# Lightroom Export Settings, Panel by Panel (2026) > Lightroom export settings panel by panel: format, color space, image sizing, output sharpening and metadata, plus print handoffs by who converts the color. - Canonical HTML: https://revelraw.com/blog/export-settings-lightroom.html - Markdown mirror of this page: https://revelraw.com/blog/export-settings-lightroom.md - Published: 2026-11-01 - Language: English - Machine-readable site index: https://revelraw.com/llms.txt · Full site as one file: https://revelraw.com/llms-full.txt Published November 1, 2026 · Daniel Tello · RevelRaw **Quick answer:** Work down Lightroom Classic's Export dialog in order. Pick a destination folder and a filename suffix such as \_web or \_print. In File Settings, choose JPEG in sRGB at quality around 85 for screens, or a 16-bit TIFF with ZIP or no compression for print. In Image Sizing, set pixel dimensions for screens and print size × ppi for paper (Adobe calls 180 to 480 ppi suitable for inkjet). Set Output Sharpening to Screen, Matte Paper or Glossy Paper at Standard, keep your copyright in Metadata and tick Remove Location Info for public files. Export one test file, check it, then save the dialog as a preset. You've finished editing, exported a full-size Adobe RGB JPEG, and sent it out. On Instagram, the colors look dull. In a client's inbox, the attachment is awkwardly large. Back in Lightroom, the original still looks right, so which export setting went wrong? Start with the destination, not the Quality slider. The right Lightroom export settings describe a delivery job: how many pixels the recipient needs, who interprets or converts the color, and how the finished file should look after resizing or printing. This guide walks through the Export dialog itself, panel by panel, and the print handoff where someone else converts the color. If you want finished settings for each destination (Instagram, a website, client proofs, stock and print), our [Lightroom export presets by destination](https://revelraw.com/blog/export-settings-for-lightroom.md) lays them out row by row. Export Instagram-ready photos free from your Mac. RevelRaw · macOS 26 or later · Apple M1 or later [Download free for Mac](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6773942240?pt=120914369&ct=BlogOutrank&mt=8) ## What Goes in Each Panel of the Lightroom Export Dialog? The panel names below are from Lightroom Classic, where the Export dialog runs Export Location, File Naming, Video, File Settings, Image Sizing, Output Sharpening, Metadata, Watermarking and Post-Processing, top to bottom. The cloud-based Lightroom app has a simpler export sheet, so match the function rather than expecting an identical window. 1. **Select, then File > Export.** Select the photographs you intend to deliver, then choose File > Export. Check the selection before opening the dialog, especially when a filtered collection hides part of the shoot. You're creating delivery files from the selected edits, not replacing the camera captures. 2. **Export Location.** Choose a specific folder, preferably inside the job folder, with a subfolder named for the destination such as `Web` or `Lab`. Set the existing-file behavior to Ask What To Do rather than Overwrite WITHOUT WARNING. A correct export in the wrong folder can easily become the wrong attachment. 3. **File Naming.** Add a destination suffix such as `_web` or `_print` while keeping a recognizable image identifier. This stops a client from confusing a preview with a print delivery and helps you trace a requested correction back to its source. 4. **File Settings.** Choose JPEG for ordinary screen delivery, TIFF when a print or editing workflow asks for it, and PSD when the next editor needs that format. PNG, AVIF and JPEG XL suit workflows that specifically require them; DNG or Original belongs in capture-data handoffs rather than finished-photo delivery. [Adobe's Lightroom Classic export documentation](https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/desktop/export-photos/export-files-disk-or-cd.html) sets lossy JPEG quality from 0 to 100 against TIFF's ZIP, LZW or no compression (LZW isn't available at 16 bits per channel), and lists sRGB, Adobe RGB, ProPhoto RGB and an HDR color space, plus Other for a custom profile. Format describes the encoding; color space describes how to interpret the colors. For online delivery, choose sRGB; don't pick a wider space because it sounds more professional. 5. **Image Sizing.** Tick Resize to Fit when the destination calls for a smaller derivative, and tick Don't Enlarge so a small crop is never upsampled. Use Width & Height when both boundaries matter, or Long Edge when orientation varies but the maximum dimension should stay consistent. For print, work from the requested physical size and resolution. 