The In's & Out's of Exporting
Exporting in LR is fairly easy, but again check all the boxes on the screen before you hit that Export button at the bottom of the Export Screen. As usual with LR, there are actually multiple ways to export a photo, depending on your needs.
You can export from the Library Module using the Export button at the bottom left panel or File>Export or the shortcut keys Shift+Command/Ctrl. These keys will also allow you to export from the Develop module. At the very top of the box that comes up is a line of text that says Export To: and then a box with arrows. Click on the arrows and several options show up. In general, you will be exporting to your Hard Drive so it's best to leave that one checked. On the left side of the box are several options, such as Burn Full-Sized JPEGS, Export to DNG, and For Email. I am only addressing today how to export to your Hard Drive.
You have several sections or panels in the export box, including Export Location, File Naming, Video, File Settings, Image Sizing, Output Sharpening, Metadata, Watermarking, and Post-Processing. In this article I will focus on Export Location, File Naming, File Settings, Image Sizing, and Output Sharpening. If exporting from the Library module you can export multiple photos by choosing the first photo by clicking on it, holding down Shift, then clicking on the last photo and they will all be marked for exporting.
Export Location: The first thing you want to do is choose where you want the exported file to be stored on your hard drive. Click on Export To and you will see several choices. I generally use the Specific folder option, then I click the Choose button and determine where I want it stored. I often choose my Desktop since I'm usually using the exported files for a specific purpose, such as putting them on a web site and I want quick and easy access to them. Once you choose the folder that folder name will show up next to Folder in the Export panel. I usually then choose Put in Subfolder and name a new Subfolder which then shows up on my desktop with the exported photos in it. Note that you can also export a photo back into your catalog in any format you choose so that it will be an original image in your catalog if you click the Add to This Catalog. For Existing Files I leave it at Ask what to do and then I do not worry about overwriting a file that I've already downloaded because the program will ask me what I want to do if it encounters a file that exists on my desktop with that same name it asks me what to do.
You can export from the Library Module using the Export button at the bottom left panel or File>Export or the shortcut keys Shift+Command/Ctrl. These keys will also allow you to export from the Develop module. At the very top of the box that comes up is a line of text that says Export To: and then a box with arrows. Click on the arrows and several options show up. In general, you will be exporting to your Hard Drive so it's best to leave that one checked. On the left side of the box are several options, such as Burn Full-Sized JPEGS, Export to DNG, and For Email. I am only addressing today how to export to your Hard Drive.
You have several sections or panels in the export box, including Export Location, File Naming, Video, File Settings, Image Sizing, Output Sharpening, Metadata, Watermarking, and Post-Processing. In this article I will focus on Export Location, File Naming, File Settings, Image Sizing, and Output Sharpening. If exporting from the Library module you can export multiple photos by choosing the first photo by clicking on it, holding down Shift, then clicking on the last photo and they will all be marked for exporting.
Export Location: The first thing you want to do is choose where you want the exported file to be stored on your hard drive. Click on Export To and you will see several choices. I generally use the Specific folder option, then I click the Choose button and determine where I want it stored. I often choose my Desktop since I'm usually using the exported files for a specific purpose, such as putting them on a web site and I want quick and easy access to them. Once you choose the folder that folder name will show up next to Folder in the Export panel. I usually then choose Put in Subfolder and name a new Subfolder which then shows up on my desktop with the exported photos in it. Note that you can also export a photo back into your catalog in any format you choose so that it will be an original image in your catalog if you click the Add to This Catalog. For Existing Files I leave it at Ask what to do and then I do not worry about overwriting a file that I've already downloaded because the program will ask me what I want to do if it encounters a file that exists on my desktop with that same name it asks me what to do.
File Naming: You can choose to Rename a file by clicking on the Rename To in the File Naming panel. There are many options to choose from and the options show up when you click on the up/down arrows to the right of the Rename To box. It's also possible to create other naming options in that same box when you choose Edit. I'll often use Custom Name - Sequence and start at 1. If you want to leave the name as-is, then do not check the box at all.
