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Inspiring
August 29, 2022
Answered

Keeping high resolution when developng photos with Lightroom

  • August 29, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 1591 views

I take all my photos with a Nikon 850 at Fine resolution. When I use the Develop tools in Lightroom to crop, clarify, etc, etc the photos and then want to export the photos, the jpegs are very low resolution. This is presumably because I am working on the thumbnails.

But how do I get a Lightroom-developed photo at the original Fine level of resolution?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer JohanElzenga

Hi Bob,

 

Thanks for your comment. You are referring I presume to the Resolution setting of 300 pixels per square inch. What value would you suggest? Grateful for your advice.


In your original question you said "But how do I get a Lightroom-developed photo at the original Fine level of resolution?". The answer to that question is "Do NOT check the Resize checkbox".

 

3 replies

TheDigitalDog
Inspiring
August 29, 2022

The issue is your export settings if indeed, you mean 'low resolution' by a lesser number of actual pixels. The PPI (DPI) tag is meaningless. According to Nikon, the max resolution without a crop is 8256 x 5504 (45.4 MP, 3:2). If you were to export without a crop, that's what you'd get. If you crop for less pixels but ask for the max number after the crop, that's what you get.

We really need to see what you've got in your export presets. IF this check box is off, you get all the pixels after the crop:

The number above (72) is again meaningless. 

Author “Color Management for Photographers" & "Photoshop CC Color Management/pluralsight"
Inspiring
August 29, 2022

Thanks to everyone for their replies. I've solved the problem after checking with my on-line "guru" Laura Shoe: My export settings had indeed become corrupeted for some reason and were far too low. I have now adjusted them back to what they should have been and the results are much better.  Problem solved.

Inspiring
August 31, 2022

That is absolutely correct. I am afraid that I had not mastered sufficiently the settings for exporting photos. I now inderstand that if I disable the  Resize box and the Limit File Size I obtain a Lightroom modified file with all my changes at the original Fine level. Far too big for normal sharing. But I have done some experimentation with some photos and now understand what I can do. So thanks to you all for commenting and helping me!


I should add that one point I was concerned about was that my Lightroom develop edits would only work on the previews, and not the basic full file. I now know that that is not correct, and I am very much reassured.

GoldingD
Legend
August 29, 2022

Looking at you post again.

Please post a screenshot of your export screen.

GoldingD
Legend
August 29, 2022

Are you shooting RAW or JPEG?

If RAW have you selected to use embedded previews in LrC?

If RAW have you selected to use smart previews?