Uploading To Instagram Without Losing Image Quality

Something I noticed when posting to Instagram from my desktop was that the image quality was significantly worse than the version I had uploaded, with the blurred image inevitably getting less than favourable engagement. After some thorough research though, I've managed to compile some reasons as to why Instagram might be reducing the image quality on your posts.

There are a few reasons why the epitome quality is reduced when uploading direct from your PC, one of which is that y'all are not post-obit Instagram's max resolution guidelines, which is currently set up at 1080 x 1350px. Any paradigm that is greater than the said resolution volition exist made smaller by Instagram and thus may affect the quality of the image.

Secondly, it also depends on the format of the image that you are using. Instagram's default format for images is JPEG (.jpg), pregnant that any paradigm that is uploaded in PNG (.png), BITMAP (.bmp), or anything other than JPEG, volition exist converted to JPEG and as such loses some of the quality during the conversion.

  • READ: How I Gained Over 100,000 Followers On Instagram
  • READ: How To Use The Right Hashtags For YOU
  • READ: The BIGGEST Fault I Run into People Making On Instagram

When you consider the number of images that are being uploaded to Instagram every single day and the server ability that is needed to run the platform, you'll soon forgive Instagram for reducing file sizes where possible. Try to keep your epitome file size to a minimum (without affecting image quality) to avert having it be poorly compressed by Instagram.

Last just not to the lowest degree, Instagram is predominantly a mobile-based app, and as such prioritises uploads from mobile (or tablet) devices when it comes to quality. This ways that images uploaded via your desktop, such every bit with the developer tools method, tin sometimes meet a reduction in image quality when uploading to Instagram.

How to avoid losing Image Quality on Instagram (with Photoshop)

For many people, who have pictures of themselves, their dog or the local beach, image quality doesn't really tend to matter. Nonetheless, if y'all're a creative like me who designs content for their business organization and wants to establish themselves as a professional person, then maintaining quality with your uploads is very important.

I similar to create my Instagram content using Photoshop, merely the same principles will apply to whichever photo editing software y'all are using. In Photoshop you lot will want to set up a new file or artboard and set information technology to Instagram's maximum resolution (1080 10 1350px). Once yous have created your design, you need to go to File > Export > Save For Spider web (Legacy)…

For those that don't know, saving in this way will allow you to alter the quality and file size of your terminal epitome. In the top right of the Salvage For Web window, nether Preset, yous will want to select JPEG every bit the file type. Below that, you can change the overall quality of the image, starting from Low all the way upwardly to Maximum.

Here is a screenshot of the Salvage To Web window for my Bruce Lee post in Photoshop. I take highlighted the areas you lot need to monitor in guild to reduce size and maintain image quality, such equally the quality setting and dimensions of the image.

Once again, the reason for lowering the quality of the dropdown is to reduce the file size of the paradigm and thus avoid Instagram taking the compression into their own easily. You can monitor the size of the image in the bottom left (above example: 837.8K).

A lot of the time, yous volition actually detect that the Very High or High setting reduces the file size significantly; without really affecting the sharpness of the image itself. You lot will want to cull the setting that achieves the all-time balance between the ii.

Once you're happy with the paradigm file size and quality, you can hit the save push button to salvage it to your computer. Following that, you will want to upload your new image to Google Drive where you will then download it to your mobile (or tablet) device. You lot tin then upload the image straight to Instagram from your mobile.

If you really desire to make the most of your post and get every bit much engagement as possible, then you lot'll want to also bank check out this ultimate guide I wrote for using hashtags on Instagram.

Decision

Instagram can frequently reduce the quality of your images during uploads for a wide number of reasons, but if you lot're looking to maintain quality then yous should wait to upload a high-quality, compressed JPEG file (max resolution: 1080 10 1350px) directly from your mobile or tablet to avoid any farther compression by Instagram.

You lot tin can follow me on Instagram here!

Have any feedback or questions about this post? Let me know in the comments below!

Something I noticed when posting to Instagram from my desktop was that the image quality was significantly worse than the version I had uploaded, with the blurred image inevitably getting less than favourable engagement. After some thorough research though, I've managed to compile some answers reasons as to why Instagram might be reducing the image quality on your posts.
Did yous observe this post on improving the image quality of your Instagram posts helpful? If so, I would be very grateful if you could pin this image to Pinterest!

