all settings means you're either wasting quality where it matters or handing out files that are way bigger than they need to be.
This guide walks through exactly what to set, panel by panel, for each of the four situations you'll run into most as a professional or hobby photographer.
Before You Start: Where do the Export Settings Live?
Select your photo (or photos) in the Library module or Filmstrip, then either:
Go to File > Export, or
Right-click the image(s) and choose Export > Export...
Or Keyboard Shortcut Ctrl + Shift + E (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + E (macOS)
File, Export Menu in Lightroom Classic
Right-click, Export Menu in Lightroom Classic
This opens the Export dialog, which is organized into panels down the right side: File Settings, Image Sizing, Output Sharpening, Metadata, Watermarking, and more. You don't need to touch every panel every time; the sections below tell you exactly which ones matter for each use case.
Export Dialog
Step 1: Exporting for Social Media
Social Media export settings
Instagram, Facebook, and similar platforms compress every image you upload, no matter how good the file you give them is. The goal here isn't to preserve maximum quality; it's to give the platform a file that survives its own compression without turning soft or blocky.
In the File Settings panel:
Format: JPEG
Quality: 80–90. Going higher just makes a bigger file that gets compressed down anyway.
In the Color Space setting:
Choose sRGB. This one matters: most platforms don't manage color properly, so a wider color space like Adobe RGB can shift or dull your colors on upload.
In the Image Sizing panel:
Resize to Fit: Long Edge
For an Instagram feed post: 1080 px
For Stories or Reels: 1080 x 1920 px
For Facebook: 2048 px
Resolution: 72 ppi (this doesn't affect screen display, but it's the standard convention)
In the Output Sharpening panel:
Sharpen For: Screen
Amount: Standard
In the Metadata panel:
Choose Copyright Only or All Except Camera & Camera Raw Info to strip out GPS and other personal data before your images go public.
Step 2: Exporting for Your Website
Export settings for website
Your website needs to look sharp on modern high-resolution screens without slowing your page load down. Page speed affects both user experience and SEO.
File Settings:
Format: JPEG
Quality: 70–80. Many website builders (Squarespace included) further optimize images on upload, so you don't need to over-deliver here.
Color Space: sRGB
Image Sizing:
Long Edge: 2000–2500 px covers most display sizes, including retina screens
If your site has a zoom or lightbox feature, size up to 3000 px
Resolution: 72 ppi
Output Sharpening:
Sharpen For: Screen, Amount: Standard
Metadata:
Copyright Only is a safe default.
One extra step that's easy to skip: before exporting, set up a custom naming template in the File Naming panel so your files export with descriptive names like sarah-mike-wedding-barn-venue-01.jpg instead of _DSC4821.jpg. Descriptive filenames genuinely help with image SEO.
Step 3: Exporting for Client Galleries
Export settings for high-resolution client gallery deliverables
For client gallery platforms like Pixieset, ShootProof, Sprout Studio, or Pic-Time, you have a few options, based on your business model. If you prefer to deliver high-resolution images that are not full-resolution, use the following settings:
File Settings:
Format: JPEG
Quality: 90–100 (higher than social or web, since these files may get printed)
Color Space: sRGB, unless your specific gallery platform recommends Adobe RGB
Image Sizing:
Many gallery platforms resize automatically on upload, but if you're sizing manually, 2500–3000 px on the long edge is a solid middle ground: enough for quality prints up to roughly 8x10 or 11x14, without releasing your full-resolution files
Resolution: 300 ppi if clients might print directly from downloads, 72 ppi if it's purely for online viewing
Output Sharpening:
Screen if images are mainly viewed online, or a light-to-medium Matte/Glossy Paper setting if clients are likely to print straight from their downloads
Metadata:
Copyright Only, and consider adding your website or contact info into the IPTC fields so your branding travels with the file even if a client downloads and shares it elsewhere.
Watermarking:
Skip it on paid deliverables. Clients expect clean files. Save watermarks for proof galleries sent before final payment.
For full-resolution deliverables, use all the same settings but remove the “Resize to Fit” values so images export at their original resolution.
Step 4: Exporting for Print
Export settings for print
Print is the one place where there's no app or browser re-compressing your file afterward. What you export is exactly what ends up on paper, so this is where precision matters most.
