For any photographer who takes pride in their work, printing is an essential part of showcasing and preserving images. While digital platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter offer great ways to share your photography, nothing compares to the beauty of a well-printed photo. However, when I first started printing my images, I noticed that the colors didn’t match what I saw on screen, and the overall quality of the prints didn’t meet my expectations. After some trial and error, I realized that the issue was related to improper Lightroom export settings for print.
Over time, I experimented with various adjustments in Adobe Lightroom to optimize the settings for high-quality photo prints. Given that Lightroom is the go-to software for more than 70% of photographers, it’s important to get your export settings right. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the crucial Lightroom export settings you should use for prints to ensure that your images come out as beautifully as they look on your screen.
Let’s explore the essential steps to mastering the Lightroom export settings for prints.
How to Access Lightroom Export Settings for Print
To begin the process of exporting your photo for print, open Adobe Lightroom and follow these steps:
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Launch Lightroom.
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From the top navigation menu, select File.
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Click on Export from the dropdown menu.
Once you click Export, a new window will pop up, titled "Export One File." This is where you’ll configure your Lightroom export settings for print.
Step 1: Set the Export Destination
The first step when exporting an image is determining the destination where your final file will be saved. This decision plays a vital role in how you will access and use the image later on. The Export To dropdown menu gives you several options, each with its unique use case. Understanding these options will help you choose the most efficient method for saving your file based on your needs.
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Email – If you are working on a project that requires you to share the image digitally with a client or colleague, exporting the image to email is a quick and simple way to do so. Emailing images is particularly useful for smaller files, such as drafts or proofs, which need to be reviewed or sent for feedback. However, for larger files, email may not be ideal as many email services have size limits on attachments.
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Hard Drive – For most users, saving the image to your hard drive is the preferred option. This method saves the final processed image directly to your local computer. This option is highly recommended, especially for professional printing purposes. Having the image stored locally on your computer gives you full control over the file and makes it easier to access when needed. Additionally, you can ensure that the image is easily transferable to other devices, uploaded to a cloud service, or sent to a print shop. Hard drives are typically the most secure, reliable, and versatile option, allowing for easy file management and access.
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CD/DVD – Although this method is becoming less common due to the widespread use of cloud storage and digital file transfers, burning your image onto a CD or DVD might still be useful in certain situations. For example, if you need to share the image with someone who does not have access to digital storage options or if you require physical copies for archival purposes, this could be a viable choice. However, this method is often slower and less flexible than saving the file on a hard drive or online storage platform.
For printing purposes, the best choice is to save the file to your hard drive. This method ensures that your image is saved in the highest quality and can be accessed at any time for printing, editing, or distribution. By choosing the hard drive as your destination, you maintain complete control over the file and avoid the hassle of waiting for physical media like CDs or DVDs.
Step 2: Select the Export Location
After deciding on the export destination, the next step is to determine the location where the file will be saved. Organizing your exported files in a logical and structured way can make it much easier to find them later on, especially if you are working with multiple images or complex projects.
Once you click on the Export To option, you’ll be prompted to select a folder on your hard drive or other storage media. You have the option to either choose an existing folder or create a new one. For example, creating a folder titled Print-Ready Photos allows you to keep all of your final, print-ready images in one easily accessible location. Keeping your files organized from the outset can save you a lot of time later on, especially when you need to locate specific files or prepare multiple images for printing.
For even better organization, consider creating subfolders within your main folder. This approach is particularly helpful if you’re working on several projects at once or need to categorize your images by client, project type, or date. For example, within your main Print-Ready Photos folder, you might create subfolders such as ClientName_WeddingPhotos or ProjectTitle_FinalImages.
A solid naming structure doesn’t just make it easier to find files—it also helps you avoid overwriting important images. Many software programs offer a built-in feature that automatically renames files upon export. Enabling this feature helps ensure that your files are never accidentally replaced by newer images. For instance, you can add a date or version number to the file name, such as Wedding_SmithFamily_2023_Final or PortraitClientName_V2.
Additionally, naming files in a way that reflects the project or client information ensures that anyone involved in the process can easily understand the contents of a folder at a glance. This is especially important when collaborating with others or when clients may need to access and approve final images.
Step 3: Naming Your Files
When exporting your image, it’s important to give each file a unique and descriptive name that helps you identify it later on. Proper file naming is essential for keeping your digital assets organized and easily accessible, especially when dealing with large volumes of images or multiple projects. The File Naming section of the export tool allows you to customize how your files are named before saving them to your destination.