Mike Walters

Mike Walters

I Build Killer Landing Pages That Really Get Results... Guaranteed

Mike Walters

Mike Walters

I Build Killer Landing Pages That ACTUALLY Go Results... Guaranteed

This Post Has 56 Comments

  1. Neat mail service, I was asking myself how much it shrink quality of photos when I send image to myself over messenger then post it on Instagram. Then I read this article and used the Google Drive. I must say there is a flake more depth then sending over messenger. So yeah Google Drive works fine.

    1. Mike Walters 28 Sep 2020 Respond

      Hey Abraham, glad to come across that it worked for yous using Google Drive. That's what I currently utilize! Posting straight from Creator Studio works well too of course.

  2. Lily Crocker i Oct 2020 Reply

    Hi! Is there a way to practise to this from a mobile device? I do non have photoshop on my computer and am not looking to pay for it. Any tips?

    1. Mike Walters i Oct 2020 Answer

      Hi Lily, you should notice that uploading a photo from your telephone should work well regardless of which editing software that you're using. Instagram is primarily a mobile-based app, then it'southward only natural for the mobile uploads to exist of good quality. At that place will always be some level of pinch, given the sheer number of photos that Instagram's servers have to store, but not enough to ruin a photo. Hope this helps 🙂

    2. Wesley ane Nov 2020 Reply

      I'd recommend using Google'south Snapseed app or Adobe Photoshop Limited. Both of them are gratuitous and let y'all customize the consign settings of your photos to specific resolutions and quality.

      1. Mike Walters 1 Nov 2020 Reply

        Slap-up suggestions Wesley 🙂

  3. Ollie 16 October 2020 Reply

    Howdy, have yous tried this method with other tools such every bit powerpoint? The nuts seem to be the same. I've tried to prepare the same hight width but when I consign the image to jpeg and save, send to phone and finally transfer to instagram, instagram comprasses the prototype later on a while. Any thoughts?

    1. Mike Walters xviii Oct 2020 Reply

      Hi Ollie, I haven't created carousels or posts using PowerPoint but the theory should be the same. In that location is e'er going to be a small fleck of compression by Instagram when uploading to their platform, nonetheless, you tin can minimize this but uploading the prototype through the mobile app or via Instagram [Facebook] Creator Studio. Try uploading through one of those platforms and see how it goes

      1. Pavle Bogdanovic 4 November 2021 Answer

  4. Sophia 19 October 2020 Reply

    Hi! My friend took some photos using her iPhone 7 plus and sent me the photos which I then I edited on my iPhone 11, and when I went to postal service the images to instagram, the photos came out blurry! What tin can I practise to my photos to make sure they mail at a better resolution because this photo was taken on an iPhone, not a DSLR so i'thousand confused every bit to how it would be blurry. Thanks!

    1. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Reply

      How-do-you-do Sophia, I guess it might depend on how your friend sent those photos to you. I know that in the past, I'd transferred some files over using Facebook Messenger and they lost some of the film quality during that transfer. If you brand sure to upload them to the Google Drive (or something similar) then download them from there, you might find that the picture quality is a lot better – depending on how you upload it of form. Upload the moving picture via your mobile or Facebook/Instagram Creator Studio. Let me know how information technology goes 🙂

  5. Antonia 20 October 2020 Reply

    I use Canva to design my posts what would you suggest to save the quality?

    1. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Reply

      How-do-you-do Antonia. Luckily for y'all, there are many slap-up content creators that use Canva to design their posts. I would propose saving as JPG and uploading either directly from the Instagram mobile app or via Facebook/Instagram Creator Studio

  6. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Respond

    Haha! Well I tin't imagine information technology's cheap to host billions of photos/videos 😅

  7. Alfonso 4 Nov 2020 Reply

    Artwork
    Fine lines: get dirty and/or slightly moved.
    Thick lines: flattened.
    Colors: mixed, simplified, exagerated or all of them.

