Protect Your Images on Social Media with Photoshop and Lightroom

7

Export an Image for Social Media From Photoshop CS6

Are you still saving web images using the Save As command? Instead, choose File > Save for Web. In addition to being able to fine-tune and compare compression options for the best balance between file size and quality, you can resize the image during export and control the embedded metadata you share with the image online. Let’s focus on the color, size, and metadata options.

When sharing an image online, turn on the Convert to sRGB option for consistency with the sRGB color space used by web browsers, mobile devices, and typical consumer desktop and laptop displays.
Click the Metadata menu at the right side of the Save for Web dialog box to see five options. All of the options include copyright metadata (except None), but if you prefer not to share other metadata such as exposure data, descriptions, and keywords, choose Copyright or Copyright & Contact Info Only.
In the Image Size section, you can resize an image during export by entering the new pixel dimensions or percentage. The Quality pop-up menu contains the same five choices you find in the Image > Image Size dialog box, but when reducing the pixel dimensions for online sharing it’s usually best to use Bicubic or Bicubic Sharper.

Export Multiple Images for Social Media from Bridge CS6

Want to batch-export web images faster? In Bridge CS6, the Export panel gives you a way to save many files for online sharing in a single pass, and without having to open file after file or build actions in Photoshop. The Export panel includes several direct links to online services such as Facebook, Flickr, and Photoshop.com, and if you want to export images to another service you can set up the Hard Drive module so that it exports images into a folder, then you can upload from that folder to any photo-sharing site you want. Your originals aren’t changed, because copies are exported.
1. Double-click the module you want to use.

2. Set up the Destination tab. If the module connects to a service that requires an account, log into it. If you double-clicked the Save to Hard Drive module, select a folder.
3. Click the Image Options tab, and set up the Image Size and Quality section. To limit pixel dimensions here, click the Don’t Resize menu and choose Manual Resize, make sure Constrain to Fit is selected, and then enter the maximum pixel dimension you want to allow for each image’s long side.
4. In the Metadata section set up the metadata options, which are similar to those in the Photoshop Save for Web dialog box that I covered earlier. If you don’t want to include the GPS coordinates of photos you share, deselect Include Location Info. If metadata hasn’t already been entered for the images you’re uploading but you have a metadata template ready, turn on Apply Metadata Template and then choose one from the Name menu.
5. Think of a descriptive name for this output module, enter it as a Preset Name at the bottom of the dialog box, and click Save. You’ll see a new copy of the output module appear in the Export panel.
6. To queue up images for an online service, simply drag them from the Content panel to any export module you set up. When you’re ready to upload the queue, click the upload arrow.

Setting Up Images for Social Media in Lightroom

You can also prepare images for social media using Lightroom 4, and sometimes more efficiently than in Photoshop and Bridge.

Set up Watermarks and Copyright Metadata using Lightroom 4

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 has a handy Watermark Editor that’s a lot more powerful than the Photoshop Watermark panel. Any watermark you create is saved as a watermark preset that you can select any time you export. And entering metadata is as easy as it is in Bridge.
To create a watermark preset:
1. In the Library or Develop module, select an image that’s good for testing watermarks, and choose Lightroom > Edit Watermarks.

2. Choose a Watermark Style, either Text or a Graphic. The Text options are self-explanatory, so I won’t go into the details here. If you select Graphic, only the Watermark Effects section is available; these options are also fairly obvious except for the Offset option, which measures from the nearest edge defined by the Anchor point you choose. If you want the watermark to be non-photographic artwork such as a logo or a signature, you must prepare the file outside Lightroom in a graphics editor such as Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.
3. When you’re done, click Save. You’ll be asked to name your settings as a new saved watermark preset.

At this point, no watermarks are applied to images yet. That happens when you export, which I’ll cover soon. First let’s set up metadata in Lightroom.
To enter copyright and contact metadata:
1. In the Library module, select one or more images.
2. In the Metadata panel in the right panel stack, make sure IPTC is selected, and enter contact and copyright information into the same fields suggested for Bridge earlier. Like Bridge, Lightroom lets you save time by creating and applying metadata templates; in Lightroom you can do this using the Preset menu at the top of the Metadata panel.
After you’ve set up watermarks and metadata in the steps above, you’re ready to export copies that include them.

Export Multiple Images for Social Media from Lightroom 4

The great thing about Lightroom is that you can limit pixel dimensions, control embedded metadata, and apply a watermark all in the Export dialog box.
1. Select one or more images and choose File > Export, or click the Export button if it’s visible.
2. Scroll down to the Image Sizing section, select the Resize to Fit checkbox, and select how you want to limit the pixel dimensions. If you pick one of the first four, be sure to specify Pixels as the unit of measure.
3. Scroll down to the Metadata section, and expand it if needed. You’ll see options similar to those in Photoshop Save for Web. From the pop-up menu, choose the level of image metadata you’re comfortable sharing, and select Remove Location Info if you don’t want to include GPS coordinates.

4. Scroll down to the Watermarking section, expand it if needed, select the Watermark check box, and then select the name of the preset you just created in step 3.
5. Adjust other Export settings as needed, then click the Export button to generate watermarked copies of the images you selected.
Lightroom also has Publish Services that connect directly to popular photo sharing sites. These work much like the Export modules you saw in Bridge, and you’ll find them at the bottom of the left panel stack in the Library module. Once you get those set up, in the Publishing Manager dialog box you’ll see the same controls over pixel dimensions, embedded metadata, and watermarks that are the same as those you saw in the Export dialog box.
While there are no guaranteed ways to prevent image piracy, taking these steps can minimize the risk of infringement and give you more leverage in the event you discover an infringement. And using the bulk editing and export tools in Photoshop, Bridge, and Lightroom can save you a lot of time with these tasks so that you can concentrate on sharing your work with the world.
 

Previous 1 2