Uploading To Instagram Without Losing Prototype Quality

Something I noticed when posting to Instagram from my desktop was that the epitome quality was significantly worse than the version I had uploaded, with the blurred image inevitably getting less than favourable engagement. Afterwards some thorough inquiry though, I've managed to compile some reasons as to why Instagram might be reducing the image quality on your posts.

At that place are a few reasons why the image quality is reduced when uploading directly from your PC, 1 of which is that you are not following Instagram'southward max resolution guidelines, which is currently set at 1080 10 1350px. Whatsoever image that is greater than the said resolution volition be made smaller past Instagram and thus may affect the quality of the image.

Secondly, it also depends on the format of the image that you lot are using. Instagram's default format for images is JPEG (.jpg), meaning that any paradigm that is uploaded in PNG (.png), BITMAP (.bmp), or anything other than JPEG, volition exist converted to JPEG and as such loses some of the quality during the conversion.

  • READ: How I Gained Over 100,000 Followers On Instagram
  • READ: How To Employ The Right Hashtags For YOU
  • READ: The BIGGEST Error I See People Making On Instagram

When you consider the number of images that are being uploaded to Instagram every unmarried day and the server power that is needed to run the platform, you'll before long forgive Instagram for reducing file sizes where possible. Try to keep your image file size to a minimum (without affecting image quality) to avoid having information technology be poorly compressed past Instagram.

Final but non least, Instagram is predominantly a mobile-based app, and as such prioritises uploads from mobile (or tablet) devices when it comes to quality. This means that images uploaded via your desktop, such as with the developer tools method, tin sometimes see a reduction in image quality when uploading to Instagram.

How to avoid losing Image Quality on Instagram (with Photoshop)

For many people, who take pictures of themselves, their canis familiaris or the local embankment, image quality doesn't actually tend to matter. Even so, if you're a creative like me who designs content for their business and wants to establish themselves as a professional, and so maintaining quality with your uploads is very of import.

I like to create my Instagram content using Photoshop, merely the same principles will utilise to whichever photo editing software you lot are using. In Photoshop you volition want to set a new file or artboard and set it to Instagram's maximum resolution (1080 x 1350px). Once you have created your design, yous need to go to File > Export > Salvage For Web (Legacy)…

For those that don't know, saving in this way will permit you lot to modify the quality and file size of your last image. In the peak right of the Save For Web window, nether Preset, you will want to select JPEG as the file type. Beneath that, you tin modify the overall quality of the image, starting from Low all the style upward to Maximum.

Here is a screenshot of the Save To Spider web window for my Bruce Lee post in Photoshop. I have highlighted the areas you demand to monitor in club to reduce size and maintain image quality, such as the quality setting and dimensions of the image.

Again, the reason for lowering the quality of the dropdown is to reduce the file size of the image and thus avoid Instagram taking the compression into their own easily. You can monitor the size of the image in the bottom left (above instance: 837.8K).

A lot of the time, you will actually find that the Very Loftier or High setting reduces the file size significantly; without actually affecting the sharpness of the image itself. You volition desire to choose the setting that achieves the best balance betwixt the two.

Once y'all're happy with the image file size and quality, you can hit the salvage push button to salve information technology to your computer. Following that, you lot will want to upload your new image to Google Bulldoze where you will so download information technology to your mobile (or tablet) device. You tin then upload the image direct to Instagram from your mobile.

If you really want to make the near of your post and get equally much engagement as possible, then you lot'll want to also check out this ultimate guide I wrote for using hashtags on Instagram.

Decision

Instagram can often reduce the quality of your images during uploads for a wide number of reasons, but if you're looking to maintain quality then you should wait to upload a high-quality, compressed JPEG file (max resolution: 1080 ten 1350px) directly from your mobile or tablet to avoid any further compression by Instagram.

You can follow me on Instagram here!

Have any feedback or questions nigh this post? Let me know in the comments below!

Something I noticed when posting to Instagram from my desktop was that the image quality was significantly worse than the version I had uploaded, with the blurred image inevitably getting less than favourable engagement. After some thorough research though, I've managed to compile some answers reasons as to why Instagram might be reducing the image quality on your posts.
Did you find this post on improving the epitome quality of your Instagram posts helpful? If and then, I would be very grateful if you could pin this image to Pinterest!

