How to export images using Lightroom export presets – And boost your SEO

In this post, I will show you how to use Lightroom export presets to quickly export your images in high resolution and web quality.

This post is a continuation of the previous post about creating a solid Lightroom workflow and keeping your images organized.

If you feel unorganized with your image organization, go read that post!

If you don’t use Lightroom, here is a step by step guide on how to optimize your website images.

Keep reading to learn more about how to export your images using Lightroom export presets.

Why you should use Lightroom export presets

Exporting your images correctly in Lightroom is very important.

It’s especially important for SEO when you’re using those images on your website and blog.

If you don’t do it correctly you can kill your page speed which negatively affects your SEO.

You also don’t want to upload low-resolution files to your client galleries as your clients won’t be able to print their images with the best quality possible.

As a web designer for wedding photographers, one of the biggest mistakes I see photographers constantly making is uploading images with HUGE file sizes.

By huge I mean more than 500kB. I keep my blog images to 1200px wide and less than 250kB, and so should you.

How to set up and use Lightroom export presets for digital and film shooters

An easy way to keep images consistent is to use Lightroom export presets. In this post, I will walk you through how to create Lightroom export presets and which settings you should use when exporting for both your blog and your client’s gallery.

One thing to keep in mind is treating film scans differently than digital SLR images. I have found that film scans need different settings to keep the same quality.

To create Lightroom export presets, follow these steps:

The following steps outline export settings for:

• Digital images – Web quality
• Film Scans – Web quality
• Digital Images – High quality
• Film Scans – High Quality

For exporting DIGITAL IMAGES used for Blog and Social Media (web quality):

1. Select the edited images inside of Lightroom that you will be using for your blog and click File > Export.
2. An export window will pop up, put in these settings (if I don’t mention a setting it is because it is unchecked).
   • Export Location
     • Export to: Choose folder later
     • Existing Files: Ask what to do
       
   • File Settings
     • Image Format: JPEG
       
     • Color Space: sRGB
       
     • Limit File Size To: 250 K
       
   • Image Sizing
     • Resize to Fit: Width & Height
       
     • W: 1,600
       
     • H: Leave blank.
       
     • Set size units to ‘pixels’
       
     • Resolution 100 ‘pixels per inch’
   • Metadata
     • Include: Copyright Only
       
   • Post Processing
     • After Export: Do nothing
3. Once you have all of the correct settings, click on the “Add” button at the bottom left of the window.
4. Name this preset “Blog – Digital”.
5. Click ‘Export’
6. Navigate to the Outputs > blog folder inside of that specific client’s folder.

Use this preset when exporting RAW files that will be uploaded to your website/blog.

For exporting FILM SCANS used for Blog and Social Media (web quality):

1. Select the edited images inside Lightroom that you will be using for your blog and click File > Export.
2. An export window will pop up, put in these settings (if I don’t mention a setting it is because it is unchecked).
   • Export Location
     • Export to: Choose folder later
     • Existing Files: Ask what to do
       
   • File Settings
     • Image Format: JPEG
       
     • Color Space: sRGB
       
     • Limit File Size To: 350 K
       
   • Image Sizing
     • Resize to Fit: Width & Height
     • W: 1,600
       
     • H: Leave blank.
       
     • Set size units to ‘pixels’
       
     • Resolution 100 ‘pixels per inch’
       
   • Metadata
     • Include: Copyright Only
   • Post Processing
     • After Export: Do nothing
3. Once you have all of the correct settings, click on the “Add” button at the bottom left of the window.
4. Name this preset “Blog – Film”.
5. Click ‘Export’
6. Navigate to the Outputs > blog folder inside of that specific client’s folder.

Use this preset when exporting film scans that will be uploaded to your website/blog.

For exporting DIGITAL IMAGES used for client galleries (high resolution):

1. Select all of your edited images inside of Lightroom and click File > Export.
2. An export window will pop up, put in these settings (if I don’t mention a setting it is because it is unchecked)
   • Export Location
     • Export to: Choose folder later
     • Existing Files: Ask what to do
       
   • File Settings
     • Image Format: JPEG
       
     • Quality: 85
       
     • Color Space: sRGB
       
   • Image Sizing
     • Resolution 300 ‘pixels per inch’
       
   • Metadata
     • Include: All Metadata
       
     • Remove Personal info
       
     • Remove Location Info
       
   • Post Processing
     • After Export: Do nothing
3. Once you have all of the correct settings, click on the “Add” button at the bottom left of the window.
4. Name this preset “Client – Digital”.
5. Click ‘Export’

Use this preset when exporting RAW files that will be uploaded to client galleries.

For exporting edited FILM SCANS used for client galleries (high resolution):

1. Select all of your edited film scans inside of Lightroom and click File > Export.
2. An export window will pop up, put in these settings (if I don’t mention a setting it is because it is unchecked).
   • Export Location
     • Export to: Choose folder later
       
     • Existing Files: Ask what to do
       
   • File Settings
     • Image Format: JPEG
     • Quality: 100
       
     • Color Space: sRGB
       
   • Image Sizing
     • Resolution 300 ‘pixels per inch’
       
   • Metadata
     • Include: All Metadata
     • Remove Personal info
     • Remove Location Info
       
   • Post Processing
     • After Export: Do nothing
3. Once you have all of the correct settings, click on the “Add” button at the bottom left of the window.
4. Name this preset “Client – Film”.
5. Click ‘Export’

Use this preset when exporting edited film scans that will be uploaded to client galleries.

Conclusion

Knowing how to using Lightroom export presets will not only save you time and keep all of your exported images consistent but make you more knowledgeable in your profession.

As a professional photographer, I think its necessary for you to know how to use Lightroom professionally.

There are definitely other ways of compressing and resizing images, so be sure to check out my image optimization tutorial.

By using the Blog export presets, you will be able to keep your website load speed fast which is great for SEO.

What is something you’d like to know about Lightroom, photography, or your website? Let me know in the comments below!