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 appointment. Later on 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 directly from your PC, one of which is that you are not following Instagram'southward max resolution guidelines, which is currently set at 1080 10 1350px. Any image that is greater than the said resolution will be fabricated smaller past Instagram and thus may affect the quality of the paradigm.

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

  • READ: How I Gained Over 100,000 Followers On Instagram
  • READ: How To Employ The Correct Hashtags For YOU
  • READ: The BIGGEST Error I Run into People Making On Instagram

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

Final merely non 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 as with the developer tools method, can sometimes see a reduction in image quality when uploading to Instagram.

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

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

I like to create my Instagram content using Photoshop, but the same principles volition apply to whichever photo editing software you are using. In Photoshop yous volition desire to set up a new file or artboard and set it to Instagram'south maximum resolution (1080 ten 1350px). Once you have created your design, you demand to go to File > Consign > Relieve For Web (Legacy)…

For those that don't know, saving in this style will permit you to alter the quality and file size of your last image. In the top correct of the Relieve For Web window, nether Preset, you volition want to select JPEG as the file blazon. Below that, you lot tin modify the overall quality of the epitome, starting from Low all the way up to Maximum.

Here is a screenshot of the Save To Web window for my Bruce Lee mail in Photoshop. I take highlighted the areas you need to monitor in club to reduce size and maintain paradigm quality, such as the quality setting and dimensions of the image.

Again, the reason for lowering the quality of the dropdown is to reduce the file size of the image and thus avert Instagram taking the compression into their ain hands. Yous can monitor the size of the image in the bottom left (above example: 837.8K).

A lot of the time, yous will actually find that the Very High or Loftier setting reduces the file size significantly; without actually affecting the sharpness of the image itself. Y'all volition want to cull the setting that achieves the best residue between the two.

Once you're happy with the image file size and quality, yous can hit the save push to save information technology to your reckoner. Following that, you volition want to upload your new image to Google Drive where you will so download information technology to your mobile (or tablet) device. You lot can and then upload the epitome direct to Instagram from your mobile.

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

Conclusion

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

You lot can follow me on Instagram here!

Accept any feedback or questions nearly 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 image quality of your Instagram posts helpful? If so, I would be very grateful if yous could pivot this image to Pinterest!

Mike Walters

Mike Walters

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

Mike Walters

Mike Walters

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

This Post Has 56 Comments

  1. Swell post, I was asking myself how much information technology shrink quality of photos when I ship image to myself over messenger then mail it on Instagram. Then I read this article and used the Google Drive. I must say at that place is a fleck more depth and then sending over messenger. Then aye Google Drive works fine.

    1. Mike Walters 28 Sep 2020 Reply

      Hey Abraham, glad to run across that it worked for yous using Google Bulldoze. That's what I currently use! Posting directly from Creator Studio works well too of course.

  2. Lily Crocker one October 2020 Respond

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

    1. Mike Walters 1 Oct 2020 Reply

      Hi Lily, yous should detect that uploading a photo from your phone should work well regardless of which editing software that you're using. Instagram is primarily a mobile-based app, so it's only natural for the mobile uploads to be of practiced quality. At that place will ever be some level of compression, given the sheer number of photos that Instagram'southward servers have to shop, but not enough to ruin a photo. Hope this helps 🙂

    2. Wesley i Nov 2020 Reply

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

      1. Mike Walters i Nov 2020 Reply

        Smashing suggestions Wesley 🙂

  3. Ollie 16 Oct 2020 Reply

    Hullo, have y'all tried this method with other tools such as powerpoint? The nuts seem to exist the same. I've tried to set the same hight width simply when I consign the image to jpeg and salve, transport to phone and finally transfer to instagram, instagram comprasses the image afterwards a while. Any thoughts?

    1. Mike Walters 18 October 2020 Respond

      Hi Ollie, I haven't created carousels or posts using PowerPoint but the theory should be the same. There is ever going to be a minor flake of compression by Instagram when uploading to their platform, however, you can minimize this but uploading the paradigm 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 and then I edited on my iPhone xi, and when I went to mail the images to instagram, the photos came out blurry! What can I do to my photos to make sure they post at a better resolution because this photo was taken on an iPhone, not a DSLR so i'm confused as to how it would exist blurry. Thank yous!

    1. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Reply

      Hullo 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 picture quality during that transfer. If you make sure to upload them to the Google Bulldoze (or something similar) so download them from there, yous might discover that the picture quality is a lot better – depending on how you upload it of course. Upload the picture show via your mobile or Facebook/Instagram Creator Studio. Allow me know how it goes 🙂

  5. Antonia 20 October 2020 Respond

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

    1. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Reply

      Hi Antonia. Luckily for you lot, at that place are many great content creators that use Canva to design their posts. I would suggest saving as JPG and uploading either directly from the Instagram mobile app or via Facebook/Instagram Creator Studio

  6. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Reply

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

  7. Alfonso 4 Nov 2020 Respond

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

    This causes young artists to expect worse than they are only because Instagram can't even give a F***grand guide on how to apply their site other than "tap hither to upload". How near giving a proper tutorial or artistic tips instead of creating 100 filters every calendar month? I swear with social media…

    1. Mike Walters six Nov 2020 Reply

      Haha, I feel your hurting Alfonso. It's true that some people's Instagram posts don't practice their work justice!

