Stop Wasting Time Editing Photos: 3 Quick Tips to Boost Efficiency

How to Save Time Editing Photos: 3 Smart Tips for Photographers

Editing photos is a vital part of every photographer’s workflow, but let’s be honest—sometimes it feels like it takes forever. Whether you’re fine-tuning exposure, adjusting white balance, or perfecting every little detail, the hours can quickly slip away. The good news? There are ways to streamline your editing process without sacrificing quality.

In today’s episode of Focused on Time, I share three simple yet effective strategies to help you save time while editing photos. These tips are designed to help you work smarter, not harder, so you can spend more time doing what truly matters in your photography business. Let’s dive in!

---

1. Cull Efficiently

Culling is one of the most time-consuming steps of editing. But it doesn’t have to be!

A quick way to speed up the culling process is to use tools like Photomechanic—a program that loads previews quickly, allowing you to zoom through images and select the best ones in record time. Try setting a timer to keep yourself on track, and avoid overthinking each image. The goal here is to pick the best shots and move on.

Here’s a little hack to make it even faster: reverse the order when you cull. Since you often stop shooting once you’ve got the perfect shot, starting from the end can help you find your best images faster and with less second-guessing.

---

2. Use Presets and AI Editing Tools

Another powerful tool in your editing arsenal is presets. These are a game-changer when it comes to speeding up your workflow, as they apply a specific look to your photos instantly.

But if you want to take it a step further, AI-powered editing tools can save you even more time. Aftershoot, for example, learns your unique editing style and can apply that style across your entire batch of photos automatically. This means less manual tweaking and more consistency across your images.

Personally, I’ve tried using AI for culling, but it wasn’t a perfect match for my style—especially when it came to photographing dogs. The AI didn’t always recognise when a dog’s eyes were in focus. But that’s just my experience—if you’re a human portrait photographer, you might have a different experience! I’m curious, though—have you found AI culling tools helpful in recognising human expressions?

---

3. Outsource When Possible

Now, let’s talk about outsourcing—one of the best ways to free up your time.

If you absolutely love editing your photos and find joy in the process, that’s fantastic! But if there’s an aspect of editing that feels like a time-suck—whether it’s the culling, batch edits, or retouching—outsourcing can make a world of difference.

I started outsourcing my editing years ago by hiring a retoucher to remove leads from my dog photos. It was a non-creative task but took up a lot of time. I found a freelancer who charged per image, and it was an instant time-saver.

A few years later, I tried working with a professional editing company, but the price was too high, and I often found myself thinking, "I’ll just do it myself to save money." Which, of course, missed the point of outsourcing!

Last year, I finally hired a virtual assistant to handle all my editing. At first, it felt like I was spending more time training them than doing it myself. But after that initial learning curve, I’m now able to fully outsource my editing—and it’s been a game-changer for my work-life balance.

---

Focus Assignment of the Week

This week, I challenge you to track your editing time. Whether you use a time-tracking app or just a stopwatch, get an accurate idea of how long you’re spending on editing a typical session. Once you have that numbe