So, guess what? You already have a preset for Instagram cropping!
We have done the testing for the current (updated for 2020) Instagram image sizes.
This will make your Instagram workflow so much faster!
What you need is a combination of CROPPING settings as well as EXPORT presets.
First, open the Develop Module with any photo open. Choose the Crop Tool under the Histogram in the right side panel.
Then next to the Aspect Tool, click “Original”. For Instagram, there are only two settings you want to use. 1×1 for Square images and 4×5 for Landscape or Portrait images.
The 4×5 crop will auto-crop to a landscape orientation. If you want to change it to the portrait orientation, just grab the top corner of the image and push it toward the middle, keeping your cursor at the top of the image. The crop will change to the portrait orientation.
Free Lightroom Instagram Export Presets
Now that you have the perfect aspect ratio for all your Instagram posts, you now need to Export your photos. For exporting, we have made Free Instagram Export Presets for you! You can Import them into your Export Menu for quick exporting without changing a bunch of settings every time!
The reason we need all these settings is to preserve our photos for the best possible quality for Instagram. Instagram will compress your photos if you upload anything larger than the 1080 pixels on the longest side size. But if you upload your photos at the proper sizes, they will not compress and you can save your photos at full 300ppi resolution.
Would you like to make Collages for Instagram instead?
And, check out our Free Lightroom Templates for Instagram. This is how you can use Lightroom to make a collage of your photos for Instagram. It is as easy as drag and drop! We have many collage configurations to choose from in all the Instagram official sizes!
Quick Start FREE Lightroom Video Series