How to Fix Photo Quality on Facebook

It's one of the most frustrating feelings for any creator or marketer: you spend hours editing a photo to perfection, only to upload it to Facebook and watch it turn into a blurry, pixelated mess. This isn't your fault, it's the result of Facebook's aggressive compression algorithm. This article will walk you through exactly why this happens and provide simple, actionable steps to make sure your photos look sharp and professional every time you post.

Why Your Photos Look Blurry on Facebook

Before we get into the fixes, it helps to understand the problem. Every single day, over 350 million photos are uploaded to Facebook. To store and display that massive amount of content quickly, Facebook automatically compresses every image file you upload. Compression reduces a file's size by removing some of its data, which can result in a loss of sharpness, detail, and color accuracy.

The goal isn't to avoid compression entirely - that's impossible. The goal is to give Facebook a file that's already so well-optimized that its compression algorithm barely has to touch it. When you upload a giant, un-resized, high-resolution photo straight from your camera, you're giving Facebook's algorithm full control to crush the file as it sees fit. By preparing your image correctly before you upload, you take back control and minimize the quality loss.

The main culprits behind blurry photos are:

• Aggressive Compression: Facebook's default settings prioritize speed and server space over image quality.
• Incorrect Dimensions: Uploading photos that don't fit Facebook's recommended sizes forces the platform to resize them, often causing pixelation and softness.
• Wrong File Format: Using a file type that isn't ideal for the web can lead to poor results.
• Improper Color Profile: Using a professional color profile like Adobe RGB will look washed out or strangely colored on most web browsers.

The good news is that you can control all of these factors with just a few simple adjustments to your workflow.

Step 1: Start with a High-Quality Source Image

This might sound obvious, but you can't create a sharp image from a blurry one. The quality of your final Facebook post depends heavily on the quality of the image you start with. This principle is often called "garbage in, garbage out." If your starting photo is low-resolution, out of focus, or poorly lit, no amount of export settings can magically fix it.

Here are a few quick tips to make sure your source file is solid:

• Shoot in Good Light: Well-lit photos are naturally sharper and have less digital "noise," which looks even worse after compression.
• Use the Highest Resolution Possible: Whether you're using a DSLR or a smartphone, set your camera to its highest quality setting. More data to start with gives you more flexibility in editing and exporting.
• Avoid Digital Zoom: Digital zoom doesn't actually zoom in, it just crops the image and enlarges it, immediately reducing its quality. If you need to get closer, move your feet! Or, crop the photo later in an editing program where you have more control.
• Perform Mild Sharpening: After you finish your edits, apply a subtle amount of sharpening. Don't overdo it, as hyper-sharpened images can look crunchy and create ugly artifacts after compression. A little bit goes a long way.

Step 2: Optimize Your Export Settings in Lightroom, Photoshop, or Canva

This is where you make the biggest impact on your photo's final quality. Instead of just exporting your photo and uploading it, you need to prepare it specifically for Facebook. Whether you're using professional software like Adobe Lightroom or a free tool like Canva, the settings are generally the same.

File Format: Choose JPEG or PNG

For almost all photographic images, JPEG (or .jpg) is the best format. It offers a great balance between file size and quality. PNG files are typically larger and are best reserved for graphics that contain sharp lines, text, or transparent backgrounds, like a logo. Uploading a photograph as a PNG can result in a massive file size, which invites even heavier compression from Facebook.

• Use JPEG for: All standard photos.
• Use PNG for: Logos, illustrations with flat color, and images that need a transparent background.

Dimensions: Resize Before You Upload

This is one of the most important steps. You want to resize your photo to the exact dimensions Facebook prefers so its algorithm doesn’t have to. For years, the gold standard has been to resize your image so that its longest edge is 2048 pixels.

Why 2048px? This resolution provides enough detail for high-resolution displays (like Apple's Retina screens) while keeping the file size manageable. Resizing the image yourself gives you control over the final look, whereas letting Facebook do it will always result in a softer image.

How to Resize in Common Apps:

• In Lightroom: In the Export module, go to the "Image Sizing" box. Check "Resize to Fit" and choose "Long Edge" from the dropdown. Enter "2048" in the pixels box. Set the resolution to 72 pixels per inch (the standard for web).
• In Photoshop: Go to File > Export > Export As... In the "Image Size" section on the right, set the longest dimension (either Width or Height) to 2048px. Let Photoshop automatically adjust the other dimension to maintain your aspect ratio.
• In Canva: When you're ready to download, click "Share," then "Download." You can select the file type (JPEG) and adjust the "Size" slider. You may need to do some quick math to hit 2048px on the longest side, as Canva's sizing tool can be less precise for non-Pro users. Alternatively, create a new design with a custom dimension of 2048px on one side and place your photo inside.

