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 prototype 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 prototype 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 non following Instagram'southward max resolution guidelines, which is currently set at 1080 x 1350px. Any image that is greater than the said resolution will be made smaller past Instagram and thus may touch 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), meaning that any image that is uploaded in PNG (.png), BITMAP (.bmp), or anything other than JPEG, will be converted to JPEG and equally such loses some of the quality during the conversion.

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

When you lot consider the number of images that are being uploaded to Instagram every unmarried mean solar day and the server power that is needed to run the platform, you'll soon forgive Instagram for reducing file sizes where possible. Try to proceed your image file size to a minimum (without affecting image quality) to avoid having information technology be poorly compressed past Instagram.

Last but not least, Instagram is predominantly a mobile-based app, and equally 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 programmer 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 accept pictures of themselves, their dog or the local embankment, image quality doesn't actually tend to matter. However, if you're a creative like me who designs content for their business organization and wants to found themselves equally a professional, then maintaining quality with your uploads is very important.

I like to create my Instagram content using Photoshop, but the same principles will apply to whichever photo editing software yous are using. In Photoshop you will want to set upwards a new file or artboard and ready it to Instagram's maximum resolution (1080 10 1350px). Once you have created your design, you demand to go to File > Export > Salvage For Web (Legacy)…

For those that don't know, saving in this mode will allow y'all to alter the quality and file size of your concluding image. In the top correct of the Save For Web window, under Preset, you volition want to select JPEG as the file type. Below that, you can change the overall quality of the image, starting from Low all the mode up to Maximum.

Hither is a screenshot of the Save To Web window for my Bruce Lee post in Photoshop. I have highlighted the areas you lot need to monitor in order to reduce size and maintain prototype 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 prototype and thus avoid Instagram taking the pinch into their own hands. You tin 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 High setting reduces the file size significantly; without actually affecting the sharpness of the image itself. Y'all will desire to cull the setting that achieves the all-time balance between the 2.

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

If y'all really want to make the well-nigh of your postal service and get every bit much engagement as possible, and so you'll want to also bank check out this ultimate guide I wrote for using hashtags on Instagram.

Determination

Instagram can often reduce the quality of your images during uploads for a wide number of reasons, but if you're looking to maintain quality and so you should wait 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 lot detect this post on improving the prototype quality of your Instagram posts helpful? If and so, I would exist very grateful if you could pivot this image to Pinterest!

Mike Walters

Mike Walters

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

Mike Walters

Mike Walters

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

This Post Has 56 Comments

  1. Great post, I was request myself how much it shrink quality of photos when I send image to myself over messenger then post it on Instagram. So 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 yous using Google Drive. That'southward what I currently use! Posting straight from Creator Studio works well too of course.

  2. Lily Crocker 1 Oct 2020 Reply

    Hi! Is at that place a way to do to this from a mobile device? I practise not take photoshop on my reckoner and am not looking to pay for it. Any tips?

    1. Mike Walters 1 Oct 2020 Reply

      Hi Lily, y'all should observe that uploading a photo from your phone should piece of work well regardless of which editing software that you're using. Instagram is primarily a mobile-based app, so it'southward simply natural for the mobile uploads to be of proficient quality. In that location volition always be some level of compression, 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 1 November 2020 Reply

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

      1. Mike Walters one Nov 2020 Answer

        Slap-up suggestions Wesley 🙂

  3. Ollie xvi Oct 2020 Reply

    Hullo, accept you tried this method with other tools such as powerpoint? The basics seem to be the same. I've tried to set the aforementioned hight width only when I export the image to jpeg and relieve, send to phone and finally transfer to instagram, instagram comprasses the image afterward a while. Any thoughts?

    1. Mike Walters 18 Oct 2020 Reply

      Hi Ollie, I haven't created carousels or posts using PowerPoint just the theory should be the same. In that location is always going to be a pocket-size bit of compression past Instagram when uploading to their platform, still, you can minimize this but uploading the epitome through the mobile app or via Instagram [Facebook] Creator Studio. Attempt uploading through one of those platforms and see how it goes

      1. Pavle Bogdanovic 4 November 2021 Reply

  4. Sophia nineteen Oct 2020 Reply

    Hello! My friend took some photos using her iPhone 7 plus and sent me the photos which I and so I edited on my iPhone eleven, and when I went to mail service the images to instagram, the photos came out blurry! What can I do to my photos to brand sure they post at a better resolution because this photo was taken on an iPhone, not a DSLR and so i'm confused as to how information technology would be blurry. Cheers!

    1. Mike Walters twenty Oct 2020 Respond

      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 picture quality during that transfer. If you brand certain to upload them to the Google Bulldoze (or something similar) and so download them from in that location, you might find that the moving-picture show quality is a lot meliorate – depending on how you upload it of form. Upload the picture show via your mobile or Facebook/Instagram Creator Studio. Let me know how it goes 🙂

  5. Antonia twenty Oct 2020 Reply

    I utilize Canva to design my posts what would yous suggest to save the quality?

