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Question

Resolution Issues With Lightroom

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
November 26, 2022
3 replies
3183 views

I'm really struggling with understanding why I can't (or maybe I can) export my files at a resolution higher than 240, which is lower than the file's original resolution. I have found that you can adjust it when you change the dimension from pixels to inches in the export window. But that's resulting, for whatever reason, in a terribly small file, with the resolution where I want it, but the file is useless, generated very small. This is all only made more confusing by the fact that I have hundreds if not thousands of files I'm working with that were exported from the mobile version of Lightroom. Yet anything I'm trying to save from the desktop version is at this smaller 240, which is not working for me. Trying to get answers on anything like this seems like a mission that doesn't feel warranted given how much others much be doing this. Hoping someone can help. If I can simply get back inside of each of these files and regenerate a new saved version at a higher resolution, that's what I'd like to do. If that's not possible, I think this produce should be taken right off the market as the amount of confusion about what does what, where, at what size, based on how/who/what/when it was imported, is really really poorly conceived once you start seeing files that came from the same place with different specs. I am on the Mac version of these if that matters.

macOS

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Casey27306813xn2uAuthor

Participating Frequently

To further explain this: With support watching/observing, I exported a file from the mobile version with a resolution of 300. Did the same thing to the file on the desktop -- 240. In order to change that at all, on the desktop, it appears it's sacrificing something else. Which makes no sense. I'm waiting to hear back from them on how to approach this. I am doubtful that I have found a legitimate "glitch" in their application here, but to me it doesn't seem right that I can't clearly just see the options on the desktop version to generate the same file but with a a higher resolution. A lot of discussion everywhere about why -- that is irrelevent. I need this done, and can sit here and do it on the mobile app, only to find no way to do the same on the desktop. I should be able to do this same action, resulting in the same full-sized, high(er) resolution file on the desktop, and the answer should not include "well, after you edit in Lightroom, you open it in Photoshop ..." Nope.

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Izabella26828807vuyc

Participant

Did you get an answer after this comment? I've had the same issue today and found your question, hoping to see the solution in comments too. I find it frustrating though.

Rob_Cullen

Community Expert

The answers are in the discussion above.

As stated by @Michael J. Hoffman "The PPI setting of an image is a number stored in metadata that has NO impact on the pixel dimension, file size, or quality of the image. You can change this number to any setting you'd like, with no impact to the image."

If you insist on having a specific PPI recorded in the exported image metadata, then the process in Lightroom requires you to decide the pixel dimensions you want by specifying PPI and INCHES -

1) Export with CUSTOM SETTINGS

2) In the 'Settings'-

Set [Dimensions] to Custom

Set [Resolution] to 300, or whatever PPI you want.

Set [Long Side] for the desired size of the exported file in INCHES.

(eg. 12inches at 300ppi exports a file that is 3600pixels long edge)

(eg. 20inches at 300ppi exports a file that is 6000pixels long edge)

The resulting file that you export will be as per your settings- (My JPG example 12in @300ppi)

My Windows Properties for the exported JPG:

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .

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Casey27306813xn2uAuthor

Participating Frequently

I am simply trying to change the ppi from 240 to 300 or 360 for all of the files I export. I think that's about as simple as I can put it. I would think I'd be able to do this as all of the files that came out of the mobile version are at 300. For the desktop version to not just default to but actually limit me to 240 would seem wrong.

Rob_Cullen

Community Expert

Lightroom deafults to 240ppi

It is not a "limit", and why would it be "wrong"?

If pixel dimensions remain the same it makes no difference to "Resolution".

If you must, you could export to Photoshop and change the ppi metadata there. It will not change the image (unless you re-sample the pixel dimensions!)

https://www.photocascadia.com/the-72-ppi-web-image-myth/

http://www.dpiphoto.eu/dpi.htm

http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/changedpi.html

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .

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Casey27306813xn2uAuthor

Participating Frequently

If it's a default, that's fine, but to open Photoshop to get it changed is not a realistic solution. Why should I have to open Photoshop on the desktop to achieve what the mobile version of Lightroom is achieving? I have read a lot about the debate about how much resolution matters. That's not what I'm asking about here. I am asking / not so much asking, moreso looking to resolve, why the mobile version lets me do this (pump them out at 300) but the desktop version seems to not have that ability? The end result in file should be a almost the same just slightly larger. The test I did on the desktop version, in front of support, produced a 1 MB file. Something's not right, or there's a place to adjust settings other than the actual export function window, and I'm just not seeing it.

Rob_Cullen

Community Expert

A digital image file does not have "resolution". It has PIXEL Dimensions.

eg. an image 4000x6000pixels is ALWAYS 4000x6000px even if the ppi is '1' or '1000'.

An image of 240ppi is not "smaller" than 300ppi. The ppi value is merely metadata stored with the digital file.

So why are you exporting files from Lr? If for screen use then ppi is irrelevent.

If you are up-scaling for print, then stating BOTH ppi and INCHES has a bearing on the 'pixel' dimensions of the exported image. (ppi X inches = pixel dimensions)

My experience- I gave a 4000x6000px image to a newspaper at 72ppi. They told me the file did not have enough "resolution" , So I sent them one at 40x60px at 300ppi.- You tell me which one has the best "Resolution".

Regards. My System: Windows-11, Lightroom-Classic 15.1.1, Photoshop 27.3.1, ACR 18.1.1, Lightroom 9.0, Lr-iOS 10.4.0, Bridge 16.0.2 .

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Casey27306813xn2uAuthor

Participating Frequently

I was just with support, and they didn't have a solid answer either.

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