6. **Output Sharpening.** Choose Screen, Matte Paper or Glossy Paper to match the actual destination, with Amount at Standard. Adobe notes that this is applied on top of any sharpening from the Develop module, so a crisp edit may want Low. Pick the paper option for the paper, not for how the image looks on your monitor. 7. **Metadata.** The choices are Copyright Only, Copyright & Contact Info Only, All Except Camera Raw & Camera Info, and All. For public delivery, Copyright & Contact Info Only keeps your credit without the camera details, and Remove Location Info strips GPS data even when All is chosen. Inspect an exported file if privacy matters, rather than assuming the preset excluded everything sensitive. 8. **Watermarking.** Leave it off for clean final delivery unless your agreement calls for a visible mark. If you need proof watermarks, check placement on both portrait and horizontal photographs so the overlay doesn't cover faces or important product details. 9. **Post-Processing.** Choose what happens after export, such as showing the files in Finder. Avoid automatically opening another application unless that handoff is part of the job. Then open the delivered file itself, not Lightroom's preview. A useful filename tells you what a file is. A useful folder tells you where it belongs. Neither should require reopening Lightroom to find out. Export Instagram-ready in one step. Set long edge, color space and quality once, and every export matches. One look across the whole shoot. Your first export is free. macOS 26 or later · Apple M1 or later [Download free for Mac](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6773942240?pt=120914369&ct=BlogOutrank&mt=8) ## Which Settings Fit Each Destination? Choose the closest destination below, then treat the settings as a starting point for a proof, not permission to export the whole shoot unchecked. | Destination | Format | Color space | Size | Quality | Sharpening | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Instagram feed | JPEG | sRGB | 1080 px wide; 1080 × 1350 for 4:5 | About 85 to 90 | Screen, Standard | | Website or blog | JPEG | sRGB | Site's display dimensions | Compare 70 and 85 | Screen, Standard | | Client gallery or email | JPEG | sRGB | Gallery requirement; full size only when requested | About 85 | Screen, Standard | | Messaging apps | JPEG | sRGB | A modest long edge; test the app's photo mode | Moderate, then inspect | Screen, Standard or Low | | Inkjet print you manage | TIFF, 16-bit | Agreed printer-and-paper profile, or Adobe RGB if the workflow uses it | Print size × 180 to 480 ppi | ZIP or none | Matte or Glossy, Standard | | Consumer photo lab | JPEG unless TIFF is requested | sRGB when the lab converts | Lab's pixel or print-size specification | Lab's specification | Matte or Glossy, Standard, unless told otherwise | | Press or offset | TIFF through the agreed production workflow | RGB from Lightroom; CMYK conversion where the printer specifies | Printer's dimensions and resolution | ZIP or none, as requested | As the printer requests | | Re-editable master | TIFF, 16-bit | ProPhoto RGB or Adobe RGB | Full resolution; don't resize | ZIP or none | Off; sharpen for final output later | The 85% JPEG starting point follows [Kendall Camera Club's export guide](https://kendallcameraclub.org/blog/entry/best-lightroom-export-settings-for-print-instagram-more.html), which recommends it over 100% because it reduces file size while keeping the perceived quality. It isn't a platform requirement or a substitute for looking at the exported photograph. For screen delivery, think in pixels. The [Adobe export guidance](https://helpx.adobe.com/tr/lightroom-classic/help/export-files-disk-or-cd.html) treats the resolution value as a print setting: it calls 180 to 480 ppi suitable for inkjet printing and says to check with the service provider for offset or lab prints. Screens ignore that number and use pixel dimensions, so a screen width and a print resolution answer different questions. ### Screen delivery and print delivery aren't interchangeable Say you're sending a portrait for an email announcement. The recipient needs a file that opens quickly and fits the intended layout, not every pixel your camera recorded. Set Image Sizing to the delivery dimensions and use a broadly compatible color space. Now say the same portrait is going on photographic paper. The lab needs enough pixels for the physical print, along with the profile and file format its production system expects. Sending the email derivative could force enlargement; sending an oversized print file to a messaging app could