    1. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Answer

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

  6. Mike Walters 20 Oct 2020 Answer

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

  7. Alfonso 4 November 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 even give a F***thousand guide on how to use their site other than "tap here to upload". How well-nigh giving a proper tutorial or creative tips instead of creating 100 filters every month? I swear with social media…

    1. Mike Walters 6 Nov 2020 Respond

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

  8. This is really helpful but i have a question, i was familiar with this workflow of reducing the resolution of your prototype manually, but this helped me to ameliorate that workflow, that being said, afterward doing all that and make certain that my image looks correctly for web and hi-quality, when i post it on Instagram in getting a terrible Banding specially in the sky expanse, i take remove all banding before equally i said looks perfect in all web applications, so seems that IG yet compressing my file for some reason, exercise you lot accept any idea about this? Thanks in Advanced

    1. Mike Walters 10 Nov 2020 Respond

      Howdy Tony, thanks for reaching out. I too suffer from the same banding bug on Instagram. I believe that the platform only 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'yard lamentable I tin can't aid much further!

  9. Sofia xvi November 2020 Reply

    Hi! I use Canva on both my laptop and iPhone. After downloading images from the mobile app and uploading them to Instagram, they notwithstanding experience lower quality and a slight alter in color. Do you accept more tips on this? Thanks!

    1. Mike Walters 18 Nov 2020 Reply

      Hello Sofia, I can't really say without seeing the images but at that place will e'er be some form of compression when uploading to Instagram – no matter what you exercise. As for the colour deviation, could it be that yous're viewing the epitome from a different device? I know that the colours between my iPhone, tablet and desktop all differ. Permit me know!

  10. Mike, thank you for this. It's incredibly helpful info. I've been using this workflow, more or less, in Photoshop for the last couple of years, simply have ever noticed a drib in quality once I put my files on Instagram. Farther, I've been interested in making terminate movement videos and have noticed that, again, the driblet in quality is evident in the terminal product whenever I endeavour to upload to IG, with just enough blur showing that I haven't yet posted any of these. I'm going to adjust my workflow and effort the videos again. Bookmarked this article for reference.
    – Laura

    1. Mike Walters 24 Nov 2020 Answer

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

  11. ER 27 November 2020 Respond

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

    1. Mike Walters 2 December 2020 Answer

      Unfortunately, I can't observe any confirmation from Instagram regarding the limitation of bit depths. I'thousand curious as to how you constitute this data?

  12. Annabelle Mostert ane December 2020 Reply

    Hi,

    Maybe this is a silly quetion, but i have created the file in photoshop to the size specification you set out above.
    How practise i re-size my image ti fit instagram subsequently making it (1080 x 1350px). I understand how to save for spider web just not how to re-size it.
    Thanks

    1. Mike Walters i December 2020 Reply

      Hullo Annabelle, non a lightheaded question at all. 1080x1350px is a great size for Instagram for portrait photos. If you are later on a foursquare image then you would need to change the Canvas Size in Photoshop before you Save For Web. You tin can change the Canvas size by going to Image > Sail Size. There might exist a link icon which is selected to lock the ratio (to 1080x1350px). You will demand to unselect this to alter it to i:1 ratio.

  13. Eric 7 Dec 2020 Reply

    What if y'all do all this and it'southward still desaturated? I've exported in .jpg, sRGB colour space, same dimensions you describe, and information technology's however messed upwards. Just near every 1 of my pictures is from what I tin can tell. They look fine on my telephone, on the reckoner, fifty-fifty in the screen on IG where I upload the picture. I make my posts ahead of time and save them, and even that little thumbnail looks fine. It's just when information technology gets uploaded, information technology goes all wrong.

    1. Mike Walters 8 Dec 2020 Reply

      Hey Eric, that is a tough 1 and I understand your frustration. I would have to gauge that information technology's downward to the size of the (image) file. Maybe try compressing information technology equally much every bit possible, without reducing the quality of the image, and see how that fairs when uploaded to IG?

  14. Eric 9 Dec 2020 Reply

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

    1. Mike Walters 9 Dec 2020 Reply

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

      1. Eric 29 Dec 2020 Answer

        Thank you for responding, that'south pretty rare anymore. Anyways they are nonetheless desaturating my pictures. I think what I did earlier 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 gear up to 1080, height left blank, resolution 72, sharpen for screen, standard, the default settings for metadata, and then a watermark which is simply my name in the bottom right corner, no image or anything like that. I don't get information technology. I edit in Lightroom initially, export at 300 ppi and in AdobeRGB, open that file in Photoshop, brand edits there, save a copy, import that into Lightroom so I can consign with those settings. It'south a picayune convoluted but it works for me I gauge. Any thoughts?

