How to Create Lightroom Classic Export Presets

If you regularly export photos for a website, a client, and an archive, saving each output setup can cut down repetitive clicks. Lightroom Classic calls these export presets. They save choices in the Export dialog, such as destination, file type, size and naming. They are different from Develop presets, which change a photo’s editing settings.

Create your first export preset

Select one or more photos in Lightroom Classic’s Library module.
Choose File > Export or click Export.
Set your output location, filename, format, color space, dimensions and any metadata choices to suit the destination. Check whether the destination service has its own current requirements.
Click Add at the bottom of the Preset panel. Name the preset for its purpose, then click Create.
Run a test export and inspect the resulting file’s dimensions, color and metadata before using the preset for a batch.

You can select a saved preset in the Export dialog on a later batch. Check it again when the client or platform changes its requirements. The preset records choices, but it cannot tell whether you selected the right photos or whether a site will recompress them after upload.

Three useful output roles

Web review: a practical format and dimensions for the specific review site. Confirm whether that service strips metadata or imposes a size cap.
Client delivery: use the contract’s requested file type, color space, naming, metadata and resolution. Do not substitute a generic “high-res” label for actual requirements.
Archive derivative: retain the intended dimensions and quality without confusing an exported derivative with the original raw file and catalog edits.

These are jobs, not fixed numbers. Create separate named presets only when the settings genuinely differ, then test each one with a representative photo.