By default, many programs assign generic names such as image001, image002, or untitled, which can quickly become confusing when you have a large collection of images. Customizing your file names to include key information can help you stay organized. For example, you might want to include the project name, the client’s name, or even specific print sizes in the file name. This additional detail can make a huge difference when you need to find specific images at a later date.
For example, you could name your files using the format: ProjectName_ClientName_PrintSize_Date, such as Wedding_SmithFamily_24x36_20230710. This way, you’ll always know exactly what the image is, what project it’s associated with, and when it was finalized. Using clear, descriptive names like these will make your workflow more efficient and prevent you from wasting time searching for a specific image.
Furthermore, creating a standardized naming convention across all your projects can be a great way to maintain consistency and organization throughout your workflow. You could establish naming rules such as including a version number if the image goes through multiple edits (e.g., Portrait_JohnDoe_V1, Portrait_JohnDoe_V2). This way, you’ll easily keep track of revisions and avoid any mix-ups with file versions.
One important consideration is to make sure that your file names are compatible with the operating system you're using. Some operating systems have limitations on character length or special characters, so make sure that the naming convention you choose doesn’t run into technical issues later on.
When it comes to exporting for print purposes, using descriptive and consistent naming helps avoid confusion, ensures the right file gets sent to the printer, and makes your images easier to find when needed for later projects.
Step 4: Choosing the Right Image Format
Selecting the correct image format is crucial when preparing your photos for high-quality print production. The right format not only affects the clarity and sharpness of the image but also influences how well the colors appear once printed. The most commonly accepted image formats in the printing world are JPEG and TIFF. Each of these formats has its strengths, so it’s important to understand the differences and how they apply to your specific printing needs.
JPEG is the most widely supported image format, and while it’s perfect for sharing and storing images digitally, it is a compressed format. This means that some image data is lost when you save a file as a JPEG. The compression process reduces the file size but may also degrade the image quality, especially when the file is saved multiple times or at lower quality settings. However, for smaller prints or images intended for web use, JPEG may be sufficient. For high-quality prints, though, it is often recommended to choose a TIFF format, as it offers a much better quality output due to its lossless nature. When saved as a TIFF, the image retains all the original pixel information without any degradation.
For those serious about professional printing, TIFF becomes the format of choice because it preserves the image quality while offering excellent detail and clarity. TIFF files also support multi-layered images, making them ideal for editing and retouching before printing. When saving as a TIFF, it’s crucial to select the correct bit depth setting to ensure color accuracy and optimal quality.
To achieve the best results for printing, set the bit depth to 16 bits/component. This setting allows for a wider range of colors and more subtle color transitions, which is especially important when printing images with gradients or subtle hues. Using 16-bit TIFF files also provides more information for the printer to work with, allowing it to reproduce vibrant and accurate colors without any visible color banding. This option ensures that your images look as vibrant and rich on paper as they did on screen.
In contrast, if you choose to use JPEG, ensure that you set the quality slider to the highest level possible, though TIFF remains the superior choice for most print jobs. While JPEG can still be useful for digital images or lower-quality prints, it cannot match the fidelity and richness of TIFF, especially when it comes to professional print production.
Step 5: Adjusting Image Quality
The Image Quality section plays a significant role in preparing your image for printing. The quality slider within your editing software allows you to adjust how much compression is applied to the image during export. While this might be less of a concern for digital images or web usage, image quality becomes paramount when preparing photos for high-quality prints.
Setting the Quality slider to the highest possible setting—usually 100—ensures that your image retains all its fine details, clarity, and sharpness when it’s printed. Any reduction in quality can result in pixelation, blur, or artifacts that will become noticeable once the image is printed. For example, when exporting an image with reduced quality, you might see visible compression artifacts or a loss of sharpness, which are unacceptable for a professional print.
Although lower quality settings might be helpful for reducing file sizes—especially for images intended for web usage, where faster loading times are critical—this is not a concern for print. For print, you want to maintain the full resolution and highest image quality to ensure that your photos look as sharp and crisp as possible on paper. Setting the quality to 100 ensures that your print will be true to life with all the intricate details captured in the image.
It's also essential to remember that higher quality images result in larger file sizes. While this might take up more storage space, the trade-off is well worth it for the sake of maintaining image integrity. When printing, you want to ensure that the image is rendered in the highest possible quality to avoid issues with pixelation, color inconsistency, and overall lack of detail. When you’re preparing images for fine art prints, professional portraits, or any high-end prints, quality should be your primary concern.
