5 Out-of-the-Box Hacks to Stop Hating Photo Editing (Even When You’re Lazy)
Editing photos should feel creative—not like a chore. But let’s be honest: for many of us, it often feels like the digital equivalent of doing taxes. Too many files. Too many choices. Not enough energy.
Here’s the good news: the problem isn’t you. It’s your workflow.
Below are five out-of-the-box hacks that flip the traditional editing process on its head. These tips make editing faster, lighter, and—dare we say—fun. Whether you’re a casual creator or a pro on autopilot, these tricks are designed to reduce resistance and help us stay consistent, even on low-energy days.
1. Cull Before You Edit — Ruthlessly
The first mistake most of us make? We try to edit everything.
This instantly kills motivation. It’s like trying to polish 100 stones to find the one gem. Instead, we should ruthlessly cull our photos before even thinking about edits.
Use tools like the built-in flag/star system in Lightroom. Sort with intention:
Keep only the best 10–20% of photos.
Ditch anything that doesn’t immediately stand out.
Don’t overthink it—trust gut instinct (Important not only for editing, but also for things like printing pictures).
By narrowing down the selection early, the editing phase becomes less overwhelming and more focused. We conserve creative energy for the photos that truly matter.
Quick Tip: Use “Z” for Pick and “X” for Reject in Lightroom to fly through culling with shortcuts.
2. Edit One Photo. Paste to the Rest.
If culling is the appetizer, batch editing is the main course.
Instead of individually tweaking each image, just:
Pick your favorite photo from the batch.
Edit it with your desired style.
Paste the settings to the rest using “Sync” in Lightroom.
This technique isn’t lazy—it’s efficient. Editing one photo really well, then applying it across the rest, maintains consistency and drastically cuts time. The small tweaks you might need after are minimal.
Bonus points if you use your own preset—this gives your entire batch a cohesive, signature look.
Think of it this way: Batch editing is the 80/20 rule for creatives. 20% effort, 80% results.
3. Shoot RAW + JPEG (Let Future-You Decide)
This one’s a game-changer. Most of us shoot in either RAW or JPEG, but here’s the magic of doing both at once:
JPEGs look good out of camera and are ready to share instantly.
RAWs give you flexibility when you want to deep dive into edits.
Some days, energy is low and perfection isn’t the goal—JPEGs are your low-effort heroes. Other days, you’re in the mood to refine tones, rescue shadows, and tweak every curve—RAW is ready and waiting.
It’s like giving yourself a creative safety net. You’re covered whether you’re editing on the couch or just need something fast for social.
Keep in mind that for this, it helps to have a good folder structure to save and archive all your photos. If you want to know more about this, I show how I do it in the post about my workflow..
Bonus use case: Post the JPEG now, edit the RAW later for print or portfolio.
4. Use Lightroom’s Adaptive Color Profile
Enter Lightroom’s Adaptive Color profile—our new secret weapon.
These presets automatically detect and adjust specific parts of your image without requiring masks or manual selections.
It’s automation with taste. These presets give your photo depth and focus in just a click. Best of all, they make our editing look professional, even when we’re operating at half brainpower.
Adaptive presets are ideal when you’re short on time but still want your images to have punch.
Lazy level: 100. Just click and watch Lightroom do its magic.
Above: Photo without Adaptive Color profile
Above: Photo with Adaptive Color profile
This is how you turn on Adaptive Color Profile in Adobe Lightroom:
Open the settings
Open the edit settings
Click on Profile
Select Adaptive Color
?????
Profit
5. The Lazy Edit Challenge (Make It a Game)
This final tip turns editing into a challenge—one that’s quick, fun, and oddly satisfying.
Here’s how it works:
Set a timer for 10 minutes.
Choose 1–3 photos.
Edit them as lazily as possible—fast decisions, minimal adjustments.
Export. Done.
This isn’t about perfection—it’s about speed, intuition, and lowering the stakes. The results are often surprisingly good.
Bonus: It helps build momentum. Finishing an edit fast builds confidence and encourages future editing sessions. I talk about getting started and stopping overthinking in this other blog post if you're struggling with taking the first steps.
Real talk: The best edit is the one that actually gets done. No more folder purgatory.
Recap: Let’s Redefine Photo Editing
If we want to enjoy editing again—or simply do it at all—we need to remove friction, reduce decisions, and stop aiming for perfection every single time.
Here’s how the five hacks stack up:
Bonus: Grab the Lazy Edit Starter Kit
To help kickstart this workflow, I’ve created a free Lazy Edit Starter Kit you can download. It includes:
🎁 Download them and make photo editing so easy, you’ll wonder why you ever hated it.
Related Reading / Watching
If this post helps you reduce editing stress, you can check out how my general workflow works in another post here.
Let’s keep creating smarter—not harder.
