Export Settings That Serve the Delivery

Ask where it will be seen

A web gallery, social post, archive and print handoff have different needs. Start with the destination and working dimensions rather than exporting one giant file for everything.

Keep a naming rule

A predictable filename helps clients, editors and your future self. Include the assignment or sequence without creating a name so long that it gets truncated in ordinary file browsers.

Record the preset

A saved export preset reduces repeated decisions and makes the delivery easier to audit. Adobe documents export choices for format, colour space, dimensions and metadata.

Name the destination first

Write the destination at the top of the export note: web gallery, social crop, print handoff, archive or client proof. Then choose the format, colour space, long edge and metadata that serve that destination. Keep a full-resolution original separate from the delivery folder. Adobe’s Lightroom documentation describes these export choices and supports saving settings as reusable presets, which makes a repeatable handoff easier to check.

Do not use one giant file as a substitute for a delivery plan. It may be too slow for a gallery, carry location metadata that should be removed or create a crop problem for the next person. Use a filename that identifies the assignment and sequence, make a small test export and open it on the device or service where it will be seen. A delivery is finished when the receiver can use it without guessing.

Keep a field record

Open the exported folder as if you were the receiver. Can you identify the assignment, understand the numbering, preview the files quickly and tell which version is final? Check one file for dimensions, colour profile and metadata according to the stated destination. Then save the preset with a plain name that another person can understand. A workflow is durable when the file itself and the instruction around it agree, especially after the original editor is no longer at the desk.

Know the limit

Colour and metadata are part of the recipient’s reality. A web service may convert a file; a print partner may need a different profile; a client may not want location data embedded in a public image. Ask the destination instead of assuming one standard works everywhere. Keep a source archive with the original capture and edit history, then make the delivery folder simple. If a file needs an explanation before it can be used, the export process has not finished its job.

Example from the field

Example: a client proof may need a modest long edge and readable filenames, while a print partner may request a different profile and larger dimensions. Create separate presets instead of changing one export each time. Open a sample from each folder and check it on the destination device. The test catches wrong crops, accidental metadata and confusing versions before the recipient has to report the problem.