File Settings:
Format: TIFF for the cleanest quality with no compression artifacts, which many professional labs prefer. JPEG at Quality 100 is also widely accepted and easier to upload.
If using TIFF, choose 16-bit if the file might get further editing, or 8-bit for a final send-to-lab file
Compression: None or ZIP (lossless)
Color Space:
Check with your lab first. Many professional labs prefer Adobe RGB (1998) for a wider color range, while others want sRGB. If your lab provides ICC printer profiles, follow their specific instructions rather than guessing.
Avoid ProPhoto RGB for final print JPEGs: it's too wide a gamut for 8-bit files and can cause visible color banding.
Image Sizing:
Don't resize down. Export at native resolution unless your lab specifies exact pixel dimensions for a particular print size.
Resolution: 300 ppi is the industry standard for photo prints (240–300 ppi is acceptable for large prints viewed from further away)
For a specific size, say, an 8x10 print at 300 ppi, that works out to 2400 x 3000 px, which you can set directly using the Dimensions field in inches plus your ppi.
Output Sharpening:
Sharpen For: Matte Paper or Glossy Paper, matching your actual paper stock
Amount: Standard, or High if your lab's process tends to soften images slightly (check their printing guidelines)
One step worth adding before you export: turn on Soft Proofing* in the Develop module (below the histogram) and load your lab's ICC profile. This previews how your colors and tones will actually shift on their specific paper and printer combination, much cheaper to catch a color issue on screen than after a print run comes back wrong.
*Soft proofing in Lightroom lets you preview how your photo will look when printed or exported using a specific color profile. It ensures accurate colors and tones, preventing dull prints or washed-out web images. It is available in the Develop module via the S key, or the checkbox under your image in the Develop module.
Prefer to watch a video about export settings? Watch our guide on YouTube!
Quick reference for different export settings
Bonus: Compressing JPEGs Further with JPEGmini
If you want smaller JPEGs than Lightroom's own quality slider can give you without a visible drop in image quality, JPEGmini is a software worth adding to your workflow. It's a separate paid app (with a Pro tier that includes Lightroom Classic integration), and it's become a standard tool for photographers delivering client galleries and web images.
How it works
JPEGmini uses its own compression algorithm to re-encode a JPEG at the smallest file size that stays visually indistinguishable from the original, rather than asking you to pick a quality percentage. A note on terminology: this is often called "lossless" in casual use, but it's more accurate to call it perceptually lossless. JPEGmini is still JPEG compression under the hood, so some data is technically discarded, but the algorithm is tuned to stop compressing right before a human eye could notice any difference. True mathematically lossless JPEG compression barely shrinks a file at all; JPEGmini's approach is what allows the much larger size reductions.
What kind of savings to expect
Results vary by image, but photographers commonly see files shrink by 60–80% compared to a JPEG exported from Lightroom at 100% quality, with no visible quality loss at normal viewing sizes.
How to use it with Lightroom Classic
Option 1: As a Lightroom Export plugin (JPEGmini Pro)
Purchase and install JPEGmini Pro, which includes the Lightroom plugin.
In the Export dialog, scroll to the Post-Processing panel at the bottom.
Under After Export, choose JPEGmini from the dropdown.
Export as you normally would (e.g., using one of your presets from above, ideally at a high quality setting like 90–100). Lightroom hands the exported file off to JPEGmini automatically, which recompresses it in place.
Option 2: As a standalone app
Export your JPEGs from Lightroom as usual, typically at Quality 90–100 for the best starting point.
Open the JPEGmini desktop app and drag the exported folder (or individual files) into it.
JPEGmini processes and re-saves the files, either overwriting them or saving to a new folder depending on your settings.
Use the output files for your client gallery, website upload, or wherever you were headed.
How to use it in your export circumstances
Social media: Less useful since platforms recompress everything anyway regardless of what you send them.
Website: Smaller JPEGs mean faster page loads without a visible quality hit, which also helps SEO.
Client galleries: This is where photographers get the most value. It lets you deliver noticeably smaller downloads (faster for clients, less strain on your storage and bandwidth) while exporting at a high starting quality.
Print: May not be recommended. Print files should stay at full, uncompressed (or minimally compressed) quality; JPEGmini's size reduction isn't the goal when precision matters more than file size.