        1. Mike Walters eleven Jan 2021 Reply

          No trouble, 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 correct. 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'g at a loss lol Thanks for helping me try to figure this out.

          2. Mike Walters 12 February 2021

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

  15. Jalal Mustafa 10 Dec 2020 Reply

    I was exporting PNGs from corel draw for instagram uploads and quality was decreasing. now i volition apply jpegs subsequently seeing this commodity. as well 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 i Feb 2021 Reply

    Earlier exporting a picture show to mail service on IG, do you relieve/downsize the file to to IGs recommended aspect ratio/max resolution specs? Ie 1080, To avoid potential compression loss?

    Or exercise you merely post what's most probable a much larger/college resolution file and let it automatically go through the pinch algorithm to calibration information technology downwardly/lower the paradigm quality to fit the app?

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

    1. Mike Walters 12 February 2021 Reply

      Hey Matt, good question. I actually just go on all of my sheet sizes to the recommended 1080×1080 or 1080×1350, so I haven't experimented with larger sizes. That being said, it'southward best to keep the file size as depression as possible to avoid unnecessary pinch past Instagram's platform. All of my posts are created on desktop using Photoshop and then I'm not certain about smartphone files, but in the past I've noticed that photos taken on my iPhone tend not to be ruined with pinch. Let me know if you lot observe anything useful when experimenting!

  17. Arash 7 Feb 2021 Reply

    Thank yous Mike!

    Then…
    1080 x 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 February 2021 Reply

      Hey Arash, to be honest I'm not certain on the exact ppi, kB or MB that Instagram will accept merely it's best practice to go along it as depression as possible. I can confirm that those ratios are best for both square & portrait images.

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

    1. Mike Walters 12 Feb 2021 Reply

      Thanks Elizabeth! Appreciate the feedback 🙂

  19. Laini 14 April 2021 Reply

    I have tried uploading a logo using all the right dimensions for Instagram. Tired saving in all ways similar JPEG and PNG. Looks swell 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 Reply

      Hi Laini, information technology often comes downward to the size of the file. Information technology may exist best to lower the quality when saving the file, to ensure that the file size is as low as possible, and then that Instagram doesn't compress the image too much. Have a play effectually with this and see what works best for you.

  20. Alex four May 2021 Reply

    Hi, Mike! I think I take ii questions for you lot. 😀
    1. I am curious about your opinion on this: I post a regular portrait photograph on feed, one of 1080 x 1350px, then I want to post the same picture on IG Story and IG automatically does a zoom-in on this picture so that it fits nice in the IG Story dimensions, i.e. 1080 ten 1920px, but the prototype looks a little blurry later on it is posted on IG Story. Is information technology improve and similar 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 postal service that are loosing quality when posted 🙁 It is tedious, just information technology may be better if my pictures for feed would be in the recommended dimensions of 1080 x 1350px / 1080 x 1080px and for stories 1080 x 1920px? 2.Also, you're maxim that if I take my motion-picture show with my phone (I have a Samsung S21 Ultra) and I post information technology simply similar it was shot, there won't be quality loss? The pictures taken with this phone have, for eg. 4000 x 3000px 2.75 MB. Should I low resolution and maybe fifty-fifty the quality even on these pictures I take with the phone? Maan, this is nuts! Hate IG for this😒
    Thank you in accelerate for your reply!

    1. Mike Walters 25 May 2021 Reply

      Hey Alex, sorry for the belatedly reply! Yeah, yous should create 2 different versions of the aforementioned graphic if yous desire to share them to your postal service & story respectively. Alternatively, y'all could upload your post and then "share it to your story" which may be easier, if that's the effect you lot were afterward. 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 direct from my telephone. I'm not sure why this is, as the file sizes (and dimensions) seem to exist very high – every bit you say. Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance.

  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 You HELP ME ?

    1. Mike Walters 17 Aug 2021 Answer

      Hi Fahad, I would assume that a 2K video is merely too big to exist 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 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. Thank you! This has been driving me NUTS!!! Any recommendations on export and upload workflow for Facebook?

    1. Mike Walters thirty Jan 2022 Reply

      Hey Andrew, how do y'all mean exactly?

  24. Mike 17 Jan 2022 Answer

    Hello, this is a not bad post!
    I have a question though, when i resize my image to 1080×1350, it gets wider? I don't understand how to set that, could you delight assistance.
    Thank y'all!

    1. Mike Walters xxx Jan 2022 Respond

      Hey Mike, no problem. Depending on which software you lot're using, the solution could be as simple as using the opposite dimensions instead, i.e. 1350×1080. That should crop your paradigm to exist taller than it is broad. Hope this helps!

  25. Suresh 4 Mar 2022 Reply

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

    1. Mike Walters 4 Mar 2022 Reply

      Hey Suresh! Yes, y'all would need to crop it accordingly Earlier exporting for web. You can resize it within the export window just I don't call back you can suit the ratio at this point

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Mike Walters

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