    This causes immature artists to look worse than they are just because Instagram can't even give a F***chiliad guide on how to use their site other than "tap here to upload". How about giving a proper tutorial or creative tips instead of creating 100 filters every month? I swear with social media…

    1. Mike Walters half dozen November 2020 Reply

      Haha, I experience your pain Alfonso. It'south truthful that some people'due south Instagram posts don't do their work justice!

  8. This is actually helpful but i have a question, i was familiar with this workflow of reducing the resolution of your image manually, merely this helped me to improve that workflow, that being said, afterwards doing all that and make sure that my image looks correctly for web and how-do-you-do-quality, when i post it on Instagram in getting a terrible Banding specially in the sky area, i have remove all banding before as i said looks perfect in all web applications, and so seems that IG still compressing my file for some reason, do y'all have any thought about this? Thanks in Advanced

    1. Mike Walters x Nov 2020 Reply

      Hi Tony, cheers for reaching out. I too suffer from the same banding issues on Instagram. I believe that the platform but isn't suited to such high-level photography. Which is ironic, given the premise of the platform. I've since tried to avoid gradients where possible. I'm sorry I tin't assist much farther!

  9. Sofia xvi Nov 2020 Respond

    Hi! I use Canva on both my laptop and iPhone. After downloading images from the mobile app and uploading them to Instagram, they still feel lower quality and a slight change in colour. Do yous have more tips on this? Thanks!

    1. Mike Walters xviii November 2020 Reply

      Hi Sofia, I can't really say without seeing the images but there will always be some form of compression when uploading to Instagram – no matter what you do. As for the colour difference, could information technology be that you're viewing the image from a unlike device? I know that the colours betwixt my iPhone, tablet and desktop all differ. Let me know!

  10. Mike, give thanks you lot for this. It'south incredibly helpful info. I've been using this workflow, more than or less, in Photoshop for the last couple of years, only have always noticed a drib in quality in one case I put my files on Instagram. Further, I've been interested in making cease motion videos and have noticed that, again, the drop in quality is evident in the final product whenever I try to upload to IG, with merely plenty mistiness showing that I haven't yet posted whatever of these. I'thousand going to adjust my workflow and try the videos again. Bookmarked this article for reference.
    – Laura

    1. Mike Walters 24 Nov 2020 Respond

      Hey Laura, never tried uploading cease motion videos to Instagram myself but I look forward to hearing your results!

  11. ER 27 Nov 2020 Reply

    What about fleck depth? Doesn't Instagram limit images to viii bit jpgs?

    1. Mike Walters 2 December 2020 Reply

      Unfortunately, I can't find any confirmation from Instagram regarding the limitation of fleck depths. I'm curious as to how y'all establish this information?

  12. Annabelle Mostert ane Dec 2020 Reply

    Hi,

    Maybe this is a silly quetion, but i take created the file in photoshop to the size specification you ready out above.
    How do i re-size my image ti fit instagram after making information technology (1080 x 1350px). I empathize how to salvage for web simply not how to re-size it.
    Thanks

    1. Mike Walters 1 Dec 2020 Respond

      Hi Annabelle, not a giddy question at all. 1080x1350px is a slap-up size for Instagram for portrait photos. If yous are later a square image so you would demand to change the Sheet Size in Photoshop before you Save For Web. You lot can change the Canvas size by going to Image > Sheet Size. There might be a link icon which is selected to lock the ratio (to 1080x1350px). You will need to unselect this to change information technology to 1:1 ratio.

  13. Eric 7 Dec 2020 Reply

    What if you practice all this and it'due south still desaturated? I've exported in .jpg, sRGB colour space, aforementioned dimensions you draw, and it's notwithstanding messed up. Just about every one of my pictures is from what I can tell. They wait fine on my phone, on the figurer, fifty-fifty in the screen on IG where I upload the moving picture. I brand my posts alee of time and save them, and fifty-fifty that footling thumbnail looks fine. It'due south just when information technology gets uploaded, information technology goes all wrong.

    1. Mike Walters 8 December 2020 Reply

      Hey Eric, that is a tough i and I empathize your frustration. I would have to guess that information technology'south down to the size of the (paradigm) file. Maybe try compressing it as much every bit possible, without reducing the quality of the image, and meet how that fairs when uploaded to IG?

