QuickStage download size: what 2,048 x 1,536 means for MLS

Every photo you download from a QuickStage results page is a JPEG resized to fit inside a 2,048 by 1,536 pixel box. It keeps the shape of the photo you uploaded and is never enlarged, so a 4:3 photo comes out at up to 2,048 x 1,536 and a 3:2 photo at up to 2,048 x 1,365. Check your MLS's photo rules before you change anything, and if you do need a different size, shrink the whole photo rather than cropping it, because the "Virtually Staged" label sits along the bottom edge.

What size is a QuickStage download?

When you tap "Download for Zillow / MLS" under a photo, or "Download all for Zillow / MLS (ZIP)" for the whole order, QuickStage scales each staged photo so its width is no more than 2,048 pixels and its height is no more than 1,536 pixels. Whichever limit the photo hits first decides the final size.

Two details matter more than the headline number:

• The box is a ceiling, not a target. A photo that's already smaller than the box is left at its own size, because downloads are never upscaled. Stretching a small image only adds blur, so we don't do it.
• The shape never changes at the download step. A tall photo stays tall and a wide one stays wide. Nothing is cropped or padded to force it into 4:3.

That means "2,048 x 1,536" describes a 4:3 photo at full size. Every other shape lands somewhere inside that box.

What happens to photos that aren't 4:3?

Before the download step, QuickStage matches each staged result to the shape of the photo you uploaded. If a result comes back at a slightly different shape, it's center-trimmed to your original's proportions, so the result matches the proportions you shot. The download then fits that shape into the box.

Here's our box table: the largest a download can be for common shapes, assuming the staged photo is big enough to reach the limit.

Read it this way: wide photos are limited by the 2,048 width, tall and square photos by the 1,536 height. A tall photo is the one most likely to look small next to the rest of a gallery, which is one more reason to shoot rooms horizontally.

What file type and file name do you get?

Each download is a high-quality JPEG with a name built from its order position and room type, such as staged-1-living-room-mls.jpg or staged-3-kitchen-mls.jpg. The ZIP holds the same files and is named quickstage-mls- followed by a short order code.

Check that JPEG is on your MLS's list of accepted file types. If it asks for a different format, convert a copy and keep the original download in your listing folder.

How do you download with the label on?

1. Open your results page, either from the tab that stays open after staging or from the "View & Download All Photos" button in the results email.
2. Tap "Download for Zillow / MLS" under one photo, or "Download all for Zillow / MLS (ZIP)" if the order has more than one finished photo.
3. In the "Before downloading" box, tick the confirmation that you've reviewed the image and it accurately represents the property. The Download button stays disabled until you do.
4. Leave "Include 'Virtually Staged' watermark on downloaded image" ticked. It's on by default every time the box opens.
5. Tap Download. The label and the resize are both applied in your browser as the file is saved.

One thing to know about your photo library: the "Download full-res" button on a photo in My Photos saves the stored staged file as it is, without the MLS resize and without the label. For anything going on a listing, use "View original order" from that photo and download from the results page instead.

Does a 2,048 x 1,536 file fit your MLS or portal?

Upload rules are set by each MLS and each portal, and they change, so we won't quote anyone's limits here. Look up your own MLS's photo rules and check these five things against the table above:

1. Maximum pixel size. If the cap is at or above your download's size, upload as is.
2. Minimum pixel size. Tall photos are the ones most likely to come in under a minimum width.
3. Maximum file size per photo, in megabytes.
4. Accepted file types, and whether JPEG is one of them.
5. Disclosure rules for virtually staged or altered photos.

Many MLSs require virtually staged photos to be labeled. In California, Business and Professions Code section 10140.8 requires a disclosure that the image was altered plus a way to see the unaltered original. Mention the staging in the listing remarks too. This isn't legal advice; check your MLS and broker.

When should you resize, and when should you leave it alone?

Most of the time, leave it alone. Every re-save of a JPEG costs a little detail, and the download is already sized and compressed once.

Resize only when a written rule tells you to: a pixel cap below your file's size, or a file-size cap the photo exceeds. When you do, follow our Shrink, Don't Snip rule:

• Shrink: scale the whole image down proportionally, locking the aspect ratio, until it meets the cap.
• Don't snip: don't crop to hit a size. Cropping removes part of the room, and the first thing to go is usually the bottom edge, where the label lives.
• Never scale a small photo up to meet a minimum. Re-stage from the original camera file instead.
• Keep the downloaded file untouched in your listing folder and edit a copy.

If a portal crops thumbnails into its own shape for search results, that's its display, not your file. Look at the live listing card once after it posts to see how your cover shot reads.

How do you keep the Virtually Staged label visible?

The label is a white "Virtually Staged" on a semi-dark box, sized relative to the photo so it stays readable at any download size. It sits in the bottom-right corner, inset a little from both edges and within roughly the bottom 6% of the frame. If QuickStage detected your own logo or watermark in the bottom-right, the label moves to the bottom-left so the two don't overlap. Double-check your own mark on each download too, since staging can shift or blur it.

To keep it visible:

• Resize proportionally, never crop the bottom strip.
• Don't apply a second watermark or border on top of that corner.
• If you edit exposure or color after download, check the label is still readable.
• If you downloaded without the label by mistake, download again from the results page with the box ticked rather than adding text by hand.

Labeling also keeps the before-and-after story straight for buyers. We recommend keeping it on every staged photo.

Bottom line

A QuickStage download fits inside 2,048 x 1,536, keeps the shape you shot, is never enlarged and arrives as a JPEG with the label on by default. Upload it as is unless your MLS's written rules say otherwise, and when they do, shrink rather than snip. If you want to see the files before a listing goes live, run one room through QuickStage: top-quality, photorealistic results in about 30 seconds, then $1 a photo after the free three, with QuickFix re-dos included on plans.

Download your first three QuickStage photos at MLS size, free with no account or card.