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Instagram Carousel Export - Usage Examples

Overview

The Instagram Carousel Generator plugin now supports advanced image splitting and formatting for Instagram carousel posts. This document provides examples of how to use the new features.

Verifying ImageMagick Installation

IMPORTANT: Before using seamless carousel mode, verify ImageMagick is installed:

  1. Open Lightroom Classic
  2. Go to File > Plug-in Manager
  3. Select Instagram Carousel Generator from the list
  4. Look for the ImageMagick Status section
  5. Check the status:
    • ✓ Installed (green text) - You're ready to use seamless carousel mode!
    • ✗ Not Installed (red text) - Follow the installation instructions shown below the status

If ImageMagick is Not Installed

The Plugin Manager will show platform-specific instructions:

For macOS:

brew install imagemagick

Or download from https://imagemagick.org, then restart Lightroom.

For Windows:

  1. Download from https://imagemagick.org
  2. Run the installer
  3. Important: Check "Add to PATH" during installation
  4. Restart Lightroom

After installation, return to the Plugin Manager to verify the status shows "✓ Installed" (green).

Basic Export Workflow

1. Standard Square Export (1:1)

Perfect for standard Instagram posts:

  1. Select your photo in Lightroom
  2. Go to File > Export
  3. Choose "Instagram Carousel" as the export service
  4. Select aspect ratio: "1:1 (Square)"
  5. Frame size will automatically be set to 1080x1080px
  6. Click Export

2. Portrait Export (4:5)

Ideal for vertical photos:

  1. Follow steps 1-3 above
  2. Select aspect ratio: "4:5 (Portrait)"
  3. Frame size will automatically be set to 1080x1350px
  4. Click Export

3. Landscape Export (5:4)

Great for landscape photos:

  1. Follow steps 1-3 above
  2. Select aspect ratio: "5:4 (Landscape)"
  3. Frame size will automatically be set to 1350x1080px
  4. Click Export

Panoramic Photo Splitting

Seamless Carousel Mode

When you have a wide panoramic photo that you want to split into multiple Instagram posts that form a seamless carousel:

  1. Select your panoramic photo
  2. Go to File > Export
  3. Choose "Instagram Carousel"
  4. Select your desired aspect ratio (e.g., "1:1 (Square)")
  5. Check "Enable Seamless Carousel Mode (split panoramas)"
  6. Choose overflow handling method (see below)
  7. Click Export

The plugin will:

  • Calculate how many tiles are needed to fit your panorama
  • Split the image into edge-to-edge seamless tiles
  • Save tiles in a subfolder named "[original_filename]_carousel"
  • Each tile will be ready to upload to Instagram

Overflow Handling Options

When your panoramic image doesn't divide evenly into the frame size:

Option 1: Add Bands with Optional Frame

This option centers your image and adds colored bands to fill the remaining space:

  1. Select "Add bands with optional frame" radio button
  2. Set the background color using RGB values (0-255):
    • R (Red), G (Green), B (Blue) fields
    • Default: White (255, 255, 255)
  3. Optionally enable frame:
    • Check "Enable Frame"
    • Set frame color using RGB values (default: black - 0, 0, 0)
    • Set frame size in pixels (default: 10px)
  4. Click Export

Example Use Case:

  • Panorama is 5000px wide, tiles are 1080px each
  • 5 tiles will be created (5 × 1080 = 5400px)
  • The last 400px will be filled with white bands on top and bottom
  • A black frame can be added for aesthetic effect

Option 2: Crop to Fit Perfectly

This option crops the top and bottom of your panorama to fit perfectly:

  1. Select "Crop to fit perfectly" radio button
  2. Click Export

Example Use Case:

  • Panorama is 5000px wide, tiles are 1080px each
  • Image will be cropped to 4320px (4 × 1080)
  • The rightmost 680px will be removed
  • All 4 tiles will have edge-to-edge content

Custom Aspect Ratios

For non-standard Instagram sizes or custom projects:

  1. Select aspect ratio: "Custom"
  2. Enter your desired width and height in pixels
  3. Minimum: 100px, Maximum: 4096px
  4. Both width and height fields will become editable
  5. Configure other settings as desired
  6. Click Export

Requirements

ImageMagick Installation

For seamless carousel mode (image splitting) to work, ImageMagick must be installed:

macOS:

brew install imagemagick

Windows:

  1. Download from https://imagemagick.org
  2. Run the installer
  3. Ensure "Add to PATH" is checked during installation

Verification: Open Terminal (macOS) or Command Prompt (Windows) and run:

convert -version    # macOS/Linux
magick -version     # Windows

What Happens Without ImageMagick?

