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 paradigm quality on your posts.

There are a few reasons why the image quality is reduced when uploading straight from your PC, i of which is that you are not following Instagram's max resolution guidelines, which is currently set at 1080 x 1350px. Any paradigm that is greater than the said resolution volition be fabricated smaller past Instagram and thus may touch the quality of the image.

Secondly, it likewise depends on the format of the image that you lot are using. Instagram'southward default format for images is JPEG (.jpg), meaning that any prototype that is uploaded in PNG (.png), BITMAP (.bmp), or anything other than JPEG, will 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 Y'all
  • READ: The BIGGEST Mistake I Encounter People Making On Instagram

When y'all consider the number of images that are being uploaded to Instagram every single 24-hour interval and the server power that is needed to run the platform, you'll soon forgive Instagram for reducing file sizes where possible. Try to keep your image file size to a minimum (without affecting image quality) to avoid having it be poorly compressed by Instagram.

Last merely not least, Instagram is predominantly a mobile-based app, and as such prioritises uploads from mobile (or tablet) devices when it comes to quality. This means that images uploaded via your desktop, such equally with the developer tools method, tin sometimes come across a reduction in image quality when uploading to Instagram.

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

For many people, who accept pictures of themselves, their dog or the local beach, image quality doesn't really tend to affair. However, if you're a artistic like me who designs content for their business organization and wants to establish themselves as a professional, and so maintaining quality with your uploads is very important.

I like to create my Instagram content using Photoshop, just the same principles will apply to whichever photo editing software you lot are using. In Photoshop you will want to set upwardly a new file or artboard and set information technology to Instagram's maximum resolution (1080 x 1350px). Once yous have created your design, you demand to become to File > Export > Save For Web (Legacy)…

For those that don't know, saving in this way will allow you to alter the quality and file size of your concluding epitome. In the pinnacle right of the Relieve For Spider web window, nether Preset, you volition want to select JPEG as the file blazon. Below that, you can change the overall quality of the epitome, starting from Depression all the style up to Maximum.

Hither is a screenshot of the Salve To Web window for my Bruce Lee postal service in Photoshop. I have highlighted the areas yous demand to monitor in social club to reduce size and maintain image quality, such every bit the quality setting and dimensions of the paradigm.

Again, the reason for lowering the quality of the dropdown is to reduce the file size of the prototype and thus avoid Instagram taking the compression into their own hands. Yous tin can monitor the size of the image in the bottom left (to a higher place example: 837.8K).

A lot of the time, you lot will actually find that the Very High or High setting reduces the file size significantly; without actually affecting the sharpness of the prototype itself. You will desire to choose the setting that achieves the best residuum between the two.

Once you're happy with the prototype file size and quality, you lot can hitting the salve button to save it to your computer. Following that, you volition want to upload your new prototype to Google Drive where you will then download it to your mobile (or tablet) device. Yous can then upload the epitome straight to Instagram from your mobile.

If yous really want to make the most of your mail and become equally much engagement as possible, and then yous'll want to likewise check out this ultimate guide I wrote for using hashtags on Instagram.

Conclusion

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

You tin follow me on Instagram here!

Take 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 you find this post on improving the paradigm quality of your Instagram posts helpful? If so, I would be very grateful if yous 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 Get Results... Guaranteed

This Post Has 56 Comments

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

    1. Mike Walters 28 Sep 2020 Reply

      Hey Abraham, glad to see that it worked for you using Google Bulldoze. That's what I currently employ! Posting straight from Creator Studio works well too of course.

  2. Lily Crocker 1 Oct 2020 Answer

    Howdy! 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 1 Oct 2020 Reply

      Howdy Lily, yous should find that uploading a photo from your telephone should piece of work well regardless of which editing software that you're using. Instagram is primarily a mobile-based app, and so it's only natural for the mobile uploads to be of good quality. There will always be some level of compression, given the sheer number of photos that Instagram'south servers have to store, but not plenty to ruin a photo. Hope this helps 🙂

    2. Wesley i November 2020 Reply

      I'd recommend using Google's Snapseed app or Adobe Photoshop Express. Both of them are free and let yous customize the export settings of your photos to specific resolutions and quality.