File Settings: File Settings and Image Sizing work together. The File Setting panel has two lines of text in it, one for Image Format and one for Color Space. The panel allows you to control the size and/or dimensions of your photo and what format and color space to export it in. File formats include JPEG, PSD, TIFF, DNG, and original. The format you use for exporting depends on your final use of the photo. Each format you choose then provides additional options that are relevant to that specific format. Image Sizing: This panel lets you specify the actual dimensions of a photo, which is very useful for web use in particular. The options available in this section depend on what options you have chosen in File Settings. General settings are Width/Height, Dimensions, Long Edge, Short Edge, and Megapixel.
If you are exporting to use directly on the web you export in JPEG and Color Space sRGB. You can also set Quality for a JPEG export and limit the file size if you need to. JPEG Quality can be set at any level, but it affects the actual export size of the file. For example, if I set the JPEG Quality at 51% the file exported file size for the file I was using was 864kb, great for web but not for printing. If I set the file size at 84% the exported file size was 3MB, only acceptable for a 5 x 7 print. If I set the file size at 100% the exported file size was 10.9MB, good for a print size of about about 8 x 10. Note that when you click on Limit File Size To the Quality button is no longer available because you are controlling the file size with a limitation instead. When I export to JPEG I am usually doing one of two things, sending a file to an outside printer or sending a file to a web site. For web use always set your Image Sizing Resolution to 72 pixels per inch. A good image size for photos for web use is Long Edge 700 or 800 pixels. Exporting in JPEG is the option I use most often.
If you exporting your file in its original format, no matter how large the file size is, click on Image Format: Original. You will note that no other options are then available to you, in either File Settings or Image Sizing.
If you click on Tiff, you have several options in File Settings and in Image Sizing. Each setting for File Setting and Image Sizing is dependent on the final use of your photo.
Output Sharpening: This allows you to do a final output sharpen on your photo, which is different from any sharpening you have already done in the Basic panel. You can sharpen for web and Matte or Glossy paper, based on your final use, and use Low, Standard, or High sharpening.
That’s about it, simply hit Export at the bottom and check the size of the file to ensure you got what you wanted.
File Settings: File Settings and Image Sizing work together. The File Setting panel has two lines of text in it, one for Image Format and one for Color Space. The panel allows you to control the size and/or dimensions of your photo and what format and color space to export it in. File formats include JPEG, PSD, TIFF, DNG, and original. The format you use for exporting depends on your final use of the photo. Each format you choose then provides additional options that are relevant to that specific format. Image Sizing: This panel lets you specify the actual dimensions of a photo, which is very useful for web use in particular. The options available in this section depend on what options you have chosen in File Settings. General settings are Width/Height, Dimensions, Long Edge, Short Edge, and Megapixel.
If you are exporting to use directly on the web you export in JPEG and Color Space sRGB. You can also set Quality for a JPEG export and limit the file size if you need to. JPEG Quality can be set at any level, but it affects the actual export size of the file. For example, if I set the JPEG Quality at 51% the file exported file size for the file I was using was 864kb, great for web but not for printing. If I set the file size at 84% the exported file size was 3MB, only acceptable for a 5 x 7 print. If I set the file size at 100% the exported file size was 10.9MB, good for a print size of about about 8 x 10. Note that when you click on Limit File Size To the Quality button is no longer available because you are controlling the file size with a limitation instead. When I export to JPEG I am usually doing one of two things, sending a file to an outside printer or sending a file to a web site. For web use always set your Image Sizing Resolution to 72 pixels per inch. A good image size for photos for web use is Long Edge 700 or 800 pixels. Exporting in JPEG is the option I use most often.
If you exporting your file in its original format, no matter how large the file size is, click on Image Format: Original. You will note that no other options are then available to you, in either File Settings or Image Sizing.
If you click on Tiff, you have several options in File Settings and in Image Sizing. Each setting for File Setting and Image Sizing is dependent on the final use of your photo.
Output Sharpening: This allows you to do a final output sharpen on your photo, which is different from any sharpening you have already done in the Basic panel. You can sharpen for web and Matte or Glossy paper, based on your final use, and use Low, Standard, or High sharpening.
That’s about it, simply hit Export at the bottom and check the size of the file to ensure you got what you wanted.
