Whenever I export an image on InDesign the quality drops, how do I fix this?

Do I recall correctly, that InDesign works from an assumption that however big the image is on the page (say 2" x 2") is assumed to be 72ppi when exported to JPG or PNG? Therefore, it comes out as a PNG at 144p x 144p and sets that rez to 300ppi (because you picked that in the export to PNG dialog box)?

@Mattias_K12 

Are you sure your linked files have enough PPI?

Can you select a link that is "bad" in the exported file - and show us what you get in the Links Panel:

Hi Matthias,

If you export a vector image to PNG, you will only get pixels.

You are not exporting to PDF.

Try upping the ppi to 600 or 1200 and see if you like it better.

Hi Matthias,

What version of InDesign? What operating system version?

Are you saying definitely that you are choosing/exporting a High Quality PDF file?

Does this happen also when you export to jpg or png, where you also must set the ppi?

If so, check the ppi setting. At default, it should be 300 ppi, as you state, but you should make sure. I would make sure the compression is not too aggressive. I prefer High or Max. If you need to, you could also open Acrobat Distiller and make sure those settings are there, too. And it wouldn't hurt to double-check about links being up-to-date.

Hi @Mattias_K12,  

Thanks for reaching out. I suggest checking your Export settings: set Compression to "Maximum Quality" and Downsampling to "Do Not Downsample." If exporting to PNG or JPEG, try PDF (Print) for better quality. Also, confirm if it only happens with a particular file or with all the files. 

If the issue persists, share your InDesign version, OS, export format (you can share a screenshot of the export window), and color settings. A screenshot comparing the export with the original would help. Let me know how it goes!  

^

Abhishek