Preparing
Your Images

How to resize and save your pictures for CUPOTY.

We’ve put together some detailed information on how to prepare your images for entry to the competition, assuming you have made all the post-processing adjustments you want to make already.

Always work on a copy and keep your original file intact.

Each file should be:

  • A JPEG

  • 2200px or less along the longest edge

  • In the sRGB colour space

  • Saved at maximum quality

  • With EXIF metadata kept intact

  • Without watermarks, borders or signatures

Filename format

Name each file using this pattern, separated by hyphens:

Category-First name-Last name-Picture Title

For example: Plants-Tracy-Calder-Ladys Tresses Orchid

A few small rules to avoid upload problems:

  • Use a short version of the category name: animals, insects, butterflies, portrait, arachnids, underwater, plants, fungi, landscape, studio or young

  • Avoid apostrophes, slashes, ampersands, accented characters or other special symbols

Software walkthroughs

+ Lightroom Classic

  1. Select the image you wish to enter.
  2. Choose File > Export… to open the Export dialogue.
  3. Export Location — choose the folder you want to export to.
  4. File Naming — tick Rename To, select Custom Name from the dropdown, and type your filename in the Custom Text field using the format above.
  5. File Settings — set Image Format to JPEG, Quality maximum (100), Color Space to sRGB.
  6. Image Sizing — tick Resize to Fit, choose Long Edge, and set the value to 2200 pixels. If your original image is already smaller than 2200px on the long edge, untick Resize to Fit.
  7. Metadata — set Include to All Metadata to keep your EXIF data intact.
  8. Click Export.
  9. The image is now ready for sending with our form.

+ Lightroom (cloud and mobile)

The cloud version of Lightroom, including the iOS and Android apps, uses a different export dialogue from Lightroom Classic.

  1. Open the image you wish to enter.
  2. Tap or click the Share icon (top right on mobile, top right of the image on desktop).
  3. Choose Export As.
  4. File Type — select JPEG.
  5. Dimensions — choose Custom and set the long side to 2200 pixels.
  6. Quality — set to Maximum (the slider's highest setting, or Best on iOS).
  7. More Options — set Color Space to sRGB and Include Metadata to All.
  8. Tap or click Export, then choose where to save the file.
  9. Rename the file using the format above. On mobile, you may need to rename in the Files app rather than inside Lightroom.
  10. The image is now ready for sending with our form.

+ Photoshop

  1. Open your image in Photoshop.
  2. Choose File > Export > Export As….
  3. Format — select JPEG.
  4. Quality — set to maximum (100 in Export As, or 12 in Save As).
  5. Image Size — set the longest edge to 2200 pixels. Keep the link icon between width and height enabled so proportions are retained. If your original image is already smaller, leave it at the original size.
  6. Color Space — tick Convert to sRGB and Embed Color Profile.
  7. Metadata — set to All. This preserves EXIF data.
  8. Click Export and choose the destination folder.
  9. In the Save As field, type your filename using the format above.
  10. If you prefer the older Save As workflow: resize via Image > Image Size, convert via Edit > Convert to Profile > sRGB IEC61966-2.1, then File > Save a Copy as JPEG at quality 12 with Embed Color Profile ticked.
  11. The image is now ready for sending with our form.

+ Capture One

  1. Select the image you wish to enter.

  2. Choose File > Export > Variants… to open the Export Variants dialogue.

  3. Location — use the Destination dropdown to choose the folder you want to export to.

  4. Naming — delete any default tokens in the Format field and type your filename using the format above.

  5. Recipe — in the Basic tab, set Format to JPEG, ICC Profile to sRGB, Scale to Long Edge at 2200px, Quality to maximum (100).

  6. Metadata — in the Metadata tab, ensure all relevant boxes are ticked to preserve EXIF data.

  7. Click Export Variant.

  8. The image is now ready for sending with our form.

+ Affinity Photo 2

  1. Open the image you wish to enter.
  2. Choose File > Export….
  3. Select JPEG from the file formats.
  4. Size — set the longest edge to 2200px. If your original image is already smaller, keep the original size.
  5. Quality — set to maximum (100).
  6. Click More, set the ICC Profile dropdown to sRGB, tick Embed ICC profile, tick Include metadata, then click Close.
  7. Click Export.
  8. In the Save As field, type your filename using the format above.
  9. The image is now ready for sending with our form.

+ Other software

If you're using software not listed here (GIMP, Darktable, RawTherapee, Pixelmator Pro, ON1, Photo Mechanic, or any other photo app) the same requirements apply. Look for:

  • An Export or Save As function offering JPEG
  • An option to resize to a specific pixel dimension (set the longest edge to 2200px)
  • A colour space setting (set to sRGB)
  • A quality setting (set to maximum)
  • A metadata option that keeps EXIF data intact
  • Once complete, send the image with our form.

If your software doesn't offer all of these, prepare the image as fully as you can.

Adding a caption

A caption isn't required, but it helps the judges understand your picture. For how to add one to your file's metadata, see the FAQ entry on ‘How should I caption my image?’.