Bottom line: keep one untouched, full-resolution original. Export a new copy for each destination using its current pixel, crop, colour and file-size requirements. Pixels determine screen detail, PPI helps translate pixels into print size, and printer DPI describes ink or toner dots, not image pixels.
01 · The archive is not the delivery folderProtect the highest-quality original first
The safest workflow starts with a full-resolution original that’s never resized, repeatedly recompressed, or overwritten. It gives you room to correct verticals, make alternate crops, meet a new portal rule, prepare print, and audit an edited result later.
- Retain the original capture and your highest-quality finished edit.
- Use a lossless or high-quality working format appropriate to your editor.
- Create named derivatives for MLS, website, social, email and print.
- Record the export date, crop, pixel dimensions, colour profile and destination.
- Never use a small portal download as the new original.
This follows the strongest useful point in the reviewed BoxBrownie capture guide: start with the highest-resolution source practical. The delivery decisions come afterward.
02 · Three similar words do different jobsSeparate pixels, PPI and printer DPI
Pixel dimensions describe the actual grid of image information. PPI describes how densely those pixels are assigned when calculating print size. Printer DPI describes the dots a device lays down and isn’t interchangeable with image PPI.
Changing a metadata field from 72 PPI to 300 PPI without resampling doesn’t create detail. It just changes the calculated print size. Adobe’s current guidance makes the same distinction and describes 300 PPI as a common high-quality close-viewed print target, while noting that viewing distance and output method matter.
What can this file deliver?
Enter the actual pixel dimensions. The PPI field in metadata is not used because it does not create or remove pixels.
These are uncropped maximum dimensions. Leave extra pixels for straightening, perspective correction, bleed, and the printer’s requested crop.
Plan aspect ratio before the final crop
A 3:2 camera file, 4:3 portal slot, square social post and 8 × 10 print can’t all show the exact same edges. Exporting is a composition decision, not just a compression setting.
| Before cropping | Protect |
|---|---|
| Exterior | Roof peaks, driveway access, landscaping, sign-free margins and enough sky to avoid a cramped facade. |
| Interior | Room-defining corners, window frames, furniture edges and straight verticals. |
| Twilight | Fixture glow, roofline, horizon and readable shadow detail; avoid cropping into the main lighting story. |
| Trim and bleed allowance requested by the printer, plus safe space for captions or page design. |
Keep crop flexibility in the original. Don’t stretch the photograph to force a ratio, and check every important derivative at its actual thumbnail or page placement.
04 · One photograph needs several delivery filesExport for the destination, not a mythical universal setting
Use sRGB, responsive variants when available, and enough pixels for the largest displayed slot without shipping the original unnecessarily.
Confirm pixel dimensions, ratio, format, file-size cap, photo count, branding restrictions and downstream crops.
Ask the printer for final dimensions, bleed, profile and target PPI. Export from the original, not from a web JPEG.
Email and social copies deserve their own exports too. A useful website file can be needlessly heavy for email, while a social crop may discard details needed by a listing portal. Use descriptive names such as 123-main-street-exterior_original.tif, _mls.jpg, _web-2000.jpg and _print-8x10.jpg.
Treat published platform sizes as examples, not MLS law
As of August 27, 2026, Zillow’s official upload guidance recommends 2048 × 1536 pixels in a 4:3 ratio for home-detail photos, accepts JPG among its supported formats, and says photos should be under 25 MB. Stellar MLS currently recommends 1024 × 768 JPG photos and allows up to 100 property photos on its reciprocal listings page. Those two official pages already show why one universal “MLS export” preset is unsafe.
Check the exact MLS, brokerage, syndication portal and print vendor. Save the verified requirement with the export preset.
Open the live listing. Inspect crops, ordering, colour, compression and whether syndication created a smaller derivative.
Current official references: Zillow photo uploading tips and Stellar MLS reciprocal-listing specifications.
06 · Compression and colour are visible decisionsUse JPEG deliberately and convert web copies to sRGB
JPEG is efficient and widely accepted, but it’s lossy. Quality numbers differ between applications, so “quality 80” in one exporter isn’t a universal standard. Compare visible quality and final bytes at the intended viewing size.