Learn more about JPEGmini in our video tutorial
Building Export Presets in Lightroom Classic
Save yourself time and repetitive tasks in your workflow by building export presets. This way, once you've dialed in settings for each of these four scenarios, you don't have to re-enter them every time.
In the Export dialog:
Set up the panel exactly how you want it for one use case.
Click Add in the Preset panel on the left side of the dialog.
Give it a clear name, something like "Instagram – 1080px sRGB" or "Client Gallery – 2500px JPEG."
Repeat for each of the other three scenarios.
From then on, you can right-click any photo and go straight to Export > [Preset Name] for a one-click export, or use Export with Previous to instantly repeat your last export on a new set of images.
The Add New Export Preset dialog box
If You're Using Lightroom (CC/Desktop) Instead of Classic
Lightroom CC export settings dialog box
Everything above is written for Lightroom Classic. The cloud-based Lightroom app (sometimes still called Lightroom CC) uses the same RAW processing engine, so image quality and the target settings in this Field Guide still apply. What's different is how much export control you get:
No custom export presets — settings must be re-entered manually for each export instead of saved and reused with one click
Simpler export dialog — covers the basics (size, format, quality) but lacks Classic's panel-by-panel control, like sharpening tuned to screen vs. matte vs. glossy paper
Weaker metadata control — fewer fields, less granular stripping of GPS/camera data
More basic watermarking — no full watermark editor for custom graphics/positioning
No Soft Proofing panel — can't preview against a lab's ICC profile before exporting, so serious print work is better done in Classic
Slower exports at times — originals are cloud-stored, so exporting may require downloading the full file first
Bottom line: the numbers (sizes, quality, color space, resolution) still apply, you just lose the automation and precision tools. Print and client-gallery work are better suited to Classic if you have the choice.
Image by Space Lovers
Edited with Requiem Creative Look
A Few General Rules of Thumb
When in doubt, use sRGB - it's the safest, most universally compatible color space for anything screen-based.
Never upsize* a small file to meet a platform's dimension request - you'll just add fuzziness, not real detail.
Keep your originals/masters in your Lightroom catalog at full resolution and native color space; only your exports should be downsized and converted.
Re-check lab and platform specs periodically - export requirements change as platforms update their processing pipelines.
*There are ways to upsize using Super Resolution and other Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop tools, but not generally in the export settings.
Set up your presets once, keep this table nearby, and exporting the right file for the right destination becomes second nature. No more guessing, no more re-uploading a blurry Instagram post or a dull-looking print.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Lightroom Export Settings
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Use JPEG format with quality set to 80-90%. Social platforms compress all images regardless of quality, so going higher just creates unnecessarily large files. Always export in sRGB color space since most platforms don't manage color properly and wider gamuts like Adobe RGB can appear dull or shifted when uploaded.
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The issue is usually your export settings, not your editing. Instagram, Facebook, and similar platforms compress every image you upload. If you're using the wrong color space (like Adobe RGB instead of sRGB) or incorrect sizing, your image doesn't survive the platform's compression well. Use sRGB, size to the platform's long edge (1080px for Instagram feed), and output sharpening set to Screen with Standard amount.
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Use sRGB for both web and social media. Most websites and social platforms don't manage color properly, so Adobe RGB and other wider color spaces can shift or appear dull. Adobe RGB is only recommended for print when your lab specifically requests it. sRGB is the standard for screen-based delivery.
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For web and social media: use 72 ppi. For print: use 300 ppi (240-300 ppi is acceptable for large prints viewed from further away). The ppi setting doesn't affect how images display on screens, but 72 ppi is the web standard convention. For print, higher resolution ensures sharp, quality output on paper.
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Export at 2000-2500px on the long edge to cover most display sizes, including retina screens. If your site has zoom or lightbox features, size up to 3000px. Use JPEG format with quality 70-80% (many website builders optimize further on upload), sRGB color space, and 72 ppi resolution. Proper sizing improves page speed, which affects SEO and user experience.
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For print, use TIFF (16-bit) or JPEG Quality 100 for the highest quality. Export at native resolution without resizing. What you export is exactly what appears on paper. Use 300 ppi resolution, and check with your lab about color space preferences (many want Adobe RGB, others sRGB). Skip resizing unless your lab specifies exact pixel dimensions. Consider using Soft Proofing with your lab's ICC profile before exporting to catch color issues on screen.