Most people are unaware of the reason’s why images tend to look so poorly after they are uploaded to Facebook. This is mainly do to the RESIZING and the COMPRESSION algorithms done behind the scenes after you uploaded your images.
This note is mainly for people OTHER than bathroom-mirror cell phone camera addicts and raise-your-glass-at-the-night-club aficionados.
A lot of photographers ask me how my images still look sharp and clear on FaceBook. So… I am addressing those PHOTOGRAPHERS and ARTISTS…who work so hard on their images only to see the sharpness, color and clarity get diminished before their very eyes. As a fashion & beauty photographer, nothing gets on my nerves more than seeing hard work destroyed.
Ok, let’s get on with it.
1. RESIZING:
The image should not be any larger than 720 pixels on the LONGEST side (horizontal or vertical). Anything larger and it will be RESIZED automatically. This is main reason why images come out bad. So then… Resize the image so it does not exceed the 720x720 boundary box FaceBook gives you.
2. SHARPENING:
For those of you using Photoshop, use “Smart Sharpen” instead of the other Sharpen options. (For a 720 pixel file…. The settings of 60% at .3 radius should be fine, if you desire more sharpness, Smart Sharpen AGAIN instead of raising the setting values.
3. EXPORTING:
Instead of exporting your images as .jpg files, use 24-bit .png files instead! Why? Because… Facebook will tinker with your file no matter what, but you still want to start out with the best quality file to upload. If you upload a .jpg file (a file which was already “compressed”), Facebook will compress it AGAIN. So basically, you are getting hosed twice before the public views it. Uploading a .png file (24-bit, NOT 8-bit) will ensure the best possible file to begin with. This .png file is not compressed like a .jpg file is so it only gets compressed once by Facebook.
4. UPLOAD:
Just like I said, upload. Duh. :)
Hopefully, this will help some of you.
Christos
Fashion & Beauty Photographer
www.imagebychristos.com
P.S. One last thing. If you choose to “Download” an image from Facebook, this file has been compressed. If you RE-upload it to your gallery, it will be compressed AGAIN. With each compression, quality is lost.
P.S.S Also be aware that when you create a “Profile Picture” from one of your uploaded image. That too, get’s a second dose of Facebook Compression. This is unfortunate.
