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As a wedding photographer, your post-wedding workflow can be a real-time drain, especially when it comes to editing images. But fear not, because there's a nifty little trick that lets you quickly edit multiple photos at once: batch edit in Lightroom. But if you're feeling overwhelmed, digital photography editing services, like ShootDotEdit, can take the load off your shoulders and handle the editing process for you! We're all about fast and efficient workflows here, and knowing how to batch edit in Lightroom is a game-changer. We understand the importance of knowing how to perform certain actions in Lightroom, especially how to batch process in Lightroom. That's why we've put together this blog to show you how to edit multiple photos at once in Lightroom.

What Is Batch Editing?

Before we dive deep into how to apply edits to multiple photos in Lightroom and the processes that follow, let’s take a look at what batch editing in Lightroom is. Batch editing is the process of applying edits to multiple photos at once. You can batch edit in Lightroom by selecting a group of photos and then making global changes to all of them simultaneously. This is different from individually editing each photo, which would take a lot more time. Batch editing in Lightroom can save you a ton of time, especially if you have a large group of photos that need similar edits.

Read More: How To Edit Wedding Photos Like A Pro

How To Batch Edit In Lightroom

Now, let’s look at how to edit multiple photos in Lightroom. First, edit the first photo so that it is exactly the way you want it. Then, use automated processes to batch process in Lightroom, and edit the rest of the photos from the group in the exact same way. The use of batch processing in Lightroom naturally works best with groups of photos that have similar characteristics. Examples of this can be settings and lighting. The consistencies in these photos make it possible to use many of the same edits on each and still achieve a quality result. Batch editing is more effective with general edit settings, such as overall exposure, contrast, and even color settings. On the other hand, more detailed editing tasks (such as skin smoothing or teeth whitening) should still be completed on an individual basis.

Benefits Of Using Batch Edit In Lightroom 

Understanding how to batch edit in Lightroom, Photoshop, or any other photo editing platform can have many benefits for your editing processes and your business as a wedding photographer. Making use of a Lightroom bulk edit can save you hours compared to editing each photo individually. A batch edit process can also ensure each photo within a set has a complimentary look, making finished packages of your photos even more attractive to your wedding clients and prospective customers. It can also provide consistency to your post-processing system, ensuring you do not miss key editing steps on a photo.

Suggested Read: Professional Photo Editing: Why Outsource As A Beginner

1. Saves Time In Post Production

Using batch edit in Lightroom can make a significant difference in the percentage of your work time dedicated to processing the many photos you have taken. Instead of repeating the same edits to dozens or hundreds of photos that are similarly underexposed, you can correct the first and then use Lightroom batch edit to apply the same corrections to subsequent photos. This makes the editing process much faster and far less tedious.

Our tip: When you outsource photo editing to a photo edit service, like ShootDotEdit, you can get more time to focus on your business. Your images will be taken care of while you work on other tasks to help your photography business grow.

2. Create Consistent Photo Sets

Batch editing in Lightroom also establishes greater consistency across groups of photos for the same client. By using the same filters and edits to all of the photos in a particular group, you can ensure that your image packages will flow together, resulting in clients that are even more pleased with your work. 

3. Automate Your Editing Process

By bringing this unique level of automation to the more redundant aspects of your post-processing system, you can also prevent the incongruence between images that can result from human error. If you miss a key step in the basic editing process, especially if you do not notice until much later, that photo could stand out from the rest. Plus, it may be difficult to identify the missing edits and make the needed corrections. Batch editing in Lightroom removes the potential for these frustrations.

Read More: Top Reasons You Need To Outsource Photo Editing

Main Steps On How To Batch Edit In Lightroom

You have two main options when it comes to understanding how to batch edit in Lightroom:

1. Presets: You can use a Lightroom preset or one you have created. Alternatively, you can batch edit in Lightroom style based on edits to a new photo. Using a preset is the faster route and can even be completed as your photos are imported into Lightroom. 
   
   
2. New photo batch editing: On the other hand, batch editing based on a new photo allows you to fine-tune the edits to that specific photo set more effectively.

How To Edit A Group Of Photos In Lightroom Using Presets

Batch editing in Lightroom using presets is all about saving even more time on editing your photos. You can take advantage of the presets Lightroom provides by default or reuse a preset you created in the past. The disadvantage of a Lightroom bulk edit is that presets may not exactly match the needs of your current photos.

1. Import

The first step is to select the photos that will be edited with the same preset or set of presets:

• Select “Import” from the “File Menu”.
  
  
• Select “Source” to choose specific files to edit. 

You can also import photos into Lightroom by dragging files or a folder into the Grid view in Lightroom.

Related Read: How To Import RAW Files Into Lightroom

2. Choose The Settings

Select the settings for the imported photos in the Lightroom catalog. Before importing the images, you can select how they will be stored in the Lightroom catalog system. From the menu on the Import window, you may choose from the following import options:

• Copy as DNG: Photos are copied to the selected folder, and raw files are converted to Digital Negative (DNG) format.
  