Mike Walters

Mike Walters

I Build Killer Landing Pages That Really Get Results... Guaranteed

Mike Walters

Mike Walters

I Build Killer Landing Pages That ACTUALLY Get Results... Guaranteed

This Post Has 56 Comments

  1. Great post, I was request myself how much information technology compress quality of photos when I transport image to myself over messenger and so mail it on Instagram. Then I read this commodity and used the Google Drive. I must say there is a bit more depth then sending over messenger. So yeah Google Drive works fine.

    1. Mike Walters 28 Sep 2020 Answer

      Hey Abraham, glad to see that it worked for y'all using Google Bulldoze. That'southward what I currently apply! Posting directly from Creator Studio works well too of grade.

  2. Lily Crocker i Oct 2020 Answer

    Howdy! Is there a way to do to this from a mobile device? I do not have photoshop on my computer and am not looking to pay for it. Any tips?

    1. Mike Walters 1 Oct 2020 Reply

      Hello Lily, you should find that uploading a photograph from your telephone should work well regardless of which editing software that you're using. Instagram is primarily a mobile-based app, and so it's simply natural for the mobile uploads to be of good quality. There will always be some level of compression, given the sheer number of photos that Instagram's servers accept to store, just non plenty to ruin a photo. Hope this helps 🙂

    2. Wesley 1 Nov 2020 Reply

      I'd recommend using Google'south Snapseed app or Adobe Photoshop Express. Both of them are free and let you customize the export settings of your photos to specific resolutions and quality.

      1. Mike Walters 1 Nov 2020 Reply

        Great suggestions Wesley 🙂

  3. Ollie 16 October 2020 Reply

    Hi, take you tried this method with other tools such as powerpoint? The nuts seem to exist the same. I've tried to set the same hight width merely when I export the paradigm to jpeg and salve, ship to telephone and finally transfer to instagram, instagram comprasses the image after a while. Any thoughts?

    1. Mike Walters eighteen October 2020 Reply

      Hello Ollie, I haven't created carousels or posts using PowerPoint only the theory should be the same. There is ever going to be a small scrap of compression by Instagram when uploading to their platform, even so, y'all can minimize this but uploading the image through the mobile app or via Instagram [Facebook] Creator Studio. Endeavor uploading through one of those platforms and see how it goes

      1. Pavle Bogdanovic 4 November 2021 Respond

  4. Sophia xix Oct 2020 Respond

    Hi! My friend took some photos using her iPhone 7 plus and sent me the photos which I then I edited on my iPhone 11, and when I went to post the images to instagram, the photos came out blurry! What tin can I practise to my photos to make sure they post at a amend resolution because this photograph was taken on an iPhone, not a DSLR then i'm confused equally to how it would exist blurry. Thank you!

    1. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Reply

      Howdy Sophia, I guess it might depend on how your friend sent those photos to you. I know that in the past, I'd transferred some files over using Facebook Messenger and they lost some of the picture show quality during that transfer. If you make sure to upload them to the Google Drive (or something similar) and then download them from in that location, you lot might find that the motion-picture show quality is a lot better – depending on how y'all upload information technology of course. Upload the picture via your mobile or Facebook/Instagram Creator Studio. Let me know how information technology goes 🙂

  5. Antonia twenty October 2020 Reply

    I utilize Canva to design my posts what would y'all suggest to save the quality?

    1. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Reply

      Hullo Antonia. Luckily for you, there are many great content creators that use Canva to blueprint their posts. I would suggest saving equally JPG and uploading either direct from the Instagram mobile app or via Facebook/Instagram Creator Studio

  6. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Reply

    Haha! Well I tin't imagine it's cheap to host billions of photos/videos 😅

  7. Alfonso 4 November 2020 Reply

    Artwork
    Fine lines: go muddied and/or slightly moved.
    Thick lines: flattened.
    Colors: mixed, simplified, exagerated or all of them.

    This causes young artists to look worse than they are simply because Instagram can't even give a F***g guide on how to employ their site other than "tap here to upload". How near giving a proper tutorial or artistic tips instead of creating 100 filters every calendar month? I swear with social media…

    1. Mike Walters half-dozen Nov 2020 Reply

      Haha, I experience your pain Alfonso. Information technology'southward true that some people's Instagram posts don't practice their work justice!

  8. This is really helpful but i have a question, i was familiar with this workflow of reducing the resolution of your paradigm manually, just this helped me to improve that workflow, that being said, afterward doing all that and make sure that my image looks correctly for web and howdy-quality, when i post it on Instagram in getting a terrible Banding particularly in the sky area, i accept remove all banding before as i said looks perfect in all web applications, so seems that IG still compressing my file for some reason, do you have any idea about this? Thanks in Advanced

    1. Mike Walters 10 Nov 2020 Respond

      Hi Tony, thanks for reaching out. I also suffer from the same banding problems on Instagram. I believe that the platform just isn't suited to such high-level photography. Which is ironic, given the premise of the platform. I've since tried to avoid gradients where possible. I'm sad I can't help much further!

  9. Sofia 16 Nov 2020 Reply

    How-do-you-do! I employ Canva on both my laptop and iPhone. After downloading images from the mobile app and uploading them to Instagram, they still experience lower quality and a slight change in color. Do you have more tips on this? Thanks!

    1. Mike Walters 18 Nov 2020 Respond

      Hi Sofia, I can't really say without seeing the images but there will always be some class of compression when uploading to Instagram – no affair what you practice. As for the colour difference, could information technology exist that you're viewing the epitome from a unlike device? I know that the colours between my iPhone, tablet and desktop all differ. Let me know!

  10. Mike, thank you for this. Information technology's incredibly helpful info. I've been using this workflow, more or less, in Photoshop for the last couple of years, just have always noticed a drib in quality one time I put my files on Instagram. Further, I've been interested in making end motion videos and have noticed that, again, the drib in quality is evident in the final production whenever I endeavor to upload to IG, with but plenty blur showing that I haven't yet posted any of these. I'm going to adjust my workflow and effort the videos again. Bookmarked this article for reference.
    – Laura

    1. Mike Walters 24 Nov 2020 Reply

      Hey Laura, never tried uploading stop motion videos to Instagram myself simply I look forward to hearing your results!

  11. ER 27 November 2020 Reply

    What almost bit depth? Doesn't Instagram limit images to eight bit jpgs?

    1. Mike Walters ii Dec 2020 Reply

      Unfortunately, I can't find whatever confirmation from Instagram regarding the limitation of bit depths. I'm curious as to how you plant this information?

  12. Annabelle Mostert 1 December 2020 Answer

    Hi,

    Peradventure this is a giddy quetion, but i have created the file in photoshop to the size specification you set out higher up.
    How exercise i re-size my image ti fit instagram after making it (1080 x 1350px). I understand how to save for web only not how to re-size information technology.
    Thanks

    1. Mike Walters 1 Dec 2020 Respond

      Hullo Annabelle, non a silly question at all. 1080x1350px is a not bad size for Instagram for portrait photos. If you lot are later on a foursquare prototype then you lot would demand to change the Canvas Size in Photoshop before y'all Save For Spider web. You can change the Canvas size by going to Image > Canvas Size. There might be a link icon which is selected to lock the ratio (to 1080x1350px). You will need to unselect this to alter it to one:1 ratio.

  13. Eric 7 Dec 2020 Reply

    What if you lot do all this and it'due south still desaturated? I've exported in .jpg, sRGB colour infinite, same dimensions yous draw, and information technology'south nevertheless messed up. Just well-nigh every one of my pictures is from what I tin tell. They look fine on my phone, on the computer, even in the screen on IG where I upload the picture. I make my posts ahead of time and save them, and even that little thumbnail looks fine. It's just when it gets uploaded, it goes all wrong.

    1. Mike Walters viii Dec 2020 Reply

      Hey Eric, that is a tough one and I understand your frustration. I would have to guess that it'south downwards to the size of the (prototype) file. Possibly try compressing it as much equally possible, without reducing the quality of the image, and see how that fairs when uploaded to IG?

  14. Eric 9 December 2020 Reply

    I'm not 100% but that might have worked. I posted ane this morning that got desaturated again, tried exporting information technology from Lightroom with lower quality (I had information technology set to 100, now I'm around 75) so posted that version. It looked to be a niggling more than saturated than the previous one, so I recollect you're on to something. Give thanks you lot!

    1. Mike Walters 9 Dec 2020 Reply

      I'm glad that information technology helped a bit! Thanks for getting back to me Eric

      1. Eric 29 Dec 2020 Reply

        Thank you for responding, that's pretty rare anymore. Anyways they are still desaturating my pictures. I think what I did earlier might have helped a bit, but information technology's still very noticeable. My consign settings from Lightroom are: .jpg, sRGB, quality at 76, resize to fit checked, width set up to 1080, height left blank, resolution 72, acuminate for screen, standard, the default settings for metadata, and then a watermark which is simply my name in the bottom right corner, no image or anything similar that. I don't get it. I edit in Lightroom initially, consign at 300 ppi and in AdobeRGB, open that file in Photoshop, make edits there, save a copy, import that into Lightroom so I tin export with those settings. It'due south a piffling convoluted but information technology works for me I guess. Any thoughts?

        1. Mike Walters 11 January 2021 Respond

          No trouble, happy to be i of the rare ones! I'1000 really not certain to be honest, it sounds like y'all've done a lot of things correct. What are the sizes of the files that you lot're trying to upload?

          1. Eric 21 January 2021

            One of the ones that got desaturated is 446Kb and is 1080×720. I'm at a loss lol Thanks for helping me effort to figure this out.

          2. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021

            Hmm, 446kb might be a flake too much for Instagram. If you were using Photoshop then I presume that was at a Very High to Maximum quality setting. Possibly lower the quality before uploading to Instagram to reduce file size

  15. Jalal Mustafa x Dec 2020 Respond

    I was exporting PNGs from corel depict for instagram uploads and quality was decreasing. now i volition use jpegs after seeing this article. also using 1200×1200 resolution. should i opt for 1080×1350.?

    1. Mike Walters 10 Dec 2020 Answer

      Hey Jalal, 1080×1080 is perfectly fine for Instagram. The 1350 resolution is only the recommended size for portrait images.

  16. Matt L 1 Feb 2021 Reply

    Before exporting a picture show to postal service on IG, do you save/downsize the file to to IGs recommended aspect ratio/max resolution specs? Ie 1080, To avoid potential compression loss?

    Or practice you just post what's nearly likely a much larger/college resolution file and let it automatically go through the compression algorithm to calibration it down/lower the image quality to fit the app?

    If you've experimented can you even tell much of a departure on a smartphone?

    1. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021 Answer

      Hey Matt, good question. I actually just continue all of my canvas sizes to the recommended 1080×1080 or 1080×1350, so I haven't experimented with larger sizes. That being said, information technology'southward all-time to keep the file size as low as possible to avoid unnecessary pinch by Instagram'south platform. All of my posts are created on desktop using Photoshop and so I'm non sure about smartphone files, but in the past I've noticed that photos taken on my iPhone tend not to be ruined with pinch. Permit me know if you lot notice anything useful when experimenting!

  17. Arash 7 Feb 2021 Reply

    Cheers Mike!

    So…
    1080 x 1080
    1080 x 1350 only for portrait images

    300dpi or 72dpi? and how nearly ppi?
    is there whatever limit for Kb or Mb?

    1. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021 Reply

      Hey Arash, to be honest I'grand not sure on the verbal ppi, kB or MB that Instagram volition accept but information technology'southward all-time practice to keep it as low as possible. I can confirm that those ratios are all-time for both square & portrait images.

  18. I don't have a question merely a thank yous for your incredibly helpful commodity and responses.

    1. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021 Reply

      Thank you Elizabeth! Appreciate the feedback 🙂

  19. Laini xiv Apr 2021 Reply

    I have tried uploading a logo using all the correct dimensions for Instagram. Tired saving in all ways similar JPEG and PNG. Looks neat in monitor. Sizing right and when I upload the logo it looks terrible. Any tricks with logos with text?

