Creating Email Ready Images Using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom’s Export Dialog
Learning to harness the full potential of the Export Dialog is an important skill for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom users. I use the Export Dialog everyday to create email-ready Jpeg copies of my digital camera Raw files. This powerful Lightroom tool is the most efficient way to prepare email-ready copies of my photos whenever I need to send an image to a client, to a friend, or to Mom. With a single mouse click, the Export Dialog can create a copy of my photograph that is small enough to fit through the email pipeline and that will look good in the recipient’s Inbox!
Think of the Export Dialog is if it were a big “Save As” button. Export in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom vernacular means “to make a new copy of your photograph for a specific purpose.” The file that the Export Dialog creates for you can be assigned a new filename. The new file can be stored in a different folder and it can be saved using a different file format. In addition, there are controls in the Export Dialog that allow me to scale my images down to size that will fit nicely on my recipient’s screen.
For me, mastering this side of Lightroom is crucial because sending Raw files out via email is a disaster. Sending Raw files via email is a disaster because these files are too large–too many megabytes–to fit through the email pipeline. Even if the Raw file makes it to the recipient, there is no guarantee that their computer can display my camera’s proprietary Raw data! Small Jpeg files are the way to go for email because these will fit on any screen and they can be displayed without additional software on any device.
There is no magic here. The Export Dialog in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom cannot read your mind. Each section of this dialog needs your input. The Export Dialog will do whatever you ask but you have to fill in all of the right boxes every time! You have to key in your instructions before you use this tool or you have to select an appropriate Preset that will automatically fill in the right boxes for you.
I have recorded three video tutorials for today’s lesson on using the Export Dialog to create email-ready Jpeg files. In the first video tutorial, I demonstrate how to use the factory default “For E-Mail” Export Preset. The factory default “For E-Mail” settings are adequate but I believe that we can do better. In the second video tutorial, I explain how to control the Export Dialog’s settings so that you get higher-quality results. The third–and most advanced–tutorial explains how to save these better email settings as an Export Preset so that you do not have to key them in again and again.
The third video tutorial also demonstrates how I can connect Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and my email software together. By linking these programs together, I can literally press a single button and have Adobe Photoshop Lightroom prepare a copy of my image for email. Not only will Lightroom prepare my Jpeg files for me but it will also launch my email program, create a blank letter, and attach the image. I can press a single button in Lightroom then fill in the recipient’s email address and away it goes! The setup takes a few minutes but the payoff is amazingly efficient and it makes emailing images incredibly easy!
Preparing Files for Email Using the Factory Default Export Preset in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3
Better Export for Email Settings in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3
Building Your Own Export for Email Preset and Linking Lightroom to Your Email Program
Warning: The last trick is not going to work for everyone. Connecting Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and your email software together is a huge help for folks who use an email application like Apple Mail, Microsoft Outlook, or Microsoft Outlook Express. This trick–using a Post-Export action–only works if you are using an email program that lives within your computer. This trick will not work for folks who need to log into a website to compose a new mail message.
Related Tutorials:
- Digital Camera File Formats: Raw and Jpeg
- Using the Lr2/Mogrify Plugin to Add Borders in the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Export Dialog
- Connecting Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 with Flickr
Filed Under: (07) Exporting • Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Tutorials
About the Author: David Marx is a digital photography instructor whose engaging teaching style inspires photographers of all skill levels. David is an Adobe Certified Lightroom Expert. To learn more about David's Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software training seminars and digital photography field workshops please visit 
awesome!
David,
I am a brand new LR3 user. Tried using 2 recommended books to help. Finally, after tearing out what few head hairs I have, I went online and found your video tutorials. They are exactly what I needed to get going quickly and efficiently. You are an excellent teacher.
Many thanks
Bob Grady
Dear Bob Grady,
Thanks for the kind words about the tutorials. I really appreciate it. If you like what you see here please join us for one of our Photoshop Lightroom seminars or a digital photography field workshop.
