Every photographer eventually hits the same wall. The edit is finished, the client is waiting, and you are staring at the Lightroom export dialog wondering whether to tick 300 PPI, whether quality 100 is overkill, and whether the gallery images will look soft on a phone screen.
The fix is not a single “best” export. It is a small set of saved presets you build once and reuse on every shoot. At Impact Photography we deliver with three core presets (plus one optional sneak peek preset), and the whole handover takes about four minutes per job.
This guide walks through the exact Lightroom export settings for clients we use for print labs, online galleries and social media, why each value is chosen, and the folder structure that keeps clients from emailing you two weeks later asking which file to send to the printer.
Why One Export Preset Is Never Enough
A file that is perfect for a 24×36 inch canvas is a terrible file to upload to Instagram, and a file sized for Instagram will look awful printed. The three delivery destinations have genuinely conflicting requirements:
- Print labs want maximum pixels, high quality JPEG or TIFF, and print-specific output sharpening.
- Web galleries want fast loading, screen sharpening and a size that discourages unauthorised large prints.
- Social media wants specific pixel dimensions so the platform’s own compression does as little damage as possible.
Sending one “full resolution” folder and hoping the client figures it out is how you end up with a stretched, over-compressed cover photo with your name on it.
The 3-Preset Delivery System at a Glance
| Setting | 1. Print / Full Resolution | 2. Web Gallery | 3. Social Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| File format | JPEG (TIFF on request) | JPEG | JPEG |
| Quality | 100 | 76 to 80 | 80 |
| Color space | sRGB (Adobe RGB only if the lab asks) | sRGB | sRGB |
| Image sizing | Do not resize (native pixels) | Long edge 2560 px | Long edge 2160 px |
| Resolution | 300 PPI | Irrelevant (leave 300) | Irrelevant (leave 300) |
| Output sharpening | Matte or Glossy paper, Standard | Screen, Standard | Screen, Standard |
| Metadata | All, with copyright | Copyright & contact only | Copyright & contact only |
| Watermark | No | Optional (proofing only) | Optional, small corner |
Everything below explains the reasoning, so you can adapt the numbers to your own lab and clients instead of copying them blindly.
Preset 1: Print Lab and Full Resolution Client Files
This is the archive-grade folder. It is what the client hands to a print lab, a magazine, or a designer. There is more on it in Export presets, settings, and plug-ins in Lightroom Classic.
File Settings
- Format: JPEG. It is universally accepted by labs and easy for clients to open. Export TIFF (16-bit, ProPhoto RGB or Adobe RGB) only when a retoucher, album designer or commercial client specifically requests it.
- Quality: 100. Yes, quality 90 is visually near-identical and roughly 40% smaller. But for the one folder that will be printed large, we keep the headroom. Reserve compression savings for the web folder.
- Color space: sRGB. This surprises people, but most consumer labs, and every device your client owns, assume sRGB. Use Adobe RGB (1998) only when your lab publishes a spec sheet asking for it.
- Limit File Size To: leave unchecked.
Image Sizing
Leave Resize to Fit unchecked. You want the native pixel dimensions of the camera file (minus any crop). The Resolution: 300 pixels per inch field is simply a metadata tag telling the printer how big to lay the pixels down. It does not add or remove detail, but labs and print software read it, so set it and forget it.
When you do want to resize for print
If you are exporting for a known print size, set Resize to Fit: Dimensions and enter the physical size in inches or cm at 300 PPI. Example: a 12×18 inch print at 300 PPI needs 3600 x 5400 pixels. Only do this for a specific order, never for the main delivery folder.
Output Sharpening for Print
Tick Sharpen For and choose Matte Paper or Glossy Paper, Amount Standard. Matte applies noticeably more sharpening because matte surfaces absorb ink and soften detail. This sharpening is applied after resizing and is invisible on screen at 100%, so do not judge it by zooming in. Trust it.
Metadata and Watermark
- Metadata: All, with Write Keywords as Lightroom Hierarchy off unless you have a reason.
- Always include your copyright and contact info via a metadata preset applied at import.
- No watermark on paid print files. Ever.