trigger another resize. For crop-specific preparation, our [Instagram export settings guide](https://revelraw.com/blog/export-settings-for-instagram.md) helps separate feed delivery from other social uses. If you shoot for a business with several channels, Photo Speak, an AI photo-editing company that works with car dealerships, has a walkthrough to [adapt dealership photos for social feeds](https://photospeak.net/resources/social-media-image-resizer) that makes the same point: make a crop for each placement instead of squeezing every composition into one shape. > **Practical rule:** choose the delivery row first. Export a representative photograph before committing the batch. ## How Do You Test One Web Export Before Upload? A web proof should catch compression damage, color mismatch, and inappropriate sharpening before they affect an entire delivery. Pick a photograph with difficult content, not just the easiest frame in the set. A portrait with fine hair, bright clothing, a smooth sky, and strong edge contrast makes a useful test. If the shoot doesn't contain all of those, choose the frame that places the greatest demands on your intended output. ### Compare the file before and after upload Export the sample as an sRGB JPEG at the destination's pixel dimensions, with Screen sharpening at Standard. If you use the cloud-based Lightroom app rather than Classic, [Adobe's save-and-export guidance](https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/desktop/save-share-and-export/save-share-photos.html) describes a simpler sheet: a Small JPEG capped at 2048 pixels on the long edge, Full Size, or a Custom size up to 65,000 pixels, with quality from 10% to 100%. Whichever app you use, inspect the exported file at 100% and then the uploaded result. Check the local file on a calibrated or reasonably consistent display. Then upload it through the same route you'll use for the finished delivery, including any gallery uploader or mobile app involved. - **Look at saturated colors.** Compare red clothing, painted surfaces, and blue skies with the edited version. A broad color change needs investigation before you compensate by changing the Develop settings. - **Inspect texture and gradients.** Fine hair should stay distinct, while smooth skies shouldn't show blocks or abrupt tonal steps. - **Check edges.** Eyelashes, rooflines, and dark branches against bright backgrounds reveal brittle sharpening and bright outlines quickly. ### Change a control, not the whole recipe If the local file looks good but the upload doesn't, investigate the service's processing and the upload route. If both look wrong, return to the export settings or the source edit. This distinction stops you from changing a good edit to compensate for a delivery problem. Compare a smaller file with a higher-quality version at the same dimensions and sharpening. Keep the version that meets the visual requirement without unnecessary weight; don't assume the largest file will produce the best uploaded result. > Approve the photograph people will receive, not just the photograph Lightroom displays. Record the passing combination with a meaningful preset name. Keep the original capture and its edits available so a new crop, revised platform requirement, or replacement delivery starts from the source rather than an already compressed derivative. ## Which Print Settings Apply When Someone Else Converts the Color? Who converts the color? Answer that before choosing Adobe RGB, sRGB, TIFF, or JPEG. A profile that's useful for editing isn't automatically the profile a lab wants to receive. Get the paper choice, final dimensions, bleed requirements, and color-management instructions before preparing the delivery. [Color-profile guidance from Ken Jones](https://www.kenjonesnyc.com/color-profiles-for-print/), a New York portrait and commercial photographer, sets out the order: soft-proof against the specific printer and paper profile rather than a generic CMYK default, embed the target profile at export, and keep the printer driver from managing the color a second time. | Who converts color | Profile to embed | Format | Sharpening | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | You, with a printer-and-paper ICC | That ICC, chosen under Color Space > Other | 16-bit TIFF | Matte or Glossy, Standard | | Consumer lab converts | sRGB, or the lab's stated input space | JPEG, or TIFF if requested | Matte or Glossy, Standard, subject to lab instructions | | Offset or commercial press | RGB from Lightroom; the specified CMYK profile at the agreed conversion stage | TIFF through the required production application | Whatever the printer requests | | No profile and no answer yet | sRGB | JPEG proof only | Standard for the intended medium; confirm before production | ### Separate proofing from conversion A supplied ICC profile might be meant only for soft proofing, not for converting the delivered file. Ask which purpose it serves. Otherwise, you could convert into a printer profile and then have the lab convert the file again. When you manage the conversion, soft-proof with the agreed printer-and-paper profile, including paper-white and black-ink simulation where appropriate. When the lab manages it, provide its requested input profile and let its production workflow perform the output conversion. For a press job, don't look for a CMYK option in Lightroom's export: it writes RGB files. Export the agreed RGB intermediate and complete the specified CMYK conversion in a production application when required. Our [guide to color profiles for printing](https://revelraw.com/blog/color-profile-for-printing.md) helps distinguish an editing space from an output profile. ### Match detail and sharpening to the paper [Adobe's print-export documentation](https://helpx.adobe.com/my_ms/lightroom-classic/help/export-files-disk-or-cd.html) covers 8- and 16-bit TIFF and output sharpening for matte and glossy paper. What a resolution field can't do is add detail: typing 300 ppi into a file without enough pixels only makes a smaller print or a stretched one. Multiply the physical size by the required pixels per inch to get the pixel dimensions you need. If the crop doesn't contain enough detail, discuss the enlargement rather than changing the resolution field and assuming the problem is solved. Proof a crop containing skin, deep shadows, saturated color, and fine texture. Compare it under neutral lighting, then adjust the production preset before sending the order. Embed the agreed profile and your copyright information, and return to the edited source whenever a revised delivery is needed. ## How Do You Fix Soft, Huge or Dull Exports? Changing the resolution value won't create screen detail. As [RevelRaw's Lightroom export guide](https://revelraw.com/blog/export-settings-for-lightroom.md) explains, moving it from 72 to 240 ppi without changing the pixel dimensions adds nothing on screen, because browsers and apps lay images out by pixels, not by that tag. The useful question is not “Which quality number fixes this?” It's “Which control matches the symptom?” - **Soft or blocky after upload.** Check Image Sizing and the uploaded crop first. An undersized file may be enlarged, while an oversized upload goes through resizing you haven't tested. Export to the destination's actual requirement before experimenting with compression. - **Huge attachment.** Reduce unnecessary pixel dimensions before pushing JPEG compression harder, or use Limit File Size To when a service has a hard cap. A viewing copy and a full-resolution print delivery are different deliverables, even when they show the same photograph. - **Dull or shifted colors.** Check the Color Space in File Settings. For ordinary web delivery, convert to sRGB rather than assuming the recipient's software will interpret a wider-gamut file correctly. - **Halos around hair or eyelashes.** Lower Output Sharpening to Low and check Develop sharpening too. Stacking an aggressive delivery pass on an already crisp edit produces outlines rather than detail. - **Unexpectedly weak print detail.** Inspect the source crop and the exported pixel dimensions. A resolution label doesn't replace captured texture, accurate focus, or enough pixels. - **Missing credit information.** Check the Metadata choice and what the platform keeps. If attribution matters, include it in the delivery note or publication instructions as well as in the embedded fields. ### Don't repair a derivative repeatedly Return to the RAW edit when making revisions, then create a fresh export. Repeated JPEG saves discard more image information, and enlarging a previously reduced file won't recover the original detail. For a resizing problem, use the workflow in [how to resize an image without losing quality](https://revelraw.com/blog/how-to-resize-an-image-without-losing-quality.md) to separate necessary resampling from avoidable damage. Keep distinct crops for feed, Story, website, and gallery delivery. A single social preset can't account for every composition, upload path, or service's recompression. ## How Do You Save an Export Preset You Can Trust? Save the tested setup, not your first guess. A preset makes a good decision repeatable, but it also makes an unnoticed mistake repeatable. After the proof passes, reopen Export with the approved settings and click Add under the preset list on the left. Store it as a user preset with a name that identifies its intended output. ### Name presets so you can trust them Use destination, color space, size rule, and sharpening in the name. “Website sRGB 2048 Screen Std” tells you far more than “Final” or “Best Quality”. Create separate presets for outputs you actually deliver, rather than collecting variations you'll never use. An Instagram portrait, a website image, a client viewing gallery, and a particular lab's glossy print order deserve distinct presets when their requirements differ. - **Folder and filename.