Has this ever happened to you?
You wait several minutes for the sun to set just right over the ocean. You take dozens of selfies with your friends to weed out the unflattering ones. You capture that fleeting, adorable moment when your dog stretches out after an afternoon snooze.
The photo looks perfect on your screen—every detail sharp and crisp.
Then you post it to Instagram.
If you’ve ever complained about low-quality uploads, grainy images or compressed-looking photos on Instagram, you’re not alone. Dozens of Reddit threads and photography forums are filled with the same frustration.
The popular social media platform makes no secret of the fact that it compresses images uploaded by its users. The main reason is to ensure the app runs smoothly, posts load quickly and the experience doesn’t feel bogged down.
But sometimes, those performance tools can go too far for some users.
So, what’s an easy way to ensure the image you post looks as good as possible — at least on Instagram?
There are couple things you can do.
First, you can take back some of the control from the compression algorithm by optimizing your image for Instagram prior to uploading it.
Instagram’s recommended width for photos is 1080 pixels. According to the Instagram help center, if your image is larger, Instagram will downsize it, often resulting in noticeable compression artifacts. By resizing it yourself before uploading, you retain more control over the final quality. The height of your image can vary, but common aspect ratios are 4:5, 1.91:1, or the classic 1:1, aka, square.
Other tips to better your upload quality include cutting out any unnecessary third-party apps. If you take a photo on one phone and send it to another via text or apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, the file often gets compressed along the way. Whenever possible, upload directly from the device that took the photo or another method that preserves original quality.
But possibly the easiest and most effective thing you can do to improve the quality of your Instagram uploads can be found in the backend of the app.
Instagram has an option that allows users to upload higher-quality media that can be found in the app settings. To turn it on, go to Settings & Privacy > Data usage and media quality > Media upload quality, and toggle on “Upload at highest quality.” This reduces compression when uploading photos and videos, especially over Wi-Fi.
This should result in almost immediate improved quality uploads, according to multiple social media commenters and some test posts conducted during the writing of this story.
For more serious photographers who bring their professional cameras, various lenses and straps and bags to carry them, there are additional tools that the typical iPhone or Android users might not have at their expense.
Some Reddit users on /r/instagram and /r/photography have also found that exporting your image in JPEG format versus PNG or HEIC, and ensuring that the image has an sRGB color profile, helps preserve some image fidelity. When exporting your image from a photo editing program like Photoshop or Lightroom, some users have said exporting at 80-90% quality, rather than 100%, limited how much Instagram further compressed their images.
Like most photography, it’s all about trial and error. And even with all these settings in place to maximize the quality of an Instagram-uploaded photo, good composition speaks for itself. No one wants to see the fuzzy image of an index finger blocking the corner of an otherwise remarkable sunset.
For more information about using Instagram, visit the app’s help center online.