If ImageMagick is not installed:

  • Photos will be exported as single images
  • No splitting will occur
  • You'll see a warning message with installation instructions
  • The original export will still complete successfully

Tips and Best Practices

1. Choosing the Right Aspect Ratio

  • 1:1 (Square): Universal, works everywhere on Instagram
  • 4:5 (Portrait): Takes up more vertical space in feed
  • 16:9 (Wide): Great for landscape panoramas
  • 9:16 (Vertical): Story-style format for feed posts

2. When to Use Seamless Mode

  • Wide panoramic landscapes
  • Multi-image storytelling sequences
  • Before/after comparisons that span multiple posts
  • Architectural photography that needs full width

3. Choosing Overflow Handling

Use "Add Bands":

  • When you want to preserve all image content
  • For artistic effect with frames
  • When the background color complements your image

Use "Crop":

  • When edge-to-edge is more important than preserving all content
  • For pure panoramic landscapes
  • When you want maximum impact without borders

4. Frame Styling

  • White background (R=255, G=255, B=255) + black frame (R=0, G=0, B=0) = classic look
  • Match background RGB values to dominant image color = cohesive feel
  • Thin frames (5-10px) = subtle
  • Thick frames (20-50px) = bold statement
  • Common colors: Gray (128, 128, 128), Navy (0, 0, 128), Cream (255, 253, 208)

Troubleshooting

Problem: Images not splitting

Step 1: Check ImageMagick Status

  1. Go to File > Plug-in Manager
  2. Select Instagram Carousel Generator
  3. Check the "ImageMagick Status" section

If status shows "✗ Not Installed" (red):

  • Follow the platform-specific installation instructions shown in the Plugin Manager
  • After installation, restart Lightroom
  • Return to Plugin Manager to verify status is now "✓ Installed" (green)

If status shows "✓ Installed" (green) but still not splitting:

  • Check Lightroom's plugin log for error messages
  • Ensure the source image is wide enough to create multiple tiles
  • Try exporting a single test image first

Problem: "ImageMagick may not be installed" error

Diagnosis:

  1. Open Plugin Manager (File > Plug-in Manager)
  2. Select "Instagram Carousel Generator"
  3. Check "ImageMagick Status" section

If Red (Not Installed):

  • ImageMagick is not detected on your system
  • Follow installation instructions in the Plugin Manager
  • Restart Lightroom after installation

If Green (Installed) but still getting error:

  • This is unusual - ImageMagick detection succeeded but execution failed
  • Try reinstalling ImageMagick
  • Ensure ImageMagick is in your system PATH
  • Contact support with plugin log details

Problem: Wrong number of tiles created

Check:

  • Your original image dimensions
  • Selected tile size
  • Make sure the panorama is wide enough to warrant multiple tiles

Problem: Colors look wrong in bands/frames

Check:

  • Color values in the color wells
  • Export color space settings (should be sRGB for Instagram)

Problem: Export takes a long time

This is normal for:

  • Large panoramic images (10000+ pixels wide)
  • High-resolution exports
  • Multiple photos in batch export

Examples of Tile Calculations

Example 1: Perfect Division

  • Panorama: 4320px × 1080px
  • Tile size: 1080px × 1080px
  • Result: 4 tiles exactly (4320 ÷ 1080 = 4)
  • No overflow handling needed

Example 2: With Overflow

  • Panorama: 5000px × 1080px
  • Tile size: 1080px × 1080px
  • Result: 5 tiles (5000 ÷ 1080 = 4.63, rounded up to 5)
  • Overflow: 400px needed (5 × 1080 - 5000 = 400px)
  • Options:
    • Add bands: Image centered, 200px bands on each side
    • Crop: Image reduced to 4320px width (loses 680px)

Example 3: Portrait Tiles

  • Panorama: 3000px × 1350px
  • Tile size: 1080px × 1350px (4:5 ratio)
  • Result: 3 tiles (3000 ÷ 1080 = 2.78, rounded up to 3)
  • Overflow: 240px needed
  • Options:
    • Add bands: Image centered, 120px bands on each side
    • Crop: Image reduced to 2160px width

Support

For issues or questions: