Editing used to take over my evenings. Here are the systems, tools, and workflow changes that helped me cut my photography editing time in half.
Let’s talk about the part of photography nobody puts on their Instagram highlight reel…Editing.
Because the beautiful sessions, the sweet client moments, and the finished galleries are the fun parts. Those are the reasons most of us picked up a camera in the first place. But sitting at your computer late at night with hundreds of images still waiting to be edited? Not exactly the dream.
For a long time, I thought spending more time editing meant I was creating a better client experience. I would zoom in, adjust tiny details, tweak the same image over and over, and convince myself that one more Lightroom adjustment was going to completely transform the gallery.
Spoiler alert…most of the time, it wasn’t.
The biggest change I made wasn’t learning some secret editing trick or finding a magic button inside Lightroom. It was creating a photography editing workflow that allowed me to make decisions faster, stay consistent, and stop making every gallery harder than it needed to be. Here are the changes that helped me cut my photography editing time in half.
Editing doesn’t have to take forever. Here’s how I simplified my photography workflow and cut my editing time in half.
I Stopped Editing Every Image From Scratch
One of the biggest mistakes I made early on was treating every gallery like a brand new project. Every single image started from zero. I would adjust exposure, tweak colors, fix white balance, edit tones, and repeat that process hundreds of times.
And while paying attention to details is important, creating everything from scratch every single time is a fast way to make editing take over your entire schedule. A consistent photography editing workflow changed everything for me.
Now, instead of starting with a completely blank image, I create a strong foundation and make adjustments from there. This allows me to spend less time making repetitive edits and more time focusing on the images that actually need attention. Your clients aren’t hiring you because they want proof that you spent six hours editing their gallery. They want a beautiful collection of images that tells their story and feels like your work. Consistency will always beat complicated.
I Started Using Presets as a Starting Point
Let’s clear something up. Presets are not cheating, but they also won’t solve your editing problems. Somehow photographers have turned presets into this weird debate where people act like clicking a preset button means you aren’t a “real” photographer anymore. And others think that it’s as simple as just pressing that preset button. Let me tell you…it’s not.
Presets are simply another tool in your business. A good preset helps you create consistency and gives you a starting point instead of making you recreate your editing style from scratch every single time. The key is finding a system where your presets support your style, not replace your creativity. I still make adjustments based on lighting, location, and the feeling of each session. The preset simply helps me get there faster. And honestly, saving yourself hours of repetitive work is never a bad thing.
Editing Tools That Can Help Speed Up Your Workflow
One of the biggest mistakes I see photographers make is trying to find one program that does everything.
Spoiler alert…it doesn’t exist.
The fastest workflows are built from a handful of tools that each do one job really, really well. That’s exactly how I’ve cut my editing time in half.
Everything starts with Sessions, where I manage my entire client experience. Clients inquire, book, sign contracts, complete questionnaires, pay invoices, and receive automated emails all in one place. I also use Sessions for proofing galleries, which saves me a ton of time by automatically letting clients select their included images and purchase extras without me sending invoices or tracking upgrades manually.
After each session, I cull everything in Photo Mechanic. While AI culling works well for many photographers, I still prefer choosing the exact expressions and moments myself. Photo Mechanic is incredibly fast and lets me fly through thousands of images in a fraction of the time.
Next, I edit in Adobe Lightroom Classic, where I apply my base preset and prepare the gallery for proofing. Once my client makes their selections, I filter those purchased images in Lightroom and send only those files into Evoto for final retouching. Editing only the images my clients actually order has saved me countless hours. (If you haven’t checked out Evoto yet, do it now! It’s incredible.)
Finally, I deliver every gallery through Pic-Time, where clients can download their images, order professional prints, and shop products, all in one beautiful gallery.
There are plenty of other great tools available, too. Programs like Imagen AI, Aftershoot, and Narrative Select can be excellent options depending on your workflow.
The goal isn’t finding one piece of software that does everything. It’s building a workflow where every tool has a purpose. That’s what saves time, reduces busywork, and gets you back to the parts of your business, and your life, that matter most.
If you’d like to try the tools I use every week, you can check them out below:
- Sessions: (Only $19/month): https://usesession.com/?via=katie-lee-photography
- Evoto: https://www.evoto.ai/payment?_uuid=qxzpsrsn&sId=zdhshrnm&utm_campaign=Referral+Program-1+&utm_medium=Operation&utm_source=referral&referral_code=55S2NJUC74 or Use the code: 55S2NJUC74
- Pic-Time: (one month free): https://katieleephotographywi.pic-time.com/referral
I Became More Confident With Culling
This one might be the hardest lesson for photographers. Sometimes editing takes forever because we struggle to make decisions. We convince ourselves we need to keep every image because what if the client loves that one photo where nobody is looking, someone’s blinking, and the composition is questionable? Friend…They probably don’t.
Learning to cull confidently made one of the biggest differences in my workflow. Your job isn’t to deliver every photo your camera captured. Your job is to tell the story. The strongest galleries aren’t created because there are hundreds of almost-identical images. They are created because you know which moments matter. When you learn to trust your creative eye and choose the strongest images, your editing process becomes faster and your final galleries become stronger.
I Created Systems Before I Needed Them
A lot of photographers wait until they are overwhelmed before they create systems. And I get it. When you’re busy, creating a workflow feels like one more thing on your never-ending list. But systems are what keep your business running when things get busy.
Having a consistent process for organizing files, backing up images, editing galleries, and delivering photos means you aren’t wasting mental energy trying to figure out what happens next every single time. The less time you spend searching for files, making the same decisions repeatedly, or reinventing your process, the more time you have to actually grow your business. A good workflow doesn’t take away creativity. It protects it.
The Goal Isn’t Faster Editing… It’s More Freedom
Cutting my editing time in half wasn’t about doing less or lowering my standards. It was about creating better systems. Because when your workflow works for you, you gain so much more than faster galleries.
You gain more time to connect with clients, more time to grow your business, and more time to actually enjoy your life outside of photography. The goal of building a sustainable photography business isn’t to stay busy every minute of the day. It’s to create a business that supports the life you want.
Want More Behind-the-Scenes Photography Business Strategies?
Building a successful photography business requires more than taking beautiful photos. It requires systems, workflows, and strategies that allow you to grow without constantly feeling overwhelmed.
If you’re ready for honest business lessons, behind-the-scenes strategies, and real conversations about building a photography business that gives you freedom, join The Open Book Collective. Join The Open Book Collective and learn how to build a photography business that supports your life.
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