# Exporting size



## DaveAnderson (Nov 20, 2009)

After posting photos in smug mug, when I click to order them, it says the photos are not large enough to print the sizes 8X10 and greater.  

I am exporting from lightroom and think I might have it set on too small size or something, but am not sure what to do. Any advice?


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## Big Mike (Nov 20, 2009)

The rule of thumb for printing, is usually that you want 300 PPI (pixels per inch)...although, you can go lower.

So for an 8x10, you would want an image file that is 2400x3000 pixels.  
That would likely be a huge file to upload to smug mug for on-line viewing.

I don't use Smug Mug or those on-line print service websites...but what I do do, is to resize my images for on-line viewing.  I make them just big enough to look good on a screen...but I would never print from those files.  I send my print images directly to my lab.


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## musicaleCA (Nov 20, 2009)

Don't resize the image you hand to SmugMug. Just send the full-res version. Problem solved.


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## DaveAnderson (Nov 20, 2009)

I'm not resizing them manually.  I just load them without doing anything...?


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## Big Mike (Nov 20, 2009)

What size are they when you export them from Lightroom?


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## chrislee.980 (Nov 24, 2009)

It is very effortless to reduce the photo size of the photograph. First make a backup of your old file. There are some options to reduce the photo size. Open your photo in any image editing software and make the size of image smaller. You do it by reducing it physically and decreasing dpi/resolution. Also you can remove the all needless background and focus on the important part of the photograph and the time of saving photo graph you have to choose the option such as 'save for the web' or like 'decrease the file size for web display'.


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## Goontz (Nov 24, 2009)

There's an option on Lightroom's export dialog to resize the image while exporting (specific size, specific PPI, all sorts of options). You might want to scroll down a little bit in the export window and make sure that isn't checked.


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## Shockey (Dec 3, 2009)

Picture does not have enough pixels to print that large and make a quality print.
Either it is a big crop of an original photo or you somehow downsized it during one of your operations.
Go back to lightroom and redownload it making sure not to down size it.
If it is a huge crop you will need to increase the dpi of the image and try it again, I do that resizing in Photoshop, not sure how to upres in Lightroom.


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