      1. Mike Walters 1 Nov 2020 Reply

        Great suggestions Wesley 🙂

  3. Ollie xvi October 2020 Answer

    Hi, have you tried this method with other tools such as powerpoint? The basics seem to be the same. I've tried to set the same hight width but when I export the epitome to jpeg and salve, send to phone and finally transfer to instagram, instagram comprasses the image subsequently a while. Whatsoever thoughts?

    1. Mike Walters xviii October 2020 Reply

      Hi Ollie, I haven't created carousels or posts using PowerPoint merely the theory should be the same. There is always going to be a minor bit of pinch past Instagram when uploading to their platform, however, yous can minimize this simply uploading the epitome through the mobile app or via Instagram [Facebook] Creator Studio. Try uploading through one of those platforms and run into how information technology goes

      1. Pavle Bogdanovic 4 Nov 2021 Reply

  4. Sophia 19 Oct 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 xi, and when I went to mail service the images to instagram, the photos came out blurry! What can I exercise to my photos to make sure they post at a better resolution considering this photo was taken on an iPhone, not a DSLR then i'm confused every bit to how it would be blurry. Cheers!

    1. Mike Walters twenty Oct 2020 Reply

      How-do-you-do Sophia, I guess it might depend on how your friend sent those photos to y'all. I know that in the past, I'd transferred some files over using Facebook Messenger and they lost some of the moving-picture show quality during that transfer. If you brand sure to upload them to the Google Drive (or something like) so download them from in that location, y'all might observe that the picture quality is a lot ameliorate – depending on how you upload it of course. Upload the picture via your mobile or Facebook/Instagram Creator Studio. Allow me know how it goes 🙂

  5. Antonia xx Oct 2020 Reply

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

    1. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Answer

      Hello Antonia. Luckily for y'all, there are many neat content creators that employ Canva to blueprint their posts. I would propose saving as JPG and uploading either straight from the Instagram mobile app or via Facebook/Instagram Creator Studio

  6. Mike Walters 20 October 2020 Respond

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

  7. Alfonso iv Nov 2020 Reply

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

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

    1. Mike Walters 6 November 2020 Reply

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

  8. This is really helpful simply i have a question, i was familiar with this workflow of reducing the resolution of your epitome manually, just this helped me to improve that workflow, that existence said, subsequently doing all that and make sure that my prototype looks correctly for spider web and how-do-you-do-quality, when i mail information technology on Instagram in getting a terrible Banding peculiarly in the heaven expanse, i accept remove all banding earlier equally i said looks perfect in all spider web applications, and then seems that IG nevertheless compressing my file for some reason, do you have any idea most this? Cheers in Advanced

    1. Mike Walters 10 November 2020 Reply

      Hi Tony, thank you for reaching out. I also suffer from the same banding issues on Instagram. I believe that the platform just isn't suited to such loftier-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 can't assistance much further!

  9. Sofia xvi Nov 2020 Answer

    Hi! I use Canva on both my laptop and iPhone. After downloading images from the mobile app and uploading them to Instagram, they however feel lower quality and a slight change in color. Do y'all have more tips on this? Cheers!

    1. Mike Walters eighteen Nov 2020 Reply

      Hi Sofia, I tin can't really say without seeing the images merely there will ever be some form of pinch when uploading to Instagram – no matter what y'all do. Every bit for the colour difference, could it exist that you're viewing the prototype from a unlike device? I know that the colours between my iPhone, tablet and desktop all differ. Let me know!

  10. Mike, thank you for this. It'south incredibly helpful info. I've been using this workflow, more or less, in Photoshop for the final couple of years, but have e'er noticed a driblet in quality in one case I put my files on Instagram. Further, I've been interested in making terminate move videos and take noticed that, again, the drop in quality is evident in the final production whenever I try to upload to IG, with just enough mistiness showing that I haven't withal posted whatever of these. I'one thousand going to adjust my workflow and try the videos once more. Bookmarked this article for reference.
    – Laura

    1. Mike Walters 24 Nov 2020 Reply

      Hey Laura, never tried uploading cease movement videos to Instagram myself but I expect forrard to hearing your results!