** Give each delivery type its own output folder and recognizable suffix. Review the job-specific path whenever you reuse the preset. - **Metadata.** Keep copyright information in client delivery presets and tick Remove Location Info for public exports. - **Crop.** Check composition separately. A preset can constrain dimensions, but it can't decide whether a person's hands or a car's bumper should stay inside the frame. - **Production instructions.** Keep lab-specific notes with the job so a paper change or revised profile doesn't get lost behind an unchanged preset name. ### Treat built-in presets as starting points RevelRaw's own export presets show why names alone aren't enough: its Instagram preset is JPEG, 1080 × 1350, sRGB, 90%; its Web preset is HEIF, 2400 pixels on the long edge, Display P3, 85%; and its Print preset is a full-size 16-bit TIFF in Adobe RGB. Those are specific output choices, not universal standards, so check that the receiving website accepts the Web combination and that the printer accepts the Print one. Don't read the same quality percentage in another encoder as the same result. Judge the actual output and whether the destination accepts it. > **Before a batch:** confirm the destination, inspect the crop, and compare a fresh sample with the approved proof. When a lab changes its paper or a site changes its image requirements, update the relevant preset and test again. Keep the master separate from delivery folders so a revised export always begins with the full-resolution edited source. On the next shoot, select the preset, check the output path, and export a representative frame. Compare it with the approved delivery standard, then process the rest. That routine gives you consistency without asking an old preset to make decisions it wasn't designed to make. Export Instagram-ready in one step. Set long edge, color space and quality once, and every export matches. One look across the whole shoot. Your first export is free. macOS 26 or later · Apple M1 or later [Download free for Mac](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6773942240?pt=120914369&ct=BlogOutrank&mt=8) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What are the best Lightroom export settings for the web? JPEG in sRGB, sized in pixels for where the photo will be shown (a 2048-pixel long edge suits most portfolios), quality around 85, and Output Sharpening set to Screen at Standard. The resolution field doesn't matter for screens; pixel dimensions do. ### Should I export TIFF or JPEG from Lightroom for printing? Ask the lab. A lab that converts the color itself often wants an sRGB JPEG. If you manage the conversion, export a 16-bit TIFF with ZIP or no compression (Lightroom Classic doesn't offer LZW at 16 bits) in the profile you agreed, and sharpen for matte or glossy paper. ### What resolution should I set in Lightroom's Export dialog? For screens, set pixel dimensions and ignore the resolution value. For print, multiply the print size in inches by the ppi the printer asks for; Adobe describes 180 to 480 ppi as suitable for inkjet printing. A higher ppi number on a small file adds no detail. ### Which metadata option should I choose when exporting from Lightroom? Copyright & Contact Info Only for public files, or All when a client or agency needs your keywords and captions. Tick Remove Location Info for anything public: Lightroom Classic removes GPS data even when All is chosen. ### Can I use my Lightroom presets in RevelRaw? Compatible Lightroom .xmp develop presets and .cube LUTs import into RevelRaw's look library, and a photo's crop and straighten angle come across from its .xmp sidecar. Lightroom catalogs, masks and Adobe profiles do not import, and rendering can differ. RevelRaw requires macOS 26 or later on an Apple M1 or later Mac. * * * RevelRaw is a native macOS RAW editor with destination export presets for social, web, stock and print, and it processes everything on your Mac with no account and nothing uploaded. Visit [RevelRaw](https://revelraw.com) to try a single-photo workflow, inspect the finished export, and build delivery settings around where your photographs will go. It requires macOS 26 or later on an Apple M1 or later Mac.