  8. This is really helpful but i accept a question, i was familiar with this workflow of reducing the resolution of your image manually, just this helped me to improve that workflow, that beingness said, after doing all that and make sure that my image looks correctly for web and howdy-quality, when i post it on Instagram in getting a terrible Banding peculiarly in the sky area, i have remove all banding before as i said looks perfect in all spider web applications, so seems that IG still compressing my file for some reason, do you lot have any thought about this? Cheers in Advanced

    1. Mike Walters 10 November 2020 Reply

      Howdy Tony, cheers for reaching out. I as well suffer from the same banding bug on Instagram. I believe that the platform just 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 sad I can't aid much further!

  9. Sofia 16 Nov 2020 Reply

    Hullo! I apply 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 alter in colour. Do you have more than tips on this? Thanks!

    1. Mike Walters xviii Nov 2020 Reply

      Hi Sofia, I can't really say without seeing the images but in that location will always be some class of compression when uploading to Instagram – no matter what yous do. As for the colour departure, could it exist that you're viewing the image from a different device? I know that the colours between my iPhone, tablet and desktop all differ. Let me know!

  10. Mike, cheers for this. It's incredibly helpful info. I've been using this workflow, more or less, in Photoshop for the terminal couple of years, just have always noticed a drop in quality in one case I put my files on Instagram. Further, I've been interested in making stop motion videos and take noticed that, again, the driblet in quality is evident in the last product whenever I try to upload to IG, with merely enough blur showing that I oasis't even so posted any of these. I'm going to adjust my workflow and try the videos again. Bookmarked this commodity for reference.
    – Laura

    1. Mike Walters 24 Nov 2020 Answer

      Hey Laura, never tried uploading stop movement videos to Instagram myself but I look frontwards to hearing your results!

  11. ER 27 Nov 2020 Reply

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

    1. Mike Walters 2 Dec 2020 Answer

      Unfortunately, I can't observe whatsoever confirmation from Instagram regarding the limitation of scrap depths. I'grand curious every bit to how you institute this information?

  12. Annabelle Mostert 1 December 2020 Respond

    Howdy,

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

    1. Mike Walters ane December 2020 Answer

      Hello Annabelle, not a dizzy question at all. 1080x1350px is a great size for Instagram for portrait photos. If yous are afterwards a foursquare paradigm and so yous would demand to modify the Canvas Size in Photoshop before you Save For Web. You can change the Sail size by going to Image > Sail Size. In that location might be a link icon which is selected to lock the ratio (to 1080x1350px). You lot will demand to unselect this to modify it to 1:1 ratio.

  13. Eric 7 Dec 2020 Reply

    What if you do all this and it'due south still desaturated? I've exported in .jpg, sRGB color space, same dimensions you depict, and it's nevertheless messed upwardly. But near every one of my pictures is from what I can tell. They look fine on my telephone, on the computer, even in the screen on IG where I upload the picture. I make my posts alee of time and salvage them, and even that footling thumbnail looks fine. It'due south only when it gets uploaded, it goes all wrong.

    1. Mike Walters 8 Dec 2020 Respond

      Hey Eric, that is a tough one and I sympathise your frustration. I would have to guess that it's down to the size of the (image) file. Possibly try compressing it as much as possible, without reducing the quality of the prototype, and see how that fairs when uploaded to IG?

  14. Eric 9 Dec 2020 Answer

    I'm not 100% only that might take worked. I posted one this morn that got desaturated once again, tried exporting information technology from Lightroom with lower quality (I had it ready to 100, now I'm around 75) and and so posted that version. Information technology looked to exist a little more saturated than the previous one, and then I think you're on to something. Give thanks you!

    1. Mike Walters 9 Dec 2020 Reply

      I'thou glad that it helped a scrap! Thank you for getting back to me Eric

      1. Eric 29 Dec 2020 Respond

        Thank you for responding, that's pretty rare anymore. Anyways they are all the same desaturating my pictures. I call up what I did before might take helped a fleck, but it's still very noticeable. My export settings from Lightroom are: .jpg, sRGB, quality at 76, resize to fit checked, width prepare to 1080, top left bare, resolution 72, sharpen for screen, standard, the default settings for metadata, and and so a watermark which is but my name in the bottom correct corner, no prototype or anything similar that. I don't become it. I edit in Lightroom initially, consign at 300 ppi and in AdobeRGB, open up that file in Photoshop, make edits there, relieve a copy, import that into Lightroom so I can consign with those settings. Information technology's a fiddling convoluted just it works for me I guess. Any thoughts?

