How to Export & Save Photos for Facebook – Detailed Guide

Following up on the “Guide to Sharing Photos on Facebook,” I figured the next logical question would be about the ‘how-to’ of exporting. This guide walks you through the steps for various software, making sure your photos are prepped perfectly for the group. Plus, a little something extra at the end to save you some time.

This is a how-to guide on exporting photos for sharing on Facebook. This is list of software covered in the guide:

• Adobe Lightroom Classic
• Adobe Lightroom (previously Lightroom Cloud or Lightroom CC)
• Adobe Lightroom Mobile
• Adobe Photoshop
• Skylum Luminar 4

Just a quick heads-up: these instructions are based on Windows computers. If you’re on a Mac, the Adobe steps should be pretty similar, but some details might be in slightly different places.

Adobe Lightroom Classic

For those using Lightroom Classic, here’s the standard export method.

1. In the Library or Develop module in LCR, click on the photo or highlight multiple photos you want to export.
2. On the menu, click File, then Export.
   
3. Next to the Export To: option, click the drop down arrow and select Hard Drive (if not selected)
   
4. Click Export Folder to expand section.
5. Make sure Export to: is set to Specific folder
   
6. Click the Choose… button to select the folder you want export your photo to.  Make sure to remember this folder.  I have a Facebook specific folder that I use for photos I’m going to share on Facebook.
7. Next, click the File Settings section to expand it.
8. For the Image Format, click the drop down arrow and select JPEG
   
9. For the Color Space, click the drop down arrow and select sRGB IEC61966-2.1
10. If you are having an issue with your photo exporting larger than 4MB, then you can optionally set the Limit File Size To: option to 4096 K
11. Next, click the Image Sizing section to expand it.
12. Make sure the box is checked for Resize to Fit, then click the drop down arrow and select Long Edge
    
13. Make pixels is selected on the next drop down menu and type in 2048 into the box for pixels.
14. All other options on this dialog box are optional, click the Export button to export your photo.

You should now see your photo in your selected export folder and can double check the file size and dimensions.

If that feels a bit cumbersome, I agree. There’s a more streamlined export option within Lightroom Classic, jump to the end for bonus tip.

Adobe Lightroom (previously Lightroom Cloud or Lightroom CC)

Moving on to the cloud version of Lightroom, things get a bit simpler:

1. Like in Lightroom Classic, begin by clicking File, then Export…
2. The following dialog box has the required export settings all on the same screen.
   
3. Click the drop down arrow next to Image Type and select JPG
4. Click the drop down arrow next to Dimensions and select Custom
5. Click the drop down arrow next to Long Side and type in 2048 in the box (made sure the option is set for pixels)
6. At the bottom of dialog box, Color Space should be set to sRGB. If it isn’t click the drop down arrow and select sRGB.
7. At the top of dialog box, click Export 1 Photo
8. Select the folder to save the photo to and click the Select Folder button.

Adobe Lightroom Mobile

For those who do most of their editing on mobile, here’s how to handle exporting from Lightroom Mobile:” or “If you’re primarily using Lightroom Mobile, the export process is a bit different:

1. After editing your photo in Lightroom Mobile, click the icon at the top of the screen with the arrow pointing up.
   
2. Tap the Export as… option
   
3. Select file type JPG
4. Tap the down arrow for Dimension and tap Custom
5. At the bottom of the screen tap More options
   
6. Verify or set Color space is sRGB and tap the back arrow at the top of the screen.
   
7. Tap the check mark at the top right of the screen to save the photo to your device.
   

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop offers a few ways to export, but we’ll focus on the most straightforward method to keep things simple.

1. In the top menu bar, select File -> Export -> Export As…
   
2. Verify or select JPG for the Format setting
3. Set one of the Image Size settings (Width or Height) and the other setting should automatically adjust.  For horizontal or landscape orientation photos, this Width should be set to 2048 px.  For vertical or portrait orientation photos, the Height should be set to 2048 px. (Photoshop should automatically adjust the other dimension to maintain your aspect ratio).
4. For the Color Space setting, check Convert to sRGB.  All of the other options are not required.
   
5. Click the Export button and select the folder to save the photo in.

Skylum Luminar 4

Finally, for those using Skylum Luminar 4, here are the export steps:

1. In the top menu bar, select File -> Export
2. In the Export Image dialog box, choose the location you will save the photo to.
3. Set the Format to JPEG
4. Set the pixels for the long edge of the photo and the other setting should automatically adjust.  For horizontal or landscape orientation photos, this Width should be set to 2048 px.  For vertical or portrait orientation photos, the Height should be set to 2048 px.
5. Set the Color Space to sRGB
   
6. Click the Export button

Lightroom Classic Time Saving Bonus Tip

Okay, as promised, here’s a little trick to save you some clicks in Lightroom Classic. The goal for this tip is to create an Export Preset with the settings you defined in Section 1. The preset will have all of your Facebook desired settings saved in the preset.  This preset can simply be executed while in the Library or Develop modules with a couple of clicks.

1. Set all of your export settings mentioned in Section 1, but don’t’ click Export yet.
2. While you are still on the Export tool, find the Add button on the left side of the screen under Presets, click it.
3. The New Preset dialog will pop up. Type in a Preset name that is helpful, like Facebook Photos.  Then click create.

Your preset is now created, you can click the Done button or Export to finish with the export window.

To use your new export preset, click on a photo or select multiple photos to export. Then click File on the top menu and this time select Export with Preset -> Facebook Photos (or whatever name you used.)

Your photo(s) is now exported to the folder you selected in the preset.  This menu option can also be a found on the Right-Click menu with the photo(s) selected.

Hopefully, this guide makes the export process a little less daunting. By following these steps, you can ensure your photos look their best when you share them in the group. Happy sharing!