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David Marx
This just doesn’t work well (if at all) on Windows. Windows users should skip this technique and just use MAPI Mailer. Works great. Too bad there isn’t a MAPI Mailer for Mac.
http://sbsutherland.com/index.php?view=article&id=47
It would probably help a lot of people to include that information and link in the tutorial so Windows users don’t waste their time.
Dear Rob Sylvan,
The MAPI mailer is a great solution for some Windows users. Thanks for the sharing this tip. If you have a video tutorial on how to install it, run it, etc. we would be happy to add it to this post!
Best regards,
David Marx
David,
I followed your instructions in the number three video and it works great. The only problem, it will not email multiple attachments. When I select multiple photos in Lightroom 3 it only sends one photo. I have Windows 7 & Outlook 2010 on my desktop and Windows 7 & Outlook 2007 on the laptop. Same problem on both computers. Done everything I can think of to fix it without any luck. Hope you can help.
Spence
Dear Spencer Mougin,
I believe that the inability to attach multiple files to your email is a weakness of Microsoft Outlook. :< Sorry. That said it's not hard to attach the additional images yourself especially if the new files are being sent to a "To Email" folder on your desktop.
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David Marx
Hi David,
I get only one attachment too, as Michi and Andreas.
Hope you can help us with it. Seems like it’s something with Outlook 2010.
Anna
Hello David,
i have the same problem like Michi – with one photo it works perfect, with more than one – i get only one attachement in the mail program. (outlook 2010, PC). Any Idea?
Andreas
Hello David
Thanks this is a really really cool tip . . . didn’t know that anything like that exists.
But I don’t get it to work with more than one photo, it exports all photos and opens my email application, but attach only the first photo on it.
Michi
Like Will Dennehy, I can get it to open my mail program but not a new e-mail document. I am using LR3, Windows 7, and Windows Live Mail. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Im using LR2 windows xp and outlook express. I can get it to open outlook express but not a new email. Any ideas?
WILL
Dear Will Dennehy,
I am afraid I can’t explain the secrets of Outlook. I gave up on the Microsoft platform a few years ago. Sorry. Just getting Lightroom to launch Outlook Express for you though is a big help though.
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David Marx
Of course you can always go a step further (although a step outside of Lightroom). There are two plugins I use for email depending on what email I want to send from. LR/Gmail and MapiMailer LR/Gmail brings up an email form right in the Export dialogue to let you compose from there and it will connect to your Gmail account and send it on.
I’ve tried setting up Thunderbird in the manner above but I’ve never had success with it either as a Post Export Action or using “Open in Application” just below it. No matter, MapiMailer exports your photos (any number, not just a single photo as it used to) then attaches them to a new email in your system default email program (without having to go through the steps to set up the above steps).
LR/Gmail is from Tim Armes and is donationware if you want to send more than one photo (donation well spent!) MapiMailer is free from Steve Sutherland but you can also donate (again, well worth it).
Dear JasonP,
Excellent comments. I have used the Lr/Gmail plug-in but hadn’t seen MapiMailer. Thanks.
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David Marx
Thanks enjoyed your email vids!! loved your settings, # 3 was great 1st I time was able to make email work through LR. Used moziala thunderbird (new release, free)Works great!
Question Is there a way to embed photo into the body of letter as opposed to an attachment connected to letter,using LR
Dear David,
Embedding vs. attaching is a feature of your operating system and email program. Lightroom can make the connection to Thunderbird for you but what happens from there depends on Thunderbird’s capabilities.
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David Marx
Thanks for the helpful tips.
nice tutorial….
Thanks everyone for the positive feedback on the Export for Email post!
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David Marx
Very nice tutorial! Thank you!
A very useful preset.
Really really cool! thank you.
Thanks for the tips, David! I wasn’t aware of being able to send the pics straight to email. Cool.