  
• Copy: Photos are simply copied to the selected folder.
  
  
• Move: Photos are removed from their current location and put in the selected folder. 
  
  
• Add: Keep the photos you import in the current location.

3. Choose Specific Files 

The next step of batch processing in Lightroom is choosing the photos that will be imported to a session. You can use the “All Photos” option to import all the files or “New Photos” to import everything that is yet to be imported. To be more detailed in your selection, you can click on individual files to add to the import group or remove them from the import group. If you are making a copy or moving photos, you can also choose to group photos by their destination folder.

4. Choose Destination Of Imported Photos

If you are moving or copying your photos to import them into Lightroom, you will need to select the location from the “To” options on the Import menu. You can also choose from other options, including copying or moving files to a new subfolder or organizing photos, based on the original hierarchy or by date.

5. Specify Edits

To save even more time by eliminating steps, you can apply specific batch edit in Lightroom to the photos as they are imported, letting you import photos to Lightroom and make basic edits to those photos at the same time. The “Develop Settings” menu within the “Apply During Import” option lets you apply any develop settings presets to photos as they import to Lightroom.

6. Preview Additional Presets

Choose one of the imported photos that represent the group. This will work as a preview for the effect of additional presets on those photos. From the drop-down box in “Saved Preset”, you can choose from previously saved presets and view their effect on the photo.

7. Apply The Presets

Once you have settled on the preset that works best for your images, apply the presets and Lightroom edit all photos at once. Again, you can specifically choose the photos you want an individual preset to be used on. Or, you can apply the selected preset to all of the imported photos. Click on the “Sync” button. Set the metadata for the files. Then, click on the “Synchronize” button to update the selected images with the chosen preset.

Apply Edits From A New Photo Edit 

Unlike using presets, batch editing in Lightroom on a new photo edit allows you to edit a group of photos with settings that are more precise to that specific group of photos. This approach will give your wedding photography a more quality and nuanced approach. It can also be combined with an initial preset batch edit so you have a jump start on the changes.

1. Import

If your images have not already been imported to Lightroom, you will need to add them to Lightroom in the same way as you would for batch editing using a preset. Start the import process, enter the settings, choose the files to be imported, and select the destination for the imported photos.

2. Select The Sample Photo For Editing 

Choose one of the imported photos as a representative of the group as a preview for the effect of your edits on the full group of photos. At this stage, you can edit the entire photo in the “Develop module” just as if it is the only one you intend to edit. From broader edits like exposure and lighting to details like removing unwanted elements, you can edit this initial photo to its final state. You can only apply some of these changes to the full set of imported photos.

3. Apply Edits 

While you have the edited image selected, use multi-select to add other images to the selection. Click on the Sync” button and then choose the settings or edits you want to sync from the edited photo to the selected photos. Click on the “Sync” button to sync those settings across all of the images you selected.

How To Batch Edit In Lightroom Mobile

Did you know that you can also batch edit your photos on the Lightroom Mobile App? Lightroom allows batch editing, and many users have been enjoying the simplicity of the mobile version of Lightroom. This new feature introduced in the mobile version is a huge step forward, making the app a more professional tool. Here’s how to batch edit in Lightroom mobile:

1. Navigate to the photos: You will see several images, either from your album or “All Photos”.
   
   
2. Select an image to copy settings: Long press and hold the desired image whose settings you want to copy over to several images. If that doesn’t work, select the three dots “...” option on the upper right side of your screen and press “Select”. Then, tap the image whose settings you want to copy. 
   
   
3. Copy the settings: Long press and hold on the images to which you want to paste the settings you just copied. If you face any difficulty, select the three dots “...” option on the upper right side of your screen and press “Select”. Then, tap the images to which you want to copy the settings. Choose “Paste” and then select “Done”. 

Read More: How To Sync Lightroom Mobile

General Guideline For Batch Editing In Lightroom 

Now that you have a detailed understanding of how to batch edit in Lightroom on Mac and on the mobile app, here are some general guidelines that you can follow while batch editing in Lightroom. However, since it is an automated process and every image you take is different, it is not a perfect solution you should rely on for providing the final photos. Batch editing can get you quite close to the finished product in some cases. But some edits simply do not work with batch editing. In addition, presets and batch edits will never bring the level of results that professional, intentional editing can bring.

1. Use general settings for batch edits.
   
   
2. More detailed edits should be reserved for a photo-by-photo basis.
   
   
3. Take time to fine-tune each image.
   
   
4. Batch editing should only be considered as a starting point in your photography workflow.
   
   
5. View and adjust each photo on its own after batch edit.

Understanding how to batch edit in Lightroom can transform your workflow. This is especially true when it comes to how much time it takes you to edit a set of images. Even if you outsource editing to a photographer editor like ShootDotEdit, this is a valuable skill to have.

Further Read: A Comprehensive Breakdown Of ShootDotEdit Photo Editing Services