  11. ER 27 November 2020 Answer

    What about bit depth? Doesn't Instagram limit images to 8 chip jpgs?

    1. Mike Walters ii Dec 2020 Reply

      Unfortunately, I can't find whatever confirmation from Instagram regarding the limitation of fleck depths. I'm curious equally to how yous found this data?

  12. Annabelle Mostert 1 Dec 2020 Reply

    How-do-you-do,

    Perchance this is a empty-headed quetion, but i have created the file in photoshop to the size specification you set out above.
    How do i re-size my image ti fit instagram after making it (1080 x 1350px). I understand how to relieve for web but not how to re-size it.
    Cheers

    1. Mike Walters 1 Dec 2020 Respond

      Hi Annabelle, not a silly question at all. 1080x1350px is a great size for Instagram for portrait photos. If you are after a square image then you would need to alter the Sail Size in Photoshop before you Save For Web. Yous tin modify the Canvas size by going to Image > Canvas Size. At that place might be a link icon which is selected to lock the ratio (to 1080x1350px). You will need to unselect this to change it to 1:one ratio.

  13. Eric vii December 2020 Reply

    What if you do all this and it's even so desaturated? I've exported in .jpg, sRGB color space, same dimensions you describe, and it's nonetheless messed upwards. But nigh every one of my pictures is from what I can tell. They look fine on my phone, on the figurer, even in the screen on IG where I upload the flick. I make my posts ahead of time and save them, and even that little thumbnail looks fine. It's just when it gets uploaded, information technology goes all wrong.

    1. Mike Walters 8 Dec 2020 Reply

      Hey Eric, that is a tough ane and I understand your frustration. I would accept to guess that it'due south down to the size of the (image) file. Maybe endeavour compressing it as much every bit possible, without reducing the quality of the image, and see how that fairs when uploaded to IG?

  14. Eric 9 December 2020 Reply

    I'thousand not 100% but that might accept worked. I posted one this morning that got desaturated once more, tried exporting it from Lightroom with lower quality (I had it set to 100, now I'm around 75) then posted that version. It looked to be a piddling more saturated than the previous ane, so I recall you're on to something. Give thanks you!

    1. Mike Walters nine Dec 2020 Reply

      I'yard glad that information technology helped a bit! Thanks for getting back to me Eric

      1. Eric 29 December 2020 Answer

        Cheers for responding, that's pretty rare anymore. Anyways they are withal desaturating my pictures. I think what I did earlier might have helped a bit, merely it'southward 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 then a watermark which is just my proper name in the bottom right corner, no paradigm or annihilation similar that. I don't get it. I edit in Lightroom initially, consign at 300 ppi and in AdobeRGB, open that file in Photoshop, make edits there, save a copy, import that into Lightroom and then I tin export with those settings. Information technology's a footling convoluted but it works for me I approximate. Whatsoever thoughts?

        1. Mike Walters 11 Jan 2021 Reply

          No problem, happy to be i of the rare ones! I'm really not certain to exist honest, it sounds like you've done a lot of things correct. What are the sizes of the files that yous're trying to upload?

          1. Eric 21 Jan 2021

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

          2. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021

            Hmm, 446kb might be a scrap likewise much for Instagram. If y'all were using Photoshop then I presume that was at a Very Loftier to Maximum quality setting. Perhaps lower the quality earlier uploading to Instagram to reduce file size

  15. Jalal Mustafa 10 December 2020 Reply

    I was exporting PNGs from corel describe for instagram uploads and quality was decreasing. now i volition use jpegs after seeing this article. also using 1200×1200 resolution. should i opt for 1080×1350.?

    1. Mike Walters 10 December 2020 Reply

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

  16. Matt L 1 Feb 2021 Reply

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

    Or do you simply post what'south virtually probable a much larger/higher resolution file and let information technology automatically go through the compression algorithm to scale it down/lower the image quality to fit the app?

    If yous've experimented can yous 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 haven't experimented with larger sizes. That being said, information technology's all-time to keep the file size as low as possible to avoid unnecessary pinch by Instagram's platform. All of my posts are created on desktop using Photoshop and so I'grand not sure about smartphone files, but in the past I've noticed that photos taken on my iPhone tend not to be ruined with compression. Let me know if y'all discover anything useful when experimenting!

