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Hi All -
Curious if anyone has had this issue, it just started happening today and I'm at a loss. When I edit a photo in lightroom, everything looks great however when I export it and open it up in preview or chrom and zoom in - it's very pixilated. I haven't changed my settings at all so I'm really not sure what this is happening. Any ideas? Photos for reference attached.
Settings
On Lightroom
On Preview (mac)
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I suggest: don't limit file size to 100K: this target is a "big ask" for an image of those dimensions and with that degree of detail in it, and clearly has required an extreme downgrade in saving quality to achieve. Just un-check that option I suggest rather than increasing the number - set JPG quality somewhere around 60 to 80 - and see what file size is naturally produced and whether you are content with the visual quality of that.
There's no benefit IMO in succeeding at making a small file size, by failing in the photo being worth looking at!
If 100K file size IS a requirement then some smaller pixel dimensions will be appropriate - for at the least, a moderately good JPG saving quality.
Personally I would set output sharpening lower, but this is an aesthetic judgement - except that if the saving quality must be very low, applying heavy sharpening will only exacerbate the uglier JPG artefacts this creates.
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File Settings / Image Sizing
AND
Image Sizing / Resize to Fit
I would recommend that you do not do both. Odd things happen. And revisit whoever is requesting the limitations, are they correct?
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There's nothing wrong with Resize to Fit IMO: when you do not do so, you are always exporting at original resolution which may not be what's wanted.
I have a slight preference for resizing to Width and Height rather than Longest Edge, because with Width and Height you can specify either the same OR different dimension limits horizontally and vertically. Also in some earlier Lightroom versions "Longest Edge" was a little unreliable, though I think that soon got resolved.
Certainly it's not a "best" option to export at full resolution, because there IS no "best" anything - there is only "best for [stated purpose]". Exporting serves some known usage purpose, in other words - or compromises towards a likely range of similar usages. That purpose may dictate particular resizing, or turning off resizing. But when we have no usage in mind at all, there is no reason to export at all.