Batch Editing : A Step-By-Step Guide

i am all about working smarter, not harder.  and batch editing is a wonderful way to edit smarter, if possible.  batch editing can be done when you have taken a series of images in the same light and with the same white balance.  for example, i took a series of photos of my daughter and i in her nursery, moments apart from one another.  because the light and white balance are the same in all the images, i am able to batch edit these images.  batch editing means you can edit one of the images in the series and then, essentially, copy + paste those edits onto the remaining images.  it’s a life saver when it comes to editing and, while i don’t do it all the time, i do when the situation allows.  here is a step-by-step guide to teach you more about batch editing.

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Batch Editing : A Step-By-Step Guide

Step 1. Edit The First Image From Start To Finish

this does not have to be the very first image in the series.  you can choose any image to edit first in lightroom, whether that be the first image or the last image.  i tend to edit my favorite image first from start to finish, not necessarily the first image.

Step 2. With the Edited Image Selected, Click “Copy”

once your image is completely edited, you will save all those edits by clicking “copy” in the develop module of lightroom.

Step 3. Modify the “Copy Settings” Pop Up

when the “copy settings” screen pops up, be sure to click on all of the edits you want to copy.  i usually leave the “local adjustments”, “spot removal” and “crop” boxes unchecked, as i find those edits don’t streamline well onto every image.  for example, if you used an adjustment brush on the top right corner of your original image, you don’t necessarily want that same brush used on all the images, especially if your composition changes through your series of images.

Step 4. Select All Images To Batch Edit

use the “shift” key to select all the images you want to batch edit, including the image you originally edited.

Step 5. Click “Sync”

a “synchronize setting” box will reappear, allowing you to again choose what edits to copy.  verify the appropriate boxes are checked (same as you did in step 3) and then click “synchronize” to complete the batch edit.

Step 6. Check All The Images

once the batch edit has been applied to your selected images, scroll through the images to ensure that you like the results.  even though the images seem to be taken in the same light, sometimes light can change in a nanosecond, making the exposure different in each image.  sometimes you may need to adjust edits, as needed.

and there you go, you just edited a series of images in seconds!  again, batch editing isn’t always appropriate or successful if your images aren’t in the same or similar location with comparable light.  but for the times when batch editing works, it is a great tool to remember when editing to help save you some time in post.

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