Getting started with Lightroom - exporting your photos
Saving your edited photos to use elsewhere
If you have worked through my first two mini 'how to' guides to Getting started with Lightroom you might now be ready to save some of your edited images so you can use them elsewhere, maybe email them to a friend or upload them to social media. The edits you do in Lightroom do not change the original photo file, Lightroom just remembers the edits you have put in place in its catalogue. If you want to save the edited photo with the edits applied to it you need to go through the Export process. This is what we are looking at in this mini guide.
As previously mentioned in the earlier posts, I am using Lightroom 6 so my screens / options might look slightly different to yours but the process will be the same.
The earlier mini guides can be found here:
Step 1 - select your photo(s) to export
You might already have the photos on display in the centre panel, if so click on the image(s) you want to export. If you can't see the photos you want you will first need to find them in the catalogue.
From the Library module (top line) take a look down the left panel in your Collections to find the collection you saved the phots into. If the photos you want were actually the last ones you imported then these can be found by clicking into Catalog (on the left) and then Previous Import.
If you want to export more than one photo you need to select them using the Cmd / Click (or Ctrl/ Click on Windows) keys. You can do this selection on the centre panel or in the filmstrip at the bottom of the screen.
If you are in the Library module you can see the Export button at the bottom of the left panel. This isn't visible if you are in the Develop module (where you would be if you have just finished your editing). In this case only the current image is displayed in the centre but you can still select others from the filmstrip below. To get to Export in the Develop module click on File at the very top of the screen (next to Lightroom) and then find Export from the dropdown list.
Step 2 - decide how you want the photo to be exported
Having selected your photos go into the Export area by clicking on Export.
The Export dialogue box is displayed. Here is where you tell Lightroom how you want the photo(s) exporting.
There are preset values on the left, some come as standard with Lightroom, some can be provided by other photo editing software (such as Luminar 4 seen above) and some can be created and saved by you.
Creating a preset for the way you often want to export a file will make sure you always do this consistently and it saves you time. If you click on a preset it will set all the relevant settings on the right automatically and all you need to do is click on the Export button at the bottom.
The first time you do an export you won't have your own presets so we'll take a look at the options.
You can simply select one of the Lightroom presets at the top and then click Export at the bottom of the box.
If you want to know more about the different options here is a quick guide.
1. Export Location
Where do you want the file to be saved? Have you already got a folder set up for your photos? If so you can select Specific Folder and then use the Choose button to find / select that folder from your computer.
If you want to choose the folder later as the export happens you can specify this option in the Folder prompt. You might want to do this if you are going to create a preset for the format but might want the exported files (photos) to be in different folders.
You can also tell Lightroom what to do if it finds that the file already exists. The safest option is to leave this set to Ask what to do.
2. File naming
If you are happy to name the file with it's original filename (created by the camera) you don't need to change anything here.
However if you want to rename the file on export, maybe you want your name plus the file number to be used so you can enter it in a competition for example. If so click the tick next to rename, select edit from the dropdown list and fill in the details in the pop up box.
Here I have typed in my name and then inserted the filename, The example shows how the file will be named.
3. Video - if you are working with a photo not a video just ignore this section.
4. File settings
There are different file formats you can save your photo(s) as. These are JPEG, PSD (for Photoshop), TIFF, DNG (RAW file format) or its original format.
Mostly I save as JPEG as most other programs can use these files. JPEG is the default setting if you do nothing.
You can choose the quality that the file is saved at, most people wouldn't notice the difference between 80% or 100% and saving at 80 will create a smaller file size.
Colour space is to do with what you want to do with the photo next - unless you need something specific for a printer or detailed editing in another program then just leave this as sRGB.
5. Image sizing
This section is where you decide on the output size and quality of the image resolution.
If you want to send your photos to someone through email you might only want a small sized file so you can set the size of the longest side to 500 pixels and the resolution to 72 pixels per inch for example.
If you have your own website and want to upload an image to it that is 2000 pixels wide you can resize to fit and just put 2000 in the width box.
If you are wanting to post your image to Instagram you might want to choose a width of 1080 pixels.
If you are wanting to send the photo to a printer for an 10x8 inch print you can change the size units to inches and enter W =10 H=8. For print output I'd recommend 240 pixels / inch or more.
6. Output sharpening
Lightroom can apply some sharpening for the photo depending on whether it will be just seen on screen printed on matte paper or on glossy paper. Select this accordingly.
7. Metadata
Do you want any metadata associated with the photo to be included in the file? You could have copyright info, contact info, location info etc. To see what metadata is set for your photo select it in the Library module and look at the Metadata section in the right side panel. You can change the metadata here if you want to.
8. Watermarking
You might want to have a watermark included on the photo so that people can't copy the image and use it as their own. This is where you decide if the image has a watermark or not. If you want to create a watermark tick the box and select Edit Watermarks.
You can add a copyright symbol by using Option key + G on a Mac or Alt + Ctrl + C on a Windows computer.
If you are adding a watermark you can use an image file or just text. If text then you can alter the font, style, colour etc. Click on Watermark Effects to specify the opacity and placement of the watermark.
9. Post processing
What do you want Lightroom to do when it has finished the export? Do nothing, show the photo in its folder or open another application?
If you have created your own export options you can save these settings as a preset by clicking on Add at the bottom left of the box and giving your preset a relevant name so you'll know what it does in future. So, for instance, if you created an export for a 10x8 inch print call the preset PRINT 10x8 IN or something similar.
Once you click Export the file(s) will be exported to the place you specified, or you will be prompted for where to put them and then Lightroom will do whatever was specified in the Post processing section.
You can now go to the exported photos on your computer and send them wherever you want to!
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