Export Formats Guide

A comprehensive ProEditMac guide

Choosing the right export format and settings can make or break your final image. The wrong format can introduce banding, add unnecessary file size, or destroy detail through excessive compression. This guide covers every format you need to know for professional photography.

1 JPEG — The Universal Format

JPEG remains the most widely compatible format for photography. It uses lossy compression, meaning some data is permanently discarded to reduce file size.

• Quality 90-95%: Near-lossless, ideal for portfolio and client delivery
• Quality 80-85%: Good balance for web use, minimal visible degradation
• Quality 60-75%: Smaller files for email or social media thumbnails

Best for: Web display, social media, email, client proofs, any situation requiring broad compatibility.

2 PNG — Lossless with Transparency

PNG uses lossless compression, preserving every pixel exactly. It supports transparency (alpha channel), making it essential for graphics, logos, and compositing elements.

Best for: Graphics with text, images requiring transparency, screenshots, images that will undergo further editing.

Avoid for: Large photographs (file sizes are enormous compared to JPEG).

3 TIFF — The Professional Standard

TIFF is the gold standard for print production and archival. It supports 16-bit color depth, layers, and multiple compression options including lossless LZW.

Best for: Print production, archival storage, images requiring maximum quality, inter-application exchange.

4 HEIF/HEIC — The Modern Contender

HEIF offers better compression than JPEG at equivalent quality, supports 10-bit color depth, and is the default format on Apple devices. Adoption is growing but not yet universal.

Best for: Apple ecosystem workflows, storage-conscious photographers, HDR images.

5 RAW — Your Digital Negative

RAW isn't an export format but rather your source format. Always keep your RAW files as permanent archives. They contain the maximum data from your sensor and can be re-processed as software improves.

Storage tip: Use DNG (Digital Negative) format for archival RAW storage — it's an open standard that won't become obsolete.

6 Choosing the Right Settings

Match your export to the destination:

• Instagram: JPEG, 1080px wide, quality 85%, sRGB color space
• Website portfolio: JPEG, 2048px long edge, quality 90%, sRGB
• Print (lab): TIFF or JPEG quality 100%, native resolution, AdobeRGB or ProPhoto RGB
• Client delivery: JPEG quality 95%, full resolution, sRGB unless specified

Pro Tips

• Always export in sRGB for web and social media — wider gamuts display incorrectly on most screens.
• Never edit and re-save JPEG repeatedly — each save degrades quality (generation loss).
• Strip metadata (EXIF) from images posted online for privacy.
• Use batch export presets to maintain consistency across projects.
• Keep master files in your editing software's native format for maximum flexibility.