  14. Eric 9 Dec 2020 Respond

    I'thousand non 100% but that might have worked. I posted ane this morning that got desaturated again, tried exporting it from Lightroom with lower quality (I had information technology set to 100, at present I'm effectually 75) and then posted that version. Information technology looked to exist a trivial more saturated than the previous one, and then I think yous're on to something. Thank you!

    1. Mike Walters 9 Dec 2020 Reply

      I'm glad that it helped a bit! Thanks for getting back to me Eric

      1. Eric 29 Dec 2020 Reply

        Thank you for responding, that's pretty rare anymore. Anyways they are however desaturating my pictures. I think what I did earlier might have helped a bit, just it's still very noticeable. My export settings from Lightroom are: .jpg, sRGB, quality at 76, resize to fit checked, width set to 1080, height left blank, resolution 72, sharpen for screen, standard, the default settings for metadata, and and so a watermark which is merely my proper name in the lesser right corner, no image or anything like that. I don't get it. I edit in Lightroom initially, export at 300 ppi and in AdobeRGB, open that file in Photoshop, make edits there, save a copy, import that into Lightroom so I can consign with those settings. It's a little convoluted but information technology works for me I guess. Any thoughts?

        1. Mike Walters 11 Jan 2021 Answer

          No problem, happy to be one of the rare ones! I'm actually non certain to exist honest, information technology sounds like you lot've done a lot of things right. What are the sizes of the files that you're trying to upload?

          1. Eric 21 January 2021

            One of the ones that got desaturated is 446Kb and is 1080×720. I'm at a loss lol Thanks for helping me try to figure this out.

          2. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021

            Hmm, 446kb might exist a bit too much for Instagram. If yous were using Photoshop and then I presume that was at a Very High to Maximum quality setting. Perhaps lower the quality before uploading to Instagram to reduce file size

  15. Jalal Mustafa 10 December 2020 Reply

    I was exporting PNGs from corel draw for instagram uploads and quality was decreasing. now i will use jpegs later on seeing this article. likewise using 1200×1200 resolution. should i opt for 1080×1350.?

    1. Mike Walters ten December 2020 Reply

      Hey Jalal, 1080×1080 is perfectly fine for Instagram. The 1350 resolution is just the recommended size for portrait images.

  16. Matt L 1 Feb 2021 Reply

    Before exporting a picture show to post on IG, do you salve/downsize the file to to IGs recommended aspect ratio/max resolution specs? Ie 1080, To avoid potential pinch loss?

    Or do you just post what'southward most likely a much larger/higher resolution file and let it automatically become through the compression algorithm to scale information technology down/lower the image quality to fit the app?

    If yous've experimented can you even tell much of a difference on a smartphone?

    1. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021 Reply

      Hey Matt, good question. I actually merely keep all of my sail sizes to the recommended 1080×1080 or 1080×1350, so I oasis't experimented with larger sizes. That existence said, it's best to go along the file size as low as possible to avoid unnecessary compression by Instagram's platform. All of my posts are created on desktop using Photoshop so I'k not sure about smartphone files, merely in the past I've noticed that photos taken on my iPhone tend not to exist ruined with pinch. Let me know if y'all observe anything useful when experimenting!

  17. Arash 7 Feb 2021 Respond

    Thank you Mike!

    And then…
    1080 x 1080
    1080 x 1350 but for portrait images

    300dpi or 72dpi? and how about ppi?
    is there whatever limit for Kb or Mb?

    1. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021 Reply

      Hey Arash, to be honest I'yard not sure on the exact ppi, kB or MB that Instagram volition have only it's best do to keep information technology equally low as possible. I can confirm that those ratios are all-time for both square & portrait images.

  18. I don't take a question merely a cheers for your incredibly helpful article and responses.

    1. Mike Walters 12 February 2021 Reply

      Thank you Elizabeth! Appreciate the feedback 🙂

  19. Laini xiv Apr 2021 Respond

    I have tried uploading a logo using all the correct dimensions for Instagram. Tired saving in all ways similar JPEG and PNG. Looks great in monitor. Sizing correct and when I upload the logo information technology looks terrible. Any tricks with logos with text?

