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kur_8243
Known Participant
May 24, 2026
Answered

Export

  • May 24, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 49 views

I edited a photo in Lightroom, then transferred it to Topaz Photo AI, and afterwards sent it back to Lightroom again. After that, I exported the image.

When I look at the exported photo on my computer, it does not appear exactly as sharp as it does inside Lightroom. What am I doing wrong?

Also, there is another issue recently: when I look at the exported JPEG file inside the folder where I exported it, it says “waiting for update” underneath the file. Maybe this could be related to the problem.

I should also mention that the original file was already a JPEG image before I edited it in Lightroom. Could this possibly be the reason for the quality difference?

I will also send a screenshot of my export settings.

 

    Correct answer Rob_Cullen

    It appears (Screen-clips not clear) you may be downsizing the image in the export dialog-

    Original file metadata (in your screen-clip)-

    and the downsize set in the Export dialog-

    Long Edge Pixels- Reduced size for the Export.

    EVERY Export of a JPG from an original JPG gets another ‘dose’ of file compression. Done repeatedly the quality of a JPG will lose quality.

    JPG COMPRESSION EXPLAINED by Jeffrey Friedl

     

    3 replies

    K
    kur_8243Author
    Known Participant
    May 27, 2026

    Thank you for your help.

    I am sending another screenshot. Could you please tell me if the settings are now correct?

    I have now disabled resizing, so the image is no longer being downsized during export.

     

    Rob_Cullen
    Community Expert
    Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 27, 2026

    If you keep the cropped size of  4734x3156px  in LrC and do not resize, then your export image will be  4734x3156px in dimensions, BUT  there is no way to circumvent JPG compression happening. Keeping JPG quality high may export images that are not visibly different to the original.

    https://jkost.com/blog/lightroom-training-videos

     

     

    Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
    K
    kur_8243Author
    Known Participant
    May 25, 2026

    Thank you for your reply.

    Could you please tell me which export settings I should use in Lightroom to avoid this loss of sharpness and quality?

    I would really appreciate your recommendation.

    Rob_Cullen
    Community Expert
    Rob_CullenCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 25, 2026

    Your export options will depend much on the purpose and intended use of the exported derivative.

    Best you could achieve when exporting would be not to resize, and keep the ‘quality’ slider at maximum. This would keep the original (or cropped) pixel dimensions of the image in the exported file, but there will always be jpg compression occurring. 

    I don’t have Topaz and “waiting for update” is not known to me. Working with raw, TIF or PSD files will maintain ‘quality’ as best you can.

    Quality loss is to be expected when exporting JPG > JPG and down-sizing.

     

    Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
    K
    kur_8243Author
    Known Participant
    May 25, 2026

    The quality setting is already set to 100%, as shown in the screenshots I sent.

    You mentioned that I should not resize the image. Based on the screenshots I provided, are my export settings correct, or do I still need to change something regarding resizing?

    I mainly want to use the image for a website. My main goal is that the exported image looks exactly as sharp as it does inside Lightroom.

    At the time I took this photo, I was still shooting in JPEG. Currently, I shoot in C-RAW.

    Rob_Cullen
    Community Expert
    Rob_CullenCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    May 25, 2026

    It appears (Screen-clips not clear) you may be downsizing the image in the export dialog-

    Original file metadata (in your screen-clip)-

    and the downsize set in the Export dialog-

    Long Edge Pixels- Reduced size for the Export.

    EVERY Export of a JPG from an original JPG gets another ‘dose’ of file compression. Done repeatedly the quality of a JPG will lose quality.

    JPG COMPRESSION EXPLAINED by Jeffrey Friedl

     

    Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.3, Photoshop 27.5, ACR 18.3, Lightroom 9.3, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.3 .
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