Keep the information that makes a photo useful

Export a photograph with the information needed for its next use. The right settings depend on whether you are sharing a preview, delivering an image or preserving an archive.

Keep the original file and edit history where appropriate before creating a separate export. Check dimensions, format and colour settings against the receiving service's requirements. A small web image is not a substitute for the original simply because both show the same scene on a phone.

Inspect the information attached

Review metadata, especially location and personal details, before publishing. Use the application's documented controls and verify the exported result in a suitable viewer. Removing visible text from a caption does not necessarily remove embedded metadata.

Keep authorship and licence information with images that require them. If an image belongs to someone else, an export setting cannot create permission to use it. Maintain the source and rights record separately from the delivery file so it does not disappear during conversion.

Open the export at its intended display size and check important detail. Give it a name that distinguishes it from the original. Then test the actual delivery path if possible, because messaging and publishing services may resize it again. The successful export is the version that works for its destination while leaving a dependable original behind.