Rhiannon Hendricks
Wedding photo editing times can vary depending on the photographer's style, schedule, and workload. On average, it takes around 2-2.5 hours of post-processing for every hour of shooting. Some photographers advise allowing 6-8 weeks to receive the final photos, with the actual editing work taking 2-3 full working days. The time required can be influenced by factors such as lighting issues, white balance adjustments, and the need for extensive Photoshopping. Certain software, like Photo Mechanic, can significantly speed up the culling and editing process. Ultimately, the time it takes to edit each wedding photo depends on the individual photographer's workflow and the specific requirements of the images.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time taken for editing each photo | 30 seconds to 2 minutes |
| Time taken for editing 800 photos | 4 hours |
| Time taken for culling 1600 photos to 800 photos | 30 minutes |
| Time taken for editing 800 photos and exporting the rest for uploading | 2 hours |
| Time taken for editing 5000+ photos | 6-8 weeks |
| Time taken for editing 2000 photos | 1 hour |
| Time taken for editing 20,000 photos | 5 days |
| Time taken for editing including all bits and pieces | 2-3 full working days |
| Time taken for editing including all bits and pieces for a full-day wedding | 6-8 weeks |
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What You'll Learn
The culling process
There are several methods and software tools available to assist in the culling process. Some photographers use Photo Mechanic, which allows for faster culling as it renders full RAW files as quickly as you can click through them. It also allows for the assignment of colours and numbers to pictures. Lightroom is another popular software option, where photographers can rate images and select those they want to keep or discard.
The time spent on culling can vary, with some photographers spending an hour or two on the process, and others taking multiple hours to select final edits. It is recommended to cull before editing to speed up the overall workflow, and some photographers choose to cull in a specific order, starting with the most challenging parts first, like the reception, to stay motivated and maintain momentum.
Some photographers also create folders to organise their images, with a main folder for the event and subfolders for RAW and culled images. This helps to keep track of the selected images and ensures a more efficient editing process.
Overall, the culling process is an important step in wedding photography, helping to optimise the workflow and deliver faster results to clients. By utilising the right tools and techniques, photographers can streamline this process and enhance their overall efficiency.
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Basic edits
The time taken to edit each wedding photo depends on several factors, including the photographer's style, equipment, and workflow. Basic edits typically involve culling, colour grading, and minor adjustments to enhance the overall look and feel of the images.
Let's break down the steps involved in basic editing for wedding photos:
Culling:
The first step is to select the best photos from the entire batch. This process can be time-consuming, as it involves reviewing thousands of images and deciding which ones to keep or discard. Some photographers use software like Photo Mechanic or Lightroom Classic for culling, allowing them to quickly go through the images and rate or select the potential keepers. This step helps narrow down the number of photos to a more manageable amount for further editing.
Colour Grading and Basic Adjustments:
Once the culling is complete, photographers will apply basic edits to enhance the overall look and feel of the selected images. This typically involves colour grading, where they apply a general colouring and toning style to all the photos to achieve a consistent look. They may use presets in Lightroom or other software to streamline this process, especially when dealing with different lenses and lighting conditions. Basic adjustments can also include exposure corrections, white balance adjustments, cropping, and creative styling to match the photographer's vision.
Fine-Tuning:
After applying the basic edits, photographers will often step away from the images for a few days or weeks before returning to fine-tune their work. This break helps them gain a fresh perspective and make more accurate judgments. During this stage, they may make minor adjustments to individual photos, such as removing distracting elements or enhancing specific details.
Consistency Check:
To ensure a cohesive look across the entire gallery, photographers will review the edited photos as a whole. They may sort the images by "Capture Time" in Lightroom to ensure that the colours match between their shots and those taken by a second shooter. This step helps maintain consistency and avoid noticeable differences between images.
It's important to note that the time taken for basic edits can vary depending on the photographer's experience, workflow efficiency, and the number of images they are working with. While some basic edits can be completed within a week, others may take several weeks or even months, especially if the photographer has a busy schedule or is working solo.
Overall, basic edits for wedding photos involve a combination of culling, colour grading, basic adjustments, and fine-tuning to ensure a consistent and aesthetically pleasing final gallery.
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White balance
However, photographers generally try to get the white balance right in-camera, as fixing it in post-processing can be time-consuming. One way to do this is to use the auto white balance feature on the camera, which attempts to read the colours around it and level out the white balance. However, this often results in an orange, blue, or grey tint that takes a lot of time to correct.
Another method is to use a grey card, a thick piece of paper or plastic that is 18% grey. Photographers hold it in front of their camera, take a picture, and then set a custom white balance. This eliminates the need to rely on auto white balance, which can be inconsistent.
Some photographers also use an Expodisc Neutral White Balance Filter, which helps them get the white balance near-perfect in-camera and saves them time in post-processing.
When it comes to editing wedding photos, the time required can vary depending on the photographer's workflow and the number of images. Some photographers may take 4-6 hours to edit a wedding, while others may take up to 8-10 hours for the entire process, including uploading, culling, export, and web upload.
The first adjustments usually involve correcting the white balance and exposure, cropping, and straightening images. While fixing white balance can take just a few seconds per image, the time adds up when applied to a large number of photos.
Overall, the time required to edit each wedding photo, including white balance adjustments, can vary depending on the photographer's skill, experience, and chosen methods.
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Photoshopping
The time it takes to edit each wedding photo in Photoshop depends on several factors, including the photographer's skill level, the complexity of the edits, and the number of photos. On average, it takes about 2 to 2.5 hours of post-processing for every hour of shooting.
Some photographers may choose to do minimal Photoshopping, only removing distracting elements or making slight adjustments to enhance the photos. Others may offer more extensive retouching services, such as skin softening, teeth whitening, or even "tummy tucking". These more specialized edits are typically seen in fashion and portrait photography and can add significant time to the editing process.
To streamline the editing process, many photographers use Adobe Lightroom, which offers presets and profiles that can be applied to batches of photos with similar lighting and lens conditions. This helps create a cohesive look across the entire gallery. However, even with these tools, editing thousands of photos can be a time-consuming task, often taking several weeks or even up to 6-8 weeks for the final delivery.
It's worth noting that the best results are achieved when the photographer gets it right in the camera the first time. While Photoshop can enhance images, it cannot replace the skill and artistry of capturing beautiful moments at a wedding.
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Delivery
The delivery time of edited wedding photos depends on the number of photos taken, the complexity of the edits, and the photographer's schedule. On average, it takes about 2-2.5 hours of post-processing for every hour of shooting. This can extend to 6-8 weeks for the final delivery, especially if the photographer has a busy schedule with multiple shoots and edits.
Some photographers aim to deliver the photos within a week of the wedding. To achieve this, they quickly cull through the images a day or two after the wedding, selecting the best shots, and then spend a few hours editing them. This requires efficient workflows and may involve using software like Photo Mechanic for culling and Lightroom for editing.
The actual editing process can vary depending on the desired level of perfection. Some photographers are satisfied with basic colour and exposure adjustments, while others may spend more time on fine-tuning and retouching using Photoshop. Extensive Photoshopping, dark venues, and inconsistent flash usage across photos can prolong the editing time.
Once the editing is complete, photographers use various methods to deliver the final gallery to the client. This can include online platforms like Pixieset, which offer customization, easy downloading, and options to purchase prints.
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Frequently asked questions
The time taken to edit wedding photos varies depending on the photographer's style, schedule, and workload. On average, it takes about 2 to 2.5 hours of post-processing for every hour of shooting. For a full day's worth of photos, it typically takes 6 to 8 weeks to deliver the final edited images.
The time required for editing wedding photos can be influenced by several factors. These include the number of photos taken, the complexity of edits, lighting and white balance issues, the use of flash, and the photographer's experience and efficiency.
Wedding photographers may take anywhere from 2000 to 5000+ photos during a full day of shooting. After the culling process, which involves selecting and sorting the best images, photographers typically edit around 600 to 900 photos for delivery to the client.
It is possible to edit a full wedding gallery in under a week, but it requires a fast workflow and efficient editing software. Some photographers offer quick turnaround times, allowing them to deliver galleries while the newlyweds are still on their honeymoon.