        1. Mike Walters 11 Jan 2021 Reply

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

          1. Eric 21 Jan 2021

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

          2. Mike Walters 12 February 2021

            Hmm, 446kb might be a bit too much for Instagram. If you were using Photoshop then I assume that was at a Very Loftier to Maximum quality setting. Perhaps lower the quality before uploading to Instagram to reduce file size

  15. Jalal Mustafa 10 Dec 2020 Answer

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

    1. Mike Walters 10 Dec 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 pic to post on IG, do you lot save/downsize the file to to IGs recommended aspect ratio/max resolution specs? Ie 1080, To avoid potential compression loss?

    Or do y'all just post what's most likely a much larger/higher resolution file and let it automatically get through the compression algorithm to scale it down/lower the image quality to fit the app?

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

    1. Mike Walters 12 February 2021 Respond

      Hey Matt, skillful question. I actually just keep all of my canvas sizes to the recommended 1080×1080 or 1080×1350, and then I oasis't experimented with larger sizes. That being said, it's all-time to proceed the file size equally low as possible to avert unnecessary compression by Instagram's platform. All of my posts are created on desktop using Photoshop then I'm not sure about smartphone files, just in the past I've noticed that photos taken on my iPhone tend not to exist ruined with pinch. Let me know if you lot find anything useful when experimenting!

  17. Arash vii Feb 2021 Reply

    Cheers Mike!

    And so…
    1080 10 1080
    1080 x 1350 only for portrait images

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

    1. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021 Reply

      Hey Arash, to be honest I'm not sure on the exact ppi, kB or MB that Instagram will accept but information technology's best do to keep information technology as low as possible. I can ostend that those ratios are all-time for both square & portrait images.

  18. I don't have a question merely a thank you for your incredibly helpful commodity and responses.

    1. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021 Reply

      Thank you Elizabeth! Appreciate the feedback 🙂

  19. Laini fourteen Apr 2021 Respond

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

    1. Mike Walters 20 Apr 2021 Respond

      Hi Laini, it frequently comes downward to the size of the file. It may be all-time to lower the quality when saving the file, to ensure that the file size is equally low as possible, so that Instagram doesn't compress the epitome likewise much. Have a play around with this and encounter what works best for you lot.

  20. Alex iv May 2021 Respond

    Hullo, Mike! I think I have 2 questions for you. 😀
    i. 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 motion-picture show on IG Story and IG automatically does a zoom-in on this moving-picture show so that information technology fits dainty in the IG Story dimensions, i.e. 1080 x 1920px, but the image looks a little blurry after it is posted on IG Story. Is it better and like a best exercise 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 mail service that are loosing quality when posted 🙁 Information technology is tedious, just information technology may be ameliorate if my pictures for feed would be in the recommended dimensions of 1080 10 1350px / 1080 x 1080px and for stories 1080 x 1920px? 2.Besides, you're saying that if I have my picture with my phone (I have a Samsung S21 Ultra) and I post it just like information technology was shot, there won't be quality loss? The pictures taken with this phone accept, for eg. 4000 x 3000px ii.75 MB. Should I low resolution and maybe even the quality even on these pictures I accept with the phone? Maan, this is basics! Hate IG for this😒
    Thanks in advance for your answer!

    1. Mike Walters 25 May 2021 Reply

      Hey Alex, lamentable for the late reply! Yes, y'all should create 2 dissimilar versions of the same graphic if you desire to share them to your mail service & story respectively. Alternatively, yous could upload your mail service and then "share information technology to your story" which may exist easier, if that's the effect you were after. As for your Samsung, I'thou an iPhone guy just I've just noticed that my images used to upload in fairly high quality when uploading directly from my phone. I'yard not sure why this is, equally the file sizes (and dimensions) seem to exist very high – every bit you say. Pitiful I couldn't be of more help.

  21. FAHAD 16 Aug 2021 Reply

    I WANT TO Postal service VIDEO IN 2K ON INSTGRAM FROM MOBILE I Consign It IN 2K BUT It STILL COMPRESSES THE QUALITY Tin can YOU Aid ME ?

    1. Mike Walters 17 Aug 2021 Reply

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

  22. What are you hateful 1350 ? I tin 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. Thanks! This has been driving me NUTS!!! Any recommendations on export and upload workflow for Facebook?

    1. Mike Walters thirty Jan 2022 Answer

      Hey Andrew, how do you mean exactly?

  24. Mike 17 Jan 2022 Answer

    Howdy, this is a great post!
    I have a question though, when i resize my epitome to 1080×1350, it gets wider? I don't sympathize how to fix that, could you please help.
    Give thanks you!

    1. Mike Walters 30 Jan 2022 Reply

      Hey Mike, no problem. Depending on which software yous're using, the solution could be as unproblematic as using the reverse dimensions instead, i.due east. 1350×1080. That should crop your image to be taller than it is broad. Hope this helps!

  25. Suresh 4 Mar 2022 Answer

    Hullo,
    I would like to know if the image needs to exist cropped @ 4 ten 5 ratio before proceeding to the Export selection.
    Thanks

    1. Mike Walters 4 Mar 2022 Reply

      Hey Suresh! Aye, you lot would need to crop it accordingly BEFORE exporting for web. You lot can resize it inside the export window simply I don't think you can adjust the ratio at this point

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Mike Walters

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