Quick Reference for Other Dimensions:

• Standard Shared Photos: 2048px on the longest side.
• Facebook Cover Photos: 851 x 315 pixels. Designing for this space can be tricky, as it crops differently on mobile vs. desktop, so always check your design on both.
• Facebook Stories: 1080 x 1920 pixels.

Color Space: Always Use sRGB

Color space determines how colors are interpreted by a device. While professional cameras often shoot in broader color spaces like Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB, the web runs entirely on sRGB. If you upload a photo with an Adobe RGB color profile, its colors will look dull and desaturated in a web browser.

This is a common mistake that photographers make. Your image might look vibrant and perfect in Lightroom or Photoshop, but it appears flat on Facebook. Make sure your export settings specify the sRGB color space.

How to Set the Color Space:

• In Lightroom: Under the "File Settings" in the Export module, you'll see a "Color Space" dropdown. Select sRGB.
• In Photoshop: In the "Export As" window, make sure the "Convert to sRGB" box is checked.

Quality and File Size

When exporting as a JPEG, you'll be given a "Quality" slider, usually scaled from 0-100. Setting it to 100 often creates an unnecessarily large file with no perceptible increase in visual quality. A setting between 70 and 90 is generally the sweet spot. This maintains excellent detail while keeping the file size down.

As a rule of thumb, try to keep your final exported JPEG under 1MB. Files smaller than this seem to get treated more gently by Facebook's compression algorithm.

Step 3: Enable the "Upload in HD" Setting on Facebook

After all your careful exporting, there's one last switch you need to flip within Facebook itself. The platform has a setting that tells it to apply less compression to your uploads. It's often turned off by default, so you'll need to enable it manually.

How to Enable HD Uploads on the Mobile App (iOS/Android):

1. Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon (three lines).
2. Scroll down and tap on "Settings & Privacy," then tap "Settings."
3. Scroll down to the "Preferences" section and tap on "Media."
4. Under "Video and Photo Settings," you'll see toggles for "Upload photos in HD" and "Upload videos in HD." Make sure both are turned on (blue).

How to Enable HD Uploads on Desktop:

1. Go to Facebook.com on a web browser.
2. Click your profile picture in the top-right corner to open the menu.
3. Select "Settings & Privacy," then click "Settings."
4. In the left-hand menu, scroll down and click on "Media."
5. Under "Video and Photo Settings," you'll see an option for "Photo quality." Make sure it is set to "High."

Step 4: Upload from a Desktop for Best Results

While enabling the HD setting on mobile helps, uploading from a desktop computer often yields the most consistent, high-quality results. Why? Messaging apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger all apply their own layers of heavy compression when you send or save photos.

If you edit a photo on your computer, transfer it to an online drive (like Google Drive or Dropbox), download it to your phone, and then upload it to Facebook, you are preserving its quality. But if you text that same photo to yourself, its quality will be ruined before it ever reaches Facebook. The safest workflow is to upload the master file directly from the computer where it was edited.

Your High-Quality Facebook Photo Checklist

Feeling overwhelmed? Here's a simple checklist to recap everything. Follow these steps, and your photos will look fantastic:

• Start with a sharp, high-resolution source image. No fixing a blurry photo after the fact.
• Resize your image so its longest side is 2048 pixels.
• Export as a high-quality JPEG (set to 70-90 quality). Aim for a file size under 1MB.
• Set the color space to sRGB. This is non-negotiable for web content.
• Turn on the "Upload photos in HD" setting in your Facebook app and on desktop.
• Upload the final file from a desktop browser when possible to avoid additional compression from mobile apps.

Final Thoughts

Fixing your photo quality on Facebook is all about giving the platform a file that is so perfectly prepared that its compression algorithms have very little work to do. By pre-sizing your images, converting them to the right color space, and enabling the simple HD setting, you take back control from the algorithm and make sure your work looks as sharp online as it does on your screen.

Once your images are perfected, you want a publishing process that respects that quality and doesn't introduce new problems. At Postbase, we built our social media management tool to support high-res photos and video formats natively. That way, you can plan and schedule your content across all your platforms with confidence, knowing the visuals you worked so hard on will go live looking exactly as intended, without unexpected compression headaches or publishing errors.