If you’re consistently posting your editing queue on Instagram stories, getting emails from clients just “checking in,” or avoiding your computer like the plague because the backlog of sessions to cull and edit feels overwhelming—stop right there! This post is your life raft. We’re diving into how you can partner with Imagen AI to breeze through culling, editing, and everything in between.

Prefer to learn via video? Check out this video below of me walking thru this process from start to finish with a real photo shoot.

Step 1: Import Your Photos into Lightroom

The first step is as simple as grabbing your favorite cup of coffee—open up Lightroom and import your RAW files. Let Lightroom do its thing while you check emails, scroll Instagram, or make that second coffee. Once your photos are safely tucked into Lightroom, close the app (don’t worry, we’ll be back!) and make sure you’ve got Imagen AI ready to go.

Step 2: Start the Culling Process with Imagen AI

Now, let’s save some serious time! Open up the Imagen AI application and ensure you’ve got an AI profile (a preset based on your unique editing style). If you haven’t set this up yet, no stress. You’ll need at least 3,000 edited photos uploaded from your Lightroom catalog to get started. Yes, that sounds like a lot, but trust me, your future self will thank you. But now, it’s time to cull.

In Imagen, click “New Project” and choose the “Culling” option. You can just import your Lightroom catalog directly, and no need to stress about accidentally including blurry images or over/under exposed images! Imagen just added a “low rated” option for culling results that might be blurry, accidentally, or improperly exposed – eliminating the need for that rough first cull (AI where have you been all my life? What a time to be alive).

Step 3: Set Your Culling Preferences

Now it’s time to set your culling preferences. Want to flag your images, use star ratings, or color labels? You’ve got options! For sessions with lots of similar photos, I recommend choosing “Less Similar” to make your life a little easier. You can also select “edited preview” with your preferred AI profile attached. Hit save and let Imagen work its AI magic.

Once Imagen finishes processing (grab that coffee refill!), it’ll notify you when your culling results are ready for review. This is where the fun begins. Go through your images, delete duplicates, and start organizing by star ratings. Personally, I keep the 5-star winners and start narrowing things down from there.

Step 4: Download Culled Images and Reopen Lightroom

Now that the culling is done, download those beautifully sorted images and pop them back into Lightroom. It’s time for the final review! Check out your star categories and make sure everything looks good—five-star photos are typically the best, while the lower stars might need a second glance or the good ol’ delete button.

Before you head back into Imagen for the final round of edits, double-check that all the unwanted images are deleted from Lightroom. Next, upload that Lightroom file of keepers to Imagen AI for skin smoothing and color correction.

Step 5: Time to Edit with Imagen AI: Skin Smoothing and Color Correction

Inside Imagen, you can go ahead and select crop, straighten, skin smooth, or subject mask. Select your AI profile for editing consistency, or choose a pre-existing one if you don’t have your custom profile yet (Again, you need 3000 images to create your own so pull out those old Lightroom Catalogs to help speed up the process).

Hit upload, and in about five minutes, you’ll have your beautifully edited images ready to download.

Step 6: Final Review and Export

Download the processed images from Imagen, open them in Lightroom for one last check, and make any final tweaks or adjustments. If you do make changes, be sure to upload them back to Imagen so it can learn your editing style and get smarter with every project.

Once you’re satisfied with your edits, it’s time to export those final images and pat yourself on the back for mastering an efficient workflow! Use THIS LINK to get 1500 free edits!