Lightroom to Instagram Settings

For all you photographers whose workflows involve moving photos from Lightroom to Instagram, I have found a tip that might improve the quality of the final photos. For a while now, I have been frustrated that the photo I had worked on in Lightroom looked so different after I uploaded it to Instagram. In particular, lots of the fine detail was missing. So, after a bit of research, I’ve settled upon some basic Lightroom to Instagram Settings.

The tip is basically a step in the Export process. What you’ll want to do is create an Export preset that will:

  1. Resize the long edge of the photo to be 1080 x 1080 pixels
  2. Set the resolution to 72dpi
  3. Limit the file size to 320K.

What seems to be happening is that Instagram resizes and recompresses larger photos, often losing a lot of detail in the process. But by exporting your photo at the size Instagram already “wants”, it won’t have to muck with much, if anything.

I hope this helps you!

All credit goes to Chris Romano who did the research and experimentation – Chris Romano Photography. Good stuff!

Follow me on Instagram!

Note: I have updated the Export settings above after Instagram adjusted their file size restrictions.

RAW vs. JPEG

CaptureCapturebefore-after

This is why I prefer to shoot in RAW. You can really do a lot with the RAW information in Lightroom! Sure, you can do a lot with JPEG too, but RAW just lets you do more, and rescue some photos that might be lost causes. I highly recommend shooting in RAW, then watching the hundreds of useful Lightroom tutorials on YouTube. I particularly like Serge Ramelli’s videos.

Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag

I recently bought a Patagonia MiniMass messenger bag. I have a couple of bags already, so why do I need a new one? I don’t need one, but it is nice to have a new one that fills a specific purpose.

Multiple Bags

The other day I listened to a relatively new photography podcast called “Your Itinerary” whose focus is travel photography. In that particular episode, the host interviews a VP of a camera bag manufacturer. During the conversation, the thought that no one camera bag is perfect for all situations kept coming up. I agree with this thought, and am happy that I can now feel less guilty about satisfying my love of messenger bags and backpacks.

The Current Lineup

Before I bought my new bag, I had two main bags. The first is my REI Messenger bag, with a padded insert for carrying camera gear. The second is a North Face Router backpack, also with a padded insert. Both are good for carrying my dSLR and lenses, the messenger bag being more nimble since I can get the camera out of the bag quickly. The Router holds a lot more and since it’s a backpack, the heavy load is distributed between both shoulders. If I get really tired, there is also a waist strap so I can use it as a pseudo backpacking pack.

The Missing Link

The problem with both of these is that thye are large. Lots of times I don’t want to carry them. I mistakenly thought that I could carry either of these wherever I went and have access to my beloved dSLR (actually SLT, for you purists). But now I realize that a smaller bag would be better for an “everyday carry” and since I have my Fujifilm XF1, I don’t need to carry the dSLR for general walkabout photos. The XF1 and RAW can produce some great photos.

The New Bag

I did some research online, watched video reviews, and then went to REI to check out the bags they had in person, specifically looking for a small messenger bag. The Patagonia MiniMass stood out as the best one, and REI had it on clearance! What great timing! Unfortunately, they didn’t have the color I wanted in stock, but I ordered it online and had it shipped to the store. After a week, I had the bag in my possession.

Patagonia MiniMass
Patagonia MiniMass

So, how is the bag? In a word: Great! It’s small, but not too small, comfortable, the pockets and storage are for the most part well-thought out. I can fit everything I need into it, and in fact if I wanted to squeeze the dSLR and an extra lens in there, it could do it.

Here’s a list of stuff I currently carry in it:

As you can see from the list, there’s a lot that I carry! But in reality, it does not weigh that much. It’s a nice little kit and I can even shoot RAW, edit on my Dell Venue 8 Pro tablet, and post to Instagram all while on the go. One useful feature of this bag is that the two cover-straps also double as compression straps, so you can expand or slim down the width of the bottom of the bag. I wish I had this on my larger messenger bag and backpack!

My Daily Carry
My Daily Carry

Of course with any bag, there are a couple of things that I’d change. Well, just one in fact! There is only a single outside pocket for a water bottle. This pocket is perfect for carrying the Fujifilm XF1 compact camera, but I wish there was another pocket on the other side so I could carry my 12oz. Liberty water bottle. Since that bottle has a handle, there may be some way to attach it.

All-in-all I love the Patagonia MiniMass messenger bag. It fits into my life perfectly!

My Bag Collection
Photo info: SONY SLT-A77V, 35mm, f/2.4, 1/350 sec, ISO100
My Bag Collection