How to Create Lightroom Classic Export Presets

Updated October 2026

Every photographer hits the same wall. You finish a shoot, edit the keepers, and then spend ten minutes fiddling with the Export dialog: file type, size, color space, sharpening, naming, folder. Do that for a client gallery, a web version and an archive copy, and you have burned half an hour on clicks. Export presets fix it. This guide shows how to create Lightroom Classic export presets, what to put in them, and how to build a small set that covers almost everything you deliver.

Quick definition. Lightroom Classic calls these export presets. They save the 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

1. Select one or more photos in Lightroom Classic’s Library module.
2. Choose File > Export or click Export.
3. 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.
4. Click Add at the bottom of the Preset panel. Name the preset for its purpose, then click Create.
5. 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.

What each Export section controls

The Export dialog is a stack of panels. Each one saves into the preset, so it helps to know what you are choosing.

Export Location

Pick a folder, or choose to export next to the original photo. A client preset can save to a dated client folder, and a web preset can save to a Web Exports folder. You can also add the exported files back to the catalog, which is useful for archives and rarely wanted for web files.

File Naming

Use a naming template so files arrive in a sensible order and nobody has to rename them. A custom name plus a sequence number is a classic choice for client work, for example a client name followed by a number. For web files, short names without spaces keep life simple.

File Settings

This is the heart of the preset. Choose the format (JPEG for most delivery, TIFF or PSD for editing handoffs, DNG when you want to pass on a raw-like file), the color space and the quality. JPEG with sRGB is the safe default for web and most clients, because it looks consistent on almost every screen. Wider spaces like AdobeRGB or ProPhoto RGB belong in print and archive workflows where the whole chain is color managed.

Image Sizing

Resize to fit a width and height, a long edge, a short edge, or a set number of megapixels. Turn on Don’t Enlarge so small crops do not get blown up. Keep resolution at a standard number like 72 or 300 pixels per inch. It matters little on screen and it matters for some print labs.

Output Sharpening

Sharpen for the destination: Screen for web, Matte or Glossy Paper for prints. Standard is a good starting point. Output sharpening is one more reason to export from the original and never re-export an already-exported JPEG.

Metadata

Decide what travels with the file. A web preset often removes location info and keeps copyright. A client preset may keep everything. The Copyright Only option is a good default for public images.

Watermarking and Post-Processing

Add a watermark only to presets that need one, like proof galleries. Post-processing can open the file in another program or show it in the folder after export, which saves a click.

Save

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.

A starter set of presets to build

Most photographers can cover their work with five. Name each one clearly so you can pick the right one at a glance.

• Web Blog: JPEG, sRGB, long edge sized for your blog, Screen sharpening, copyright-only metadata.
• Social Share: JPEG, sRGB, long edge sized for the platform, Screen sharpening, location removed.
• Client Full-Res: JPEG at high quality, sRGB, full size, your naming template, metadata kept.
• Print Lab: the lab’s requested format and color space, no resizing, matte or glossy sharpening to match the paper.
• Archive Master: a high-quality TIFF or DNG with all metadata, saved to a backup drive.

Build them one at a time as you need them. Do not start with twenty. Presets you never use become clutter.

Save

Match the preset to the destination

Before you build a preset, ask where the file is going and what the receiver needs. A blog wants a file that loads fast. A printer wants a file with enough pixels for the print size. A client wants something they can use without asking you questions. An archive wants every bit of quality you have.

• Blog or website: smaller dimensions and moderate quality. Big files slow the page and hurt your search ranking.
• Social media: a size close to what the platform shows, since it will recompress anything you upload.
• Client gallery: full size, high quality and a tidy naming pattern, so the gallery looks professional.
• Print: the full pixel dimensions and the lab’s color profile. Ask the lab for its current specs.
• Archive: the highest quality format you are happy to store, plus all metadata, on a drive that is backed up.

Always ask the receiver for current requirements when the job matters. Platforms change their rules, and a preset built last year may not match this year’s needs.

File naming that saves you headaches

Good file names make a delivery feel organized. In the File Naming panel, choose Custom Name with Sequence Number, then type something that identifies the job, such as a client name and a date. The sequence number keeps frames in order. If you shoot several events, put the date or event first so the folder sorts itself.

Avoid spaces and odd symbols in web file names. Use hyphens between words. Search engines read them, and a descriptive file name is a small SEO win for photos that go on a website.

Exporting a whole shoot at once

You do not have to export photos one at a time. Select the whole set in the Library grid, or use a collection of your picks, then open the Export dialog and choose your preset. Lightroom Classic works through the batch in the background while you keep editing. If you export different sets for different people, keep a collection for each so you always know what went where.

Check the filter bar before you export. It is easy to export only the flagged picks when you meant to export everything, or the other way round. Look at the count in the Export dialog title to make sure it matches what you expect.

Update, rename and organize presets

When a requirement changes, you do not need to start over. Right-click a user preset in the Export dialog and choose Update with Current Settings after you change the panels. Rename it if its job changed. You can also group presets into folders, such as Client, Web and Print, so the list stays short.

Export with Previous and the repeat button

Lightroom Classic also has Export with Previous, which re-runs the last export you used. It is a time saver when you export the same kind of file all day. Be careful, though. It uses the previous settings exactly, so check which preset you ran last before you click it on a different job.

Test before every big batch

Before you export five hundred photos, export one. Open the result and check the pixel dimensions, the color, the file size and the metadata. Open it on your phone as well. If something is off, fix the preset and test again. Five minutes of testing saves a repeat export and an awkward email to a client.

Save

Keep a short note of what each preset is for, either in its name or in a text file next to your catalog. In six months you will not remember why one preset says Web 2 and another says Web 2 B. A clear name such as Blog 1600px Screen saves you from guessing and from re-exporting the wrong size.

Common export preset mistakes

• Exporting a client gallery at web size, or a web file at full size.
• Forgetting that a platform may recompress, resize or strip metadata after you upload.
• Using a wide color space for web delivery, so colors look dull on some screens.
• Leaving a watermark on a preset you reuse for a final delivery.
• Never testing a preset on one photo first.
• Keeping a dozen near-identical presets instead of a clean short list.

Adobe documentation

• Save and use Lightroom Classic export presets
• Lightroom Classic export workflow and file settings

Keep learning

Export presets are one small part of a good Lightroom workflow. If you want every panel explained from the start, take the Lightroom editing course in the Shut Your Aperture Academy. It is a beginner-friendly post-processing course taught by Edin Chavez, with 10 modules and 42+ parts you can finish at your own pace, with lifetime access. Browse the rest of the Academy courses too.

Related on Shut Your Aperture: the complete Lightroom presets guide, how to import Lightroom presets on desktop, and how to create Lightroom presets that work across photos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I create an export preset in Lightroom Classic?

Open File > Export, set your location, naming, format, color space, size, sharpening and metadata, then click Add at the bottom of the Preset panel, name it and click Create.

What is the difference between an export preset and a develop preset?

An export preset saves the choices in the Export dialog, like file type and size. A develop preset changes the editing settings of a photo.

What color space should I use for export?

sRGB is the safe choice for web and most client delivery. Wider spaces such as AdobeRGB or ProPhoto RGB suit print and archive workflows where the whole chain is color managed.

How do I update an existing export preset?

Change the settings in the Export dialog, then right-click the preset and choose Update with Current Settings.

Why do my exported photos look different online?

The platform may recompress, resize or strip metadata, and color management varies by screen. Export in sRGB and check the result on the site.

How many export presets do I need?

Most photographers do well with about five: web, social, client full-res, print and archive. Add more only when the settings really differ.