2022 Cheat Sheet and Tips for Social Media Image Resizing

Do you ever wonder why there is a big difference between your original photo and what appears when you upload it to social media? The simple answer is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Linkedin each use their very own image compression tool to deal with large image files (they squash them and stretch them and then present a very poor quality copy of your original for all the world to see #YIKES!). The solution is simple: always export your images with the appropriate dimensions for each media type before you upload. Below is a 2022 cheat sheet along with the Adobe Lightroom steps I use when preparing my images for social media.

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Select the image you would like to export > choose the develop module in Lightroom > A choose the crop icon > B click "enter custom" > in the pop-up box, type in the corresponding aspect ratio dimensions from the cheat sheet.

Next, choose File > export. When the pop-up box appears A > choose "export to a specific folder" from the dropdown B > click the "choose file" button and then choose the destination file location from your computer or external hard drive C > rename the file if you have a system you like. (I prefer to keep the original file name intact, always.

Next, go to A file settings and choose jpeg and srgb > B image sizing > check resize to fit > choose long edge from the dropdown > from the next dropdown select "pixels" > type in the longest edge recommended pixels from the cheat sheet > C quality choose 72 > D resolution choose 150 > E > sharpen for screen.

Notes: srgb is the color choice best for online viewing - when you choose the longest edge pixel selection then Lightroom auto chooses the short side based on your original export ratio choice - quality 72 is sufficient for quality social media viewing and helps keep your file size small enough for most file size restrictions - resolution 150 is sufficient for online viewing, helps keep the file size small and also keeps the quality of the image low enough if someone "right clicks" they won't be able to print a quality image - sharpen for the screen does just what it says, sharpens the image suitable for online viewing.

Final thoughts:

As tempting as it is to post photos from the field, taking the time to properly resize on your computer or phone (I use Lightroom & Lightroom Mobile) will give you the best results for online posts.

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