A fast CLI tool to prepare images for Instagram publishing, optimized for Apple Silicon.

Automatically processes images to meet Instagram's optimal specifications:

• Portrait images: Center-cropped to 4:5 ratio, scaled to 1080×1350px
• Landscape images: Scaled to max 1350px long edge (preserves aspect ratio)
• Square images: Scaled to 1080×1080px
• All images:
  • Subtle sharpening for screen viewing (can be disabled with --no-sharpen)
  • Converted to sRGB color space
  • Saved as progressive JPEG with optimized quality
  • Automatically reduced to stay under 8MB file size limit
  • EXIF data stripped for privacy (use --keep-exif to preserve GPS/DateTime)

1. Clone or navigate to this directory
2. Install with Poetry:

poetry install

3. The prepforinsta command will be available in your Poetry environment

Process all images in a folder (outputs to INPUT_FOLDER/INSTA):

prepforinsta ~/pictures/vacation

prepforinsta ~/pictures/vacation ~/pictures/ready-for-instagram

prepforinsta ~/pictures/vacation/IMG_1234.jpg

prepforinsta [INPUT_PATH] [OUTPUT_PATH] [OPTIONS]

Options:
  --quality INTEGER RANGE  Starting JPEG quality (60-100). Auto-reduces if
                          needed to meet 8MB limit. [default: 100]
  --no-sharpen            Skip sharpening (useful if images are pre-sharpened
                          in Lightroom)
  --keep-exif             Preserve GPS and DateTime EXIF data (stripped by
                          default for privacy)
  --max-size FLOAT        Target max file size in MB. Enables size-constrained
                          mode (no cropping, preserves aspect ratio)
  -f, --force             Overwrite existing output files (skipped by default)
  --dry-run               Show what would be processed without processing
  -v, --verbose           Show detailed processing information
  --help                  Show this message and exit

Dry run to see what will be processed:

prepforinsta ~/pictures/vacation --dry-run

Verbose output with detailed info:

prepforinsta ~/pictures/vacation -v

Custom quality starting point:

prepforinsta ~/pictures/vacation --quality 95

Skip sharpening (for pre-sharpened exports):

prepforinsta ~/pictures/vacation --no-sharpen

Keep GPS/DateTime for Instagram auto-location:

prepforinsta ~/pictures/vacation --keep-exif

Size-constrained mode for PurplePort (6MB limit):

prepforinsta ~/pictures/vacation --max-size 6

When using --max-size, the tool operates in size-constrained mode:

• No cropping - preserves original aspect ratio
• No fixed dimensions - scales down to fit within size limit
• Balances quality + resolution - reduces both for optimal result

This is useful for platforms like PurplePort that have file size limits but don't require specific aspect ratios.

• JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)
• PNG (.png)

1. Detects orientation: Classifies each image as portrait, landscape, or square
2. Crops/scales appropriately:
   • Portrait: Center crop to 4:5, then scale to 1080×1350px
   • Landscape: Scale down so longest edge is 1350px
   • Square: Scale to 1080×1080px
3. Color correction: Converts to sRGB (Instagram's standard color space)
4. Sharpening: Applies subtle unsharp mask for screen viewing (skip with --no-sharpen)
5. EXIF handling: Strips all metadata for privacy (use --keep-exif to preserve GPS/DateTime)
6. Size optimization: Saves as progressive JPEG, automatically reducing quality if needed to stay under 8MB

This tool handles the technical requirements, but for best results:

• Before export from Lightroom: Apply your full editing workflow as normal
• Export settings from Lightroom: Full resolution, high quality, light sharpening for matte prints
• Run this tool: Handles Instagram-specific sizing, color space, and screen sharpening
• Upload to Instagram: Images will be optimized for the platform with minimal quality loss

• 4:5 portrait ratio: Instagram's maximum portrait ratio, gives you the most screen real estate
• 1350px max: Instagram's recommended maximum dimension
• Progressive JPEG: Better loading experience on mobile
• sRGB color space: Instagram converts to sRGB anyway; doing it upfront gives you more control
• Screen sharpening: Compensates for Instagram's compression while avoiding oversharpening
• 8MB limit: Instagram's file size maximum

• Built with Pillow for fast image processing on Apple Silicon
• Click for modern CLI interface
• piexif for EXIF metadata handling
• Optimized for Apple Silicon Macs with native ARM64 wheels

MIT