How to Size Photos for Instagram

I have been getting emails as well as messages from several people lately asking just how I resize my photos for Instagram, maintaining the structure, and also putting my logo on them. I figured that it would be much easier to merely create here the process that I go through to do it, rather than keep repeating the very same details multiple times - How To Size Photos For Instagram.

The first thing that you have to recognize is that Instagram pressures you to post your images in a square layout, sized at 650px by 650px. The 2nd point that you need to understand is that you need to export the images at the right dimension and also resolution if you wish to maintain the photos festinating as well as of premium quality. That means that they should be exported at 650px on the long side.

For my workflow, I utilize Lightroom, Photoshop, DropBox, and Instagram to manage all the preparation as well as posting. I have actually tried a couple of other means to post my images on Instagram, however the complying with workflow has actually offered me the best as well as most consistent outcomes.

If you do not want to go through the procedure that I follow below, and also just wish to publish images without IG cropping your pictures, there are applications that you could install on your smart device like Squaready and InstaSize. I do not make use of either of those apps myself.


How To Size Photos For Instagram


Tip One - Lightroom

The first thing that I do is process my photos usually, and also prepare them for exactly how I publish them, or publish them to my website. You could review that process in previous blog posts in this same post-processing area. I will not repeat all of that here.

As soon as you have do with all your post-processing of the pictures, then you can begin picking the pictures that you intend to get ready for posting to Instagram.

In the Library module, choose all the photos that you wish to publish to Instagram, and also develop a new collection of them. You can call it anything that you like, however I suggest that you make use of "IG" in the name, either at the start or completion, so that you remember what it is for.

When you have picked them, and have developed a new collection, you have to go through and also see if you could chop any of them to a 1-to-1 proportion. You can utilize the crop tool for that, and choose 1 × 1 as the proportion.

The ones that can be exported as 1 × 1 in proportion, can be refined exclusively in Lightroom, and can utilize your regular watermark (I used mine on the example listed below). These will be exported at 650px x 650px.

The ones that are able to be resized as squares are easy, and that is all you need to provide for them in resizing. For every one of these, you can jump to Step 3-- DropBox, and miss Step Two-- PhotoShop.

For the images that do not look excellent in a 1-to-1 proportion, you will certainly end up exporting these at 650px on the long side, but with no watermark on them. See the setups below. I recommend that you export these right into a devoted folder. Once they are exported, you will proceed to Tip 2-- PhotoShop.

Step 2-- Photoshop

The whole factor of this step is to put your image on a 650px by 650px history, as well as to add your watermark to the bottom of the square. Doing it by hand is a tedious process if you try to do it manually, so I suggest that you implement a set process as well as make use of an activity to automate the process, which will make it straightforward to repeat over and over.

If you aren't sure ways to create Activities in PhotoShop, you will need to evaluate that initially. Once you comprehend the procedure then the adhering to instructions will make good sense to you.

Your action will have to do the adhering to points in this order:

- Open your photo from your import folder and lots it to a layer. By default, it is filled as a history. I duplicate the background to a brand-new layer, and call it "car", leaving the opacity at 100%.
- Then it needs to open up Image > Canvas Size and also set the elevation to 650px.
- Create a new layer, and tag it "black".
- Load the "black" layer with the black color making use of the paint container tool.
- Use File > Open to open your watermark logo that you wish to place below the picture. Put it on a brand-new layer as well as name it "logo".
- Relocate the "logo" layer below the cars and truck layer.
- Move the "black" layer listed below the "logo" layer.
- Close the watermark that you formerly opened up.
- Conserve the completed 650px by 650px image to a new folder somewhere on your hard drive (you will need to have actually currently created this folder prior to producing the action).
- Close the file in Photoshop.

Once you have the activity, you can open up PhotoShop at anytime, as well as run the File > Automate > Set Process command, and also choose the folder where you have stored the photos that were not already at a 1-to-1 proportion.

Step 3-- DropBox

Once you have actually exported all your images, you have to obtain them approximately Instagram There are programs that permit you to publish from your PC to Instagram, however I located that I had problems obtaining the hashtags to work effectively when I utilized them, as well as I needed to start a new account to fix the hashtag issue. The repair was to just remain to utilize my mobile phone as well as use the Instagram app to publish the images, yet to do that I had to have the photos where my phone can access them. The simplest means was to use DropBox to get the photos where my Instagram application might access them.

Most likely to DropBox.com and enroll in it. Download and install the app to your phone as well as login to it. Make use of the DropBox.com site to publish your images to your on the internet storage space. I recommend that you utilize folders to arrange your images. In my case, I have a "Photos" folder, as well as inside it, I have an "Instagram Photos" folder. Inside that folder, I develop folders as I require them, in order to divide the images into smaller sized, much easier to view, sections.

When you have uploaded a collection of photos right into DropBox, you await the next step, and that is to grab your smart device as well as open up the Instagram app.

Tip Four-- Instagram

At this point, you must already have the Instagram and also DropBox applications on your mobile phone, and also you are ready to upload among your photos on Instagram.

Open the app, as well as click heaven button in the middle of the icons below the display. The take picture display will certainly pack, as well as in the reduced left-hand corner, you will certainly see an icon that resembles a "landscape/mountain" icon (just to the left of the "take a photo" button). Click it, and also it needs to prompt you to "Choose a Resource" for your picture, as well as the DropBox icon need to be shown as one of the selectable resources. Click it and also you will certainly see your DropBox folders as well as files provided in a data browser. Browse to the photo that you published that you want to publish to Instagram and also select it.

From there, you upload it to Instagram just like you would certainly other image that you simply took.

Step Five-- DropBox

This last action is not needed, however extremely recommended. In order not to misplace what you have uploaded currently, you need to go back into DropBox as well as erase the picture( s) that you have actually currently uploaded. This will make it much easier in the long run to not upload the exact same pictures several times.

Conclusion

That's it, my entire process to preparing my images for Instagram. It's not made complex, however complying with these instructions will certainly make certain that you are uploading images in the best quality that Instagram can support.