Preset 2: Web Galleries and Client Proofing
These are the files that go into Pic-Time, Pixieset, ShootProof, SmugMug, or your own WordPress gallery. Priority here is load speed and clean screen rendering.
- Format: JPEG
- Quality: 76 to 80. Lightroom’s JPEG encoder has quality tiers, and 77 sits at the top of a tier, giving you excellent quality with a much smaller file. Going above 80 mostly adds megabytes, not visible quality, at web sizes.
- Color space: sRGB. Non-negotiable. Anything else will look desaturated in browsers that ignore embedded profiles.
- Resize to Fit: Long Edge, 2560 pixels. This looks crisp on 4K and Retina displays, and is large enough for a decent 8×10 print if your client downloads it. If you want to restrict print size, drop to 2048 px.
- Output sharpening: Screen, Standard.
- Limit File Size To: optional, around 1500 K if your gallery host charges by storage.
- Metadata: Copyright & Contact Info Only. This strips GPS data, which matters for family and wedding clients.
Tip: most modern gallery platforms re-encode and resize your uploads anyway. Uploading 60 MB full resolution files just burns upload time and storage. Upload the web preset, and enable the platform’s own “high resolution download” option only for clients who paid for it. wallpics.com walks through the specifics.
Preset 3: Social Media (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn)
Social platforms compress aggressively. Your job is to hand them a file that is already close to their target dimensions so their compressor has little work to do.
| Placement | Aspect ratio | Export dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram portrait feed | 4:5 | 1440 x 1800 px |
| Instagram square | 1:1 | 1440 x 1440 px |
| Stories / Reels cover | 9:16 | 1080 x 1920 px |
| Facebook / LinkedIn landscape | 16:9 or 3:2 | Long edge 2048 px |
For a single all-purpose social preset, use Resize to Fit: Long Edge, 2160 pixels, quality 80, sRGB, Screen / Standard sharpening. Then let the platform crop. If you want pixel-perfect control, build one preset per aspect ratio and crop in the Develop module first.
The one thing that ruins social exports
Heavy contrast and micro-detail. Instagram’s compressor struggles with fine texture such as foliage, sequins and hair. If you shoot a lot of that, drop your export quality to 76 and sharpen slightly less. Counter-intuitive, but the final rendered image on the app often looks cleaner. For the wider picture, see Best export settings.
Optional Preset 4: The Sneak Peek
Five to ten images delivered within 48 hours, sized at long edge 1600 px, quality 76, small corner watermark. It keeps the client excited while you finish the full edit, and it is the single cheapest marketing asset you own.
The Folder Structure That Prevents Client Confusion
Settings are half the system. Naming is the other half. Here is the structure we zip and deliver:
Smith_Wedding_2026-09-19/ ├── 01_FULL-RESOLUTION_For-Printing/ ├── 02_WEB-SIZE_For-Sharing/ ├── 03_SOCIAL-MEDIA_Ready-to-Post/ ├── 04_SNEAK-PEEK/ └── READ-ME_How-to-use-these-files.pdf
The numbered prefixes force the folders to sort in the order the client should think about them. The plain-language suffix (For-Printing, For-Sharing) means nobody has to guess.
File naming convention
Build a Filename Template in Lightroom’s Rename tool:
Smith-Wedding_2026-09-19_001.jpg
- Client or project name first, so files stay identifiable if dragged out of the folder
- ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD) so files sort chronologically forever
- Sequence number with leading zeros (001, not 1)
- No spaces, no accents, no special characters. Use hyphens and underscores only, which keeps filenames safe for web upload
What goes in the READ-ME
A one-page PDF with: which folder to send to a lab, the maximum recommended print size, a reminder not to apply filters to social files, your credit/tagging preference, and how long you archive the files. This single document eliminates most post-delivery emails.
How to Save These as Reusable Export Presets
- Select your finished images in the Library module and press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + E to open the Export dialog.
- Set Export To: Hard Drive.
- Under Export Location, choose Specific folder and tick Put in Subfolder, naming it
01_FULL-RESOLUTION_For-Printing. Also tick Add to This Catalog if you want the exports visible in Lightroom. - Fill in File Naming, File Settings, Image Sizing, Output Sharpening, Metadata and Watermarking using the values from the table above.