Step 6: Selecting the Correct Color Space
Another critical consideration when preparing your images for printing is the color space. A color space defines the range of colors that can be displayed or printed, and choosing the wrong one can lead to color discrepancies between what you see on your screen and what is printed on paper. There are several color space options available in Lightroom and other editing software, including sRGB, AdobeRGB, ProPhoto RGB, and more.
For most printing jobs, both sRGB and AdobeRGB are the most common and suitable color spaces. sRGB is the default color space for many digital devices, including monitors, printers, and web platforms. It’s widely supported by commercial printers and is generally the safest option if you're unsure about which color space to choose. sRGB provides a smaller range of colors than AdobeRGB, but it’s designed to match the color range of typical consumer devices, which makes it more versatile and widely accepted.
On the other hand, AdobeRGB offers a broader color gamut, meaning it supports a wider range of colors, particularly in the green and cyan areas of the spectrum. If you’re working with images that have vibrant, intense colors or require extremely accurate color reproduction—such as landscape photography or commercial prints—AdobeRGB might be the better choice. However, it’s important to check with your printing service to determine which color space they support, as not all printers can fully take advantage of the broader color gamut offered by AdobeRGB.
Another crucial tip is to ensure that the Limit File Size To checkbox is not selected. This feature may sound appealing if you’re trying to reduce file size for easier handling, but it can significantly reduce the image quality by applying additional compression. For professional print production, you want the image to remain as true to the original as possible, without any artificial restrictions on file size. Leaving the file size unrestricted ensures that your image maintains its full resolution and color information for the best possible print quality.
Choosing the wrong color space can have a dramatic effect on your print output, leading to washed-out colors, poor contrast, or mismatched prints. It's essential to ensure that your digital image’s color profile aligns with the capabilities of your printer and the desired final result. This is another reason why it’s vital to check with your printing service before making a final decision about which color space to use.
Step 7: Set the Image Resolution and Aspect Ratio
When preparing your images for printing, two of the most crucial factors to consider are aspect ratio and resolution. These elements play a significant role in ensuring that your printed images look as sharp and professionally crafted as they do on your screen.
Aspect Ratio
The aspect ratio of an image refers to the proportional relationship between its width and height. It is essentially a way to define the shape of the image. For instance, a common aspect ratio for prints like a 12x8-inch photograph is 3:2. The correct aspect ratio ensures that the image fits properly into your chosen print size without stretching, distorting, or cropping out essential parts of the image. Instead of manually resizing your image within the export settings, it is best to crop and set the aspect ratio directly within the Develop module in Lightroom. This allows you to maintain full control over the composition and framing, making sure that all important elements are kept in the frame.
By ensuring that the aspect ratio is correctly set in Lightroom, your prints will look balanced and have the right proportions, regardless of whether you’re printing on small or large formats. Getting the aspect ratio right at the editing stage is especially important for creating professional-looking prints.
Resolution
Resolution is another critical factor when exporting images for print. Resolution is typically measured in PPI (pixels per inch), which determines how much detail an image holds. For high-quality prints, a resolution of 300 PPI is considered the gold standard. This level of resolution ensures that your print appears sharp, clear, and full of fine detail. This is especially true for smaller print sizes such as 6x4 or 8x5 inches, where high resolution is essential to keep the details crisp and lifelike.
However, the resolution you choose might vary depending on the size of the print. For larger prints, such as posters or canvas prints, you may opt for a slightly lower resolution to avoid unnecessarily large file sizes. In this case, reducing the resolution to around 240 PPI may be sufficient without sacrificing visible detail. It's important to remember that the higher the resolution, the more file space the image will require. If you're working with large prints and your system or printing software struggles with large files, adjusting the resolution accordingly is a good way to manage file sizes without significantly compromising quality.
Step 8: Output Sharpening for Paper Type
When you move from a digital image to a physical print, some sharpness is inevitably lost in the process. This is due to the transfer of data from the digital file to paper, which doesn’t perfectly capture all the fine details of the original image. Therefore, it's essential to apply the right amount of output sharpening to ensure your print retains its clarity and vibrancy. Lightroom provides several output sharpening options, each designed for specific paper types. The type of paper you choose will impact the level of sharpening needed to produce a clear and crisp image.
Sharpening for Screen vs. Paper
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Screen: This option is used when preparing images for digital displays. Although it's not useful for prints, it's important for creating high-quality images for web use, where sharpness plays a key role in viewing the image online.