    1. Mike Walters twenty Apr 2021 Respond

      Howdy Laini, it often comes down to the size of the file. It may be best to lower the quality when saving the file, to ensure that the file size is as depression as possible, so that Instagram doesn't compress the image besides much. Take a play effectually with this and come across what works best for you.

  20. Alex four May 2021 Reply

    Howdy, Mike! I think I take 2 questions for you. 😀
    1. I am curious about your opinion on this: I post a regular portrait photo on feed, one of 1080 x 1350px, and then I want to post the same motion-picture show on IG Story and IG automatically does a zoom-in on this flick so that it fits nice in the IG Story dimensions, i.e. 1080 10 1920px, but the paradigm looks a little blurry later on it is posted on IG Story. Is information technology ameliorate and like a best practice to have the pictures for the feed in 1080 x 1350px and those for stories in 1080 x 1920px? I work in social media and I am going crazy with some pictures I post that are loosing quality when posted 🙁 Information technology is tedious, but it may exist meliorate if my pictures for feed would be in the recommended dimensions of 1080 ten 1350px / 1080 ten 1080px and for stories 1080 x 1920px? two.Too, y'all're maxim that if I take my moving picture with my phone (I have a Samsung S21 Ultra) and I mail service it simply similar information technology was shot, there won't be quality loss? The pictures taken with this telephone have, for eg. 4000 x 3000px ii.75 MB. Should I depression resolution and maybe fifty-fifty the quality even on these pictures I take with the phone? Maan, this is basics! Hate IG for this😒
    Thanks in advance for your reply!

    1. Mike Walters 25 May 2021 Reply

      Hey Alex, sorry for the late reply! Yes, you should create ii different versions of the same graphic if yous want to share them to your post & story respectively. Alternatively, you could upload your postal service and then "share it to your story" which may be easier, if that's the consequence you were later. As for your Samsung, I'm an iPhone guy merely I've just noticed that my images used to upload in fairly high quality when uploading directly from my phone. I'm not sure why this is, as the file sizes (and dimensions) seem to be very loftier – as you say. Distressing I couldn't be of more help.

  21. FAHAD 16 Aug 2021 Reply

    I Desire TO POST VIDEO IN 2K ON INSTGRAM FROM MOBILE I EXPORT IT IN 2K BUT IT Yet COMPRESSES THE QUALITY Can Yous Assist ME ?

    1. Mike Walters 17 Aug 2021 Reply

      Hello Fahad, I would assume that a 2K video is simply too large to exist uploaded to Instagram without being compressed. Yous volition want to shrink the video yourself before uploading to Instagram to avert them doing so themselves.

  22. What are you hateful 1350 ? I can upload 1080×1920 to my stories , and that is the maximum pixel than I know.

    1. Mike Walters 26 Sep 2021 Reply

      1350×1080 is the max for regular posts.

  23. Thank you! This has been driving me NUTS!!! Whatever recommendations on export and upload workflow for Facebook?

    1. Mike Walters thirty Jan 2022 Reply

      Hey Andrew, how do yous mean exactly?

  24. Mike 17 Jan 2022 Respond

    Hello, this is a great mail!
    I have a question though, when i resize my image to 1080×1350, it gets wider? I don't sympathize how to ready that, could you delight aid.
    Thank you!

    1. Mike Walters xxx Jan 2022 Reply

      Hey Mike, no trouble. Depending on which software you're using, the solution could be as simple as using the reverse dimensions instead, i.e. 1350×1080. That should crop your image to be taller than it is broad. Promise this helps!

  25. Suresh 4 Mar 2022 Reply

    Hello,
    I would like to know if the image needs to be cropped @ 4 x 5 ratio before proceeding to the Export option.
    Thanks

    1. Mike Walters four Mar 2022 Respond

      Hey Suresh! Yes, you would need to crop it accordingly Earlier exporting for spider web. You tin can resize information technology within the export window but I don't think you lot tin adjust the ratio at this point

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Mike Walters

I Build Killer Landing Pages That ACTUALLY Get Results... Guaranteed