- Export from the original once; avoid repeatedly opening and overwriting JPEGs.
- Inspect roof shingles, foliage, window mullions, railings, gradients and twilight skies for blocks, ringing or banding.
- Strip only metadata your workflow does not need; keep private client data out of public files.
- Use sRGB for general web and portal delivery unless the destination says otherwise.
- Embed the requested print profile rather than blindly converting everything to CMYK.
Adobe’s current online-viewing guidance recommends sRGB for web images and converting non-sRGB files before web use. Preserve the wider or native working colour profile in the original when appropriate.
07 · Resize first, sharpen secondApply output sharpening to the final copy
Capture sharpening, creative sharpening and output sharpening solve different problems. The final pass should be judged after resizing because resizing changes edge contrast. A web thumbnail may need a different touch from a full-page print.
| Inspect | Failure signal |
|---|---|
| Rooflines and window frames | Bright or dark halos tracing edges |
| Branches and railings | Brittle, jagged or crunchy fine detail |
| Walls and skies | Noise or compression made more obvious |
| Fabrics, grass and stone | False texture that looks clearer but less natural |
Inspect at 100% and at actual delivery size. If sharpening draws attention to itself, back it off.
08 · Dimensions alone do not prove preservationEvaluate resolution after AI editing
An AI result can have the same pixel dimensions as the upload while losing meaningful detail, and an upscaled file can be larger without recovering source information. Verify the finished result visually and technically.
Confirm the source and result grid, and account for any intentional crop or orientation change.
Compare roof edges, window frames, foliage, furnishings, signage, texture and fine repeating patterns.
Watch for smeared branches, warped mullions, repeated textures, painterly surfaces and oversharpened replacements.
Twilight skies, smooth walls and shadow transitions reveal banding, blocks and aggressive recompression quickly.
Download the actual customer file. Do not judge only a browser preview, thumbnail, metadata claim or provider dashboard.
Relight Spaces is designed to return results at the uploaded pixel dimensions. The responsible test is still the downloaded result: dimensions, crop, visible detail and compression should all be reviewed before client delivery.
09 · A repeatable delivery recipeBuild three exports from one approved original
- Finish and archive the original. Preserve full pixel dimensions and the working colour information.
- Duplicate for the destination. Never resize the only finished copy.
- Crop intentionally. Match the destination ratio while protecting the property’s important features.
- Resize once. Use the verified current pixel requirement or calculate print size from pixels and target PPI.
- Convert colour. Use sRGB for general web delivery or the profile requested by the printer.
- Apply restrained output sharpening. Judge the final-sized file.
- Set JPEG quality by inspection. Stay below any file cap without visible damage.
- Open the delivered file. Check dimensions, profile, crop, detail and the actual live placement.
Upload the file you intend to deliver, then inspect the downloaded result before creating destination copies.
Resolution and export FAQ
Is 72 DPI enough for a real estate photo?
For a screen, the file's pixel dimensions matter; changing only the embedded 72 PPI value does not change the image's pixels or on-screen detail. For print, divide pixel dimensions by the intended PPI to estimate physical size.
What resolution should I export for MLS?
There is no universal MLS size. Check the current rules for the exact MLS and downstream portals. Keep a full-resolution original, then make a separate MLS copy with the requested dimensions, aspect ratio, file type and size.
Should real estate photos use sRGB?
sRGB is the safest general choice for web and portal delivery. A printer may request a different profile, so preserve the original and follow that printer's current specification for the print copy.
Does a larger JPEG file always mean better quality?
No. File size depends on pixel count, image detail, metadata and compression. Inspect actual pixel dimensions and visible detail; file size alone does not prove quality.
Can AI editing preserve the uploaded resolution?
It can, but verify the delivered file rather than relying on a claim. Compare source and result pixel dimensions, crop, edge detail, texture and compression at 100%. Upscaling is not the same as preserving source detail.
When should sharpening be applied?
Apply output sharpening after the final resize and for the intended destination. Screen and print copies need different judgment. Inspect rooflines, window frames, branches and textural surfaces for halos or brittle detail.