Sharing photos is a great way to keep friends and family updated, but you want the photos you send to look their best. When photos get compressed or resized for sharing, image quality can suffer. Follow these tips to share photos without losing quality.
Why Does Photo Quality Get Reduced When Sharing?
There are a few key reasons photo quality can downgrade when you send or post them:
- Compression – Photos are compressed to reduce file size for quicker sharing. This compression discards some image data.
- Resizing – Photos get resized to fit different social media dimensions. Resizing can introduce artifacts or blurriness.
- Color shifting – Some services adjust color profiles, leading to inaccurate colors.
Luckily there are ways to avoid these issues and share crisp, clear photos every time.
Tips for Sharing Photos Without Losing Quality
1. Use original uncompressed images
When possible, use your camera’s original, uncompressed image files for sharing. Uncompressed formats like RAW or PNG contain all image data for maximum quality. Some key uncompressed formats include:
- RAW – Unprocessed images straight from the camera sensor.
- PNG – An uncompressed raster format that retains all image data.
- TIFF – A versatile uncompressed format supporting both raster and vector images.
Many social media services now support uncompressed formats. Share PNG or TIFF files directly for no compression.
2. Export images properly
If you need to export images to share them, use the proper export settings:
- File format – Export to TIFF or PNG for no compression.
- Quality/compression level – Use maximum quality, 100% to avoid recompressing.
- Metadata – Retain metadata like color profiles for accurate colors.
- Dimensions – Export at original size or scale properly.
Follow your image editing program’s export steps to locate these options. Setting all options properly will minimize any reduction in quality.
3. Resize images intelligently
If resizing images is necessary, make sure to resize properly:
- Downsample correctly – Use bicubic or Lanczos resampling to smoothly scale down images.
- Retain original – Keep the full-size original and make copies to resize as needed.
- Resize in one step – Resize directly to the target size, rather than incrementally.
- Avoid upscaling – Don’t enlarge images beyond their original dimensions.
With correct resizing methods, images can scale down smoothly and cleanly.
4. Check settings on sharing services
Adjust settings on social media or sharing services for the best quality:
- Facebook – Upload in high quality or HD, rather than standard quality.
- Instagram – Post original aspect ratio photos rather than cropped square images.
- Twitter – Request high-quality image handling in your account settings.
- Email – Increase maximum attachment size to handle larger files.
- Cloud storage – Upload full-quality originals to cloud services like Dropbox.
Optimizing platform-specific settings prevents unexpected compression or resizing by the sharing service.
5. Compare image quality
When trying different sharing methods, directly compare image quality:
- View on multiple devices – Phones, tablets, computers, etc. can display images differently.
- Zoom in – View at 100% zoom to inspect small details.
- Check sharpness – Make sure edges are clean and sharp, not blurred or pixelated.
- Watch for artifacts – See if compression introduces banding, noise, or other artifacts.
Carefully checking the results will help zero in on the best sharing approach.
Specialized Sharing Options
In some cases, consider specialized sharing options that cater specifically to high-quality images:
Google Photos
Google Photos offers uncompressed storage for images up to 16MP. Above that size, images may be compressed but still retain excellent quality.
Flickr
Flickr provides 1TB of free storage space suitable for archiving original high-res photos.
Photo hosting services
Specialized photo hosting sites like SmugMug allow you to publish full-resolution photos then share links or embed galleries.
Cloud storage
Cloud storage services like Dropbox or iCloud offer ample room to store original, full-quality image files.
File sharing services
Share large batches of original images easily via file sharing services like WeTransfer.
Sharing Photos Without Quality Loss on Mobile
Sharing high-quality photos is also possible right from your smartphone:
- Use Google Photos – Store original quality images efficiently thanks to compression just for storage, not sharing.
- Share Live Photos from iPhone – Apple’s Live Photos format retains more visual data than standard photos.
- Use messaging extensions – Apps like Slack, WhatsApp, and Messenger allow large file transfers.
- Upload to cloud storage – Sync phone images to cloud storage to retrieve originals anywhere.
Mobile editing tips
When editing photos on your phone, make sure to:
- Save edits non-destructively – This retains the original.
- Export uncompressed – Use PNG format for lossless compression.
- Maintain full resolution – Don’t scale down if possible.
How to find originals from your phone
If you need to recover the original full-resolution photo from your mobile device:
- On iPhone, use the Photos app’s “Revert to Original” button in Edit mode.
- On Android, find originals in the “Device folders” section of Google Photos.
- If uploaded to the cloud, check cloud storage like Google Photos, iCloud or Dropbox.
Special Cases for Sharing Photos
Printing
To preserve maximum detail for high-quality photo printing:
- Export photos at their full native resolution and 300 DPI.
- Use a large color space like Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB.
- Convert to a TIFF file for wide printer support.
Product photography
When shooting photos for an online store:
- Photograph in RAW format to allow color correction.
- Use a color target for accurate color.
- Set up optimal lighting to capture product details.
Scanning old photos
To digitize old prints while retaining quality:
- Use a dedicated photo scanner rather than a flatbed.
- Scan at high resolution like 600 dpi.
- Save scans as lossless TIFF files.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use JPEG or PNG format?
PNG is preferable for lossless quality, since it compresses images without losing data. JPG compression throws away some data, so quality suffers each time the image is edited and saved again. However, JPEG files are much smaller, so they can be better for sharing online or transferring many images.
What causes JPEG artifacts?
JPEG compression works by simplifying image data and discarding detail. This can result in visible artifacts like banding, noise, color shifts, and fuzzy edges when compression is too aggressive. Using higher quality settings when saving JPEG files can help minimize artifacts.
How do I know if my photo is high resolution?
Image resolution is measured in pixels or megapixels (millions of pixels). Standard printing resolution is around 300 pixels per inch (ppi). So a high resolution 6 megapixel image (6000 x 4000 pixels) would print at approximately 10 x 8 inches at 300 ppi, a good size for detailed photographic prints.
Is Facebook image quality any good?
Facebook does compress images to save space, resulting in some quality loss. But they use advanced compression methods that reduce file sizes while retaining image quality fairly well. Uploading high-quality originals and using the HD upload option will give better results on Facebook.
What causes pixelation in images?
Pixelation, where small square pixels become visible, is typically caused by low-resolution images being enlarged too much. It indicates the image doesn’t have enough pixel data to support that display size. Blowing up a small image many times greater than its native resolution will make pixelation obvious.
How can I fix overexposed or underexposed photos?
Overexposed highlights and underexposed shadows with no visible detail can be difficult to adjust. But photo editing apps like Photoshop or Lightroom offer advanced tone mapping capabilities that can often recover and restore details from badly exposed areas. The key is working from RAW files that retain maximum tonal data.
Conclusion
Sharing your photos online doesn’t have to compromise quality. Follow these tips to always deliver crisp, clear images:
- Export and share full-resolution originals when possible.
- Use uncompressed formats like PNG or TIFF if permitted.
- Resize properly using bicubic or Lanczos scaling.
- Review photos carefully on multiple devices at full size.
- Leverage platform settings to maximize allowed quality.
With some care taken during exporting, uploading, and sharing, your photos can retain their stunning visual fidelity anywhere they’re viewed online.