    1. Mike Walters twenty April 2021 Reply

      Hi Laini, it often comes down to the size of the file. It may exist best to lower the quality when saving the file, to ensure that the file size is every bit low as possible, so that Instagram doesn't compress the image too much. Accept a play around with this and see what works best for you.

  20. Alex 4 May 2021 Reply

    Howdy, Mike! I think I accept 2 questions for yous. 😀
    1. I am curious about your stance on this: I post a regular portrait photo on feed, ane of 1080 x 1350px, then I want to post the same picture on IG Story and IG automatically does a zoom-in on this picture show so that it fits nice in the IG Story dimensions, i.e. 1080 ten 1920px, merely the image looks a little blurry after it is posted on IG Story. Is it improve and like a best exercise to have the pictures for the feed in 1080 x 1350px and those for stories in 1080 x 1920px? I piece of work in social media and I am going crazy with some pictures I mail service that are loosing quality when posted 🙁 It is wearisome, but it may be amend if my pictures for feed would exist in the recommended dimensions of 1080 x 1350px / 1080 x 1080px and for stories 1080 x 1920px? 2.Also, you're saying that if I take my picture with my phone (I have a Samsung S21 Ultra) and I post it just like it was shot, there won't be quality loss? The pictures taken with this phone have, for eg. 4000 x 3000px 2.75 MB. Should I low resolution and maybe even the quality even on these pictures I accept with the phone? Maan, this is nuts! Hate IG for this😒
    Thank you in advance for your respond!

    1. Mike Walters 25 May 2021 Respond

      Hey Alex, deplorable for the late reply! Yes, you should create ii dissimilar versions of the same graphic if you want to share them to your postal service & story respectively. Alternatively, you could upload your mail service and then "share information technology to your story" which may be easier, if that'south the effect you were after. As for your Samsung, I'm an iPhone guy merely I've just noticed that my images used to upload in fairly loftier quality when uploading directly from my telephone. I'm non sure why this is, as the file sizes (and dimensions) seem to be very loftier – as y'all say. Lamentable I couldn't be of more help.

  21. FAHAD xvi Aug 2021 Reply

    I Want TO Post VIDEO IN 2K ON INSTGRAM FROM MOBILE I Export IT IN 2K Simply Information technology STILL COMPRESSES THE QUALITY CAN YOU Help ME ?

    1. Mike Walters 17 Aug 2021 Reply

      Hello Fahad, I would assume that a 2K video is just too large to be uploaded to Instagram without being compressed. You lot volition desire to compress the video yourself earlier uploading to Instagram to avert them doing so themselves.

  22. What are you mean 1350 ? I tin upload 1080×1920 to my stories , and that is the maximum pixel than I know.

    1. Mike Walters 26 Sep 2021 Reply

      1350×1080 is the max for regular posts.

  23. Thank you! This has been driving me Nuts!!! Whatever recommendations on export and upload workflow for Facebook?

    1. Mike Walters 30 Jan 2022 Reply

      Hey Andrew, how practice you lot hateful exactly?

  24. Mike 17 Jan 2022 Reply

    Hi, this is a slap-up mail!
    I accept a question though, when i resize my image to 1080×1350, it gets wider? I don't understand how to fix that, could you please help.
    Thank yous!

    1. Mike Walters 30 Jan 2022 Answer

      Hey Mike, no trouble. Depending on which software you're using, the solution could exist as unproblematic every bit using the contrary dimensions instead, i.e. 1350×1080. That should crop your prototype to exist taller than it is wide. Hope this helps!

  25. Suresh 4 Mar 2022 Reply

    Hello,
    I would like to know if the image needs to be cropped @ 4 x five ratio before proceeding to the Export option.
    Thank you

    1. Mike Walters 4 Mar 2022 Reply

      Hey Suresh! Aye, you would need to ingather it accordingly Before exporting for web. You lot tin can resize it within the export window simply I don't think you lot can adjust the ratio at this indicate

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mike Walters

I Build Killer Landing Pages That Really Get Results... Guaranteed