- Click Add at the bottom left of the preset panel, name it clearly (for example CLIENT 01 Print Full Res) and save it in a custom folder called Client Delivery.
- Repeat for the web, social and sneak peek presets.
- From then on, select your images, right-click, choose Export > Client Delivery > [preset]. You can run all three presets back to back without reopening the dialog.
Back up your presets
Export presets live in your Lightroom preferences folder. Go to Preferences > Presets > Show Lightroom Develop Presets and copy the Export Presets folder somewhere safe. Rebuilding them after a computer migration is a miserable afternoon.
Why Your Exports Look Different From the Develop Module
This is the most common complaint, and it is almost always one of these four causes:
- Color space mismatch. You exported in Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB and are viewing the file in an app that ignores the embedded profile. Export sRGB.
- Uncalibrated or wide-gamut monitor. If your display is not profiled, your edits are guesswork. Calibrate with a hardware device.
- Preview rendering. Lightroom may be showing you a stale or partially rendered preview. Build 1:1 previews before judging.
- Output sharpening. It is applied on export only, so exported files legitimately look slightly crisper than the Develop preview.
Exporting for Clients From Lightroom Mobile (iOS and Android)
The cloud-based Lightroom app is simpler but still capable of a clean client export:
- Select the images, tap the Share icon, then Export As.
- File type: JPG (choose Original or DNG only for a retoucher).
- Dimensions: Full size for print delivery, or Custom long edge 2560 px for galleries.
- Quality: 100 for print, 80 for web.
- Color space: sRGB.
- Enable Include metadata: Copyright only and turn off location data.
- Tap the three dots to save these as an export preset so you can reuse it.
For large deliveries, still finish on desktop. Mobile exports over cellular are slow and you lose folder structure control.
Pre-Delivery Checklist
- Final cull done, no duplicates or test frames
- Copyright metadata present on every file
- Correct color space (sRGB) confirmed on a random sample
- Filenames sequential with no gaps
- Folder names match the READ-ME
- Spot check 3 images at 100% for sharpening halos
- Total gallery size noted, so the client knows the download weight
- Local backup plus one offsite copy of the full resolution folder before you send anything
FAQ: Lightroom Export Settings for Clients
What is the best export quality setting in Lightroom?
For print and archive files, quality 100. For web galleries and social media, quality 76 to 80 gives visually identical results at a fraction of the file size. There is very little visible benefit between 80 and 100 at screen sizes.
Should I export at 300 PPI or 72 PPI?
PPI only matters for print. Set 300 PPI for print files so labs interpret physical size correctly. For screen use, PPI is ignored entirely, so 72 versus 300 makes no difference to how the image displays. Pixel dimensions are what matter online.
What color space should I use for client exports?
sRGB for almost everything: web, social and consumer print labs. Use Adobe RGB only if your lab explicitly requests it, and ProPhoto RGB with 16-bit TIFF only when passing files to a retoucher or album designer who will edit them further.
What is the best image format to export from Lightroom?
JPEG for 95% of client delivery. TIFF for further editing or fine art printing. PNG for graphics with transparency or logo work. DNG only when handing raw files to another editor.
Should I watermark client images?
Not on paid deliverables. Watermark proofing galleries and sneak peeks only. A watermark on a file the client paid for reads as distrust and looks unprofessional on their wall or feed.
How large should web gallery images be?
2048 to 2560 pixels on the long edge is the sweet spot. Crisp on high-density displays, fast to load, and large enough for a good 8×10 print without giving away your full resolution files.
Can I run several export presets at once?
Yes. In Lightroom Classic, select your images, right-click and go to Export > [preset name] for each preset in turn. Each export runs as a separate queued job, so you can fire off print, web and social exports in sequence and walk away.
Set It Up Once, Use It Forever
Spend thirty minutes building these four presets and creating a folder template, and client delivery stops being a decision and becomes a routine. Consistent file sizes, consistent naming, consistent color, and a client who knows exactly which folder to open.
If you would rather hand the whole workflow to someone else, the team at Impact Photography handles shooting, editing and structured delivery as a single package. Get in touch and we will walk you through it.