  17. Arash 7 Feb 2021 Answer

    Thank yous Mike!

    And so…
    1080 ten 1080
    1080 ten 1350 only for portrait images

    300dpi or 72dpi? and how about ppi?
    is in that location any limit for Kb or Mb?

    1. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021 Reply

      Hey Arash, to exist honest I'thou not certain on the exact ppi, kB or MB that Instagram will have but it's best exercise to keep it every bit low equally possible. I can confirm that those ratios are best for both square & portrait images.

  18. I don't take a question merely a give thanks you for your incredibly helpful commodity and responses.

    1. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021 Answer

      Thank you Elizabeth! Appreciate the feedback 🙂

  19. Laini fourteen Apr 2021 Answer

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

    1. Mike Walters 20 Apr 2021 Answer

      Howdy Laini, it often comes down to the size of the file. It may exist best to lower the quality when saving the file, to ensure that the file size is every bit depression equally possible, so that Instagram doesn't compress the epitome likewise much. Accept a play around with this and see what works all-time for yous.

  20. Alex 4 May 2021 Answer

    Hello, Mike! I think I have 2 questions for y'all. 😀
    1. I am curious about your opinion on this: I mail a regular portrait photo on feed, one of 1080 x 1350px, then I want to post the aforementioned moving-picture show on IG Story and IG automatically does a zoom-in on this picture so that information technology fits nice in the IG Story dimensions, i.e. 1080 ten 1920px, simply the image looks a fiddling blurry after it is posted on IG Story. Is information technology better 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 🙁 It is tedious, simply it may exist better if my pictures for feed would exist in the recommended dimensions of 1080 ten 1350px / 1080 x 1080px and for stories 1080 10 1920px? 2.As well, you're maxim that if I take my flick with my phone (I have a Samsung S21 Ultra) and I post it only similar it was shot, there won't be quality loss? The pictures taken with this phone have, for eg. 4000 x 3000px two.75 MB. Should I low resolution and maybe even the quality even on these pictures I take with the phone? Maan, this is nuts! Hate IG for this😒
    Thanks in accelerate for your reply!

    1. Mike Walters 25 May 2021 Answer

      Hey Alex, distressing for the late answer! Yeah, y'all should create two dissimilar versions of the aforementioned graphic if you want to share them to your post & story respectively. Alternatively, you could upload your mail and then "share it to your story" which may be easier, if that's the effect you lot were after. As for your Samsung, I'm an iPhone guy but I've just noticed that my images used to upload in adequately loftier quality when uploading directly from my phone. I'm not certain why this is, every bit the file sizes (and dimensions) seem to be very high – as y'all say. Sorry I couldn't be of more assist.

  21. FAHAD 16 Aug 2021 Reply

    I WANT TO POST VIDEO IN 2K ON INSTGRAM FROM MOBILE I EXPORT Information technology IN 2K Just IT However COMPRESSES THE QUALITY CAN YOU HELP ME ?

    1. Mike Walters 17 Aug 2021 Answer

      Hello Fahad, I would assume that a 2K video is just too large to be uploaded to Instagram without being compressed. You will desire to shrink the video yourself before uploading to Instagram to avoid them doing so themselves.

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

    1. Mike Walters 26 Sep 2021 Answer

      1350×1080 is the max for regular posts.

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

    1. Mike Walters 30 January 2022 Reply

      Hey Andrew, how do you mean exactly?

  24. Mike 17 Jan 2022 Reply

    Hello, this is a dandy post!
    I accept a question though, when i resize my image to 1080×1350, it gets wider? I don't understand how to fix that, could you please help.
    Cheers!

    1. Mike Walters 30 Jan 2022 Respond

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

  25. Suresh iv Mar 2022 Answer

    Hello,
    I would like to know if the epitome needs to be cropped @ 4 ten v ratio earlier proceeding to the Export selection.
    Thanks

    1. Mike Walters iv Mar 2022 Reply

      Hey Suresh! Yes, you would demand to crop it appropriately BEFORE exporting for spider web. You can resize it within the consign window merely I don't recall you can conform the ratio at this indicate

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Mike Walters

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