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Matte Paper: Prints on matte paper tend to absorb more ink, which can lead to a slight softening of the image. Therefore, selecting the matte sharpening option will compensate for this by adding extra sharpness to ensure that your image remains clear, even on non-glossy surfaces.
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Glossy Paper: For prints on glossy or lustre paper, sharpening is essential to counteract the natural glossiness of the paper. Glossy paper has a smooth surface, which can cause images to appear a little too soft or lacking in contrast. By selecting the glossy sharpening option, you can enhance the sharpness and fine details, making sure your print looks crisp, clean, and vibrant.
When selecting sharpening settings, Standard sharpening is a safe bet for most prints. However, if you feel that the image lacks sufficient detail, you can choose the High setting for enhanced clarity and definition. The proper sharpening will help make sure your prints are as crisp and professional as they appear on-screen.
Step 9: Watermarking Your Image
For photographers or artists who wish to protect their work from unauthorized use, watermarking is an excellent option. Adding a watermark to your image ensures that even if it is shared or distributed online or in print, your work is properly attributed to you. Lightroom allows you to easily add a watermark to your image during the export process. You can choose between a text watermark or a custom logo (in PNG or JPG format) to place on your image.
With watermarking, you have complete control over how your signature appears on the image. You can adjust the opacity to make it subtle or more visible, depending on your preference. Similarly, the size of the watermark can be adjusted to ensure it’s neither too overpowering nor too small to be noticeable. Watermarks are especially useful when sharing your work online or when preparing images for public use.
However, if you prefer to manually add your signature or watermark to the physical print instead of digitally on the image, it’s best to leave this section unchecked when exporting. This way, you avoid placing an unwanted watermark or signature on your file, and you retain the flexibility to add your personal touch to the final print yourself.
Step 10: File Format Considerations
As we've discussed earlier, the file format plays a critical role in determining the quality of your final print. The most commonly recommended format for printing is TIFF. TIFF is a lossless format, meaning it retains all the image data and details without any loss of quality. This is essential for achieving the highest level of quality in your prints, as it ensures that all fine details are preserved.
While JPEG is another format that is often used, it is a lossy format, meaning that some image quality is lost during compression. JPEG files are generally smaller in size, but this comes at the cost of reducing image data and sharpness, which can be noticeable when printed at large sizes. For professional-level prints, TIFF is the superior choice, as it offers far greater detail, color accuracy, and overall quality.
If you ever need to convert your TIFF file to JPEG for online use or web display, you can easily do so later, but keep in mind that this will result in some loss of image quality. For prints, it is always best to use a TIFF file to ensure the highest-quality result.
Final Thoughts:
Achieving the best print quality starts with the right Lightroom export settings. The digital image you see on your screen is only part of the equation; the real magic happens when that image is transferred onto paper. Whether you’re printing family portraits, stunning landscapes, or client work, each photo deserves to be reproduced as faithfully as possible. Getting the export settings right is crucial to ensuring that your print lives up to your expectations.
First and foremost, understanding the technical aspects of Lightroom’s export settings is essential. Choosing the correct file format is one of the most important decisions when preparing an image for print. TIFF is generally the best choice for preserving image quality, as it retains all the fine details without compression loss. JPEG, while more widely accepted, is a lossy format that can lead to a reduction in image quality, especially if compressed too much. For prints, opting for a TIFF ensures that you’re sending a file that preserves every detail for a flawless print.
Another key setting is color space. Selecting the correct color profile is critical, as it determines how the colors in your image will be rendered on paper. sRGB is the most widely supported color space for printing, while AdobeRGB offers a wider gamut for richer, more vibrant colors. However, it’s important to confirm with your printing service which color profile they support. Using the wrong color space can lead to dull or inaccurate prints, which is why this step cannot be overlooked.
Additionally, resolution and aspect ratio must be carefully considered. For high-quality prints, setting your resolution to 300 PPI (pixels per inch) is the standard for ensuring your image is sharp and detailed. Additionally, cropping your image to the right aspect ratio before export ensures that it fits perfectly on the print size you desire, eliminating any unwanted cropping or stretching on the final print.
Sharpening is another critical aspect that can affect the crispness of your print. Choosing the right paper type—Matte or Glossy—and applying the corresponding sharpening settings ensures that your print is sharp without looking over-processed.
Finally, consider the overall workflow from Lightroom to print. While Lightroom offers many options for image adjustments, it’s essential to keep the final print in mind throughout your editing process. By working in 16-bit color depth, ensuring that your image is processed without clipping, and adjusting settings like exposure, contrast, and saturation, you set yourself up for success when it’s time to print.
