AI Photo Culling for Wedding Photographers: How I Use Aftershoot to Save 12+ Days a Year

Culling sucks. Whether you’re physically crashed out or just creatively tapped, sitting through thousands of almost-identical frames is brutal. That’s why what should take hours disappears in minutes with AI photo culling for wedding photographers. Using AI as a tool for your business isn’t a “new trend.” It’s the new reality, and your boundary protector.

If you’re chronically ill, burned out, neurodivergent, or simply at your limit with post-wedding editing, AI photo culling isn’t a shortcut—it’s a strategic, sustainable shift. Aftershoot exists to take one major task off your plate, so you can focus on the parts of your work that actually need your brain and your brilliance.

Why AI Photo Culling for Wedding Photographers Changes Everything

It starts with 4000 photos. One gem. Twenty-seven near-duplicates that make your eyes glaze over. Your hands ache. Then the brain fog starts. Your body says no—but your inbox is filled with emails asking, “where’s my gallery?”

This part of your job? It doesn’t need to be manual anymore.

AI photo culling tools like Aftershoot are trained to spot blinks, duplicates, blur, and even emotional expression. It won’t replace your eye—but it will drastically reduce the time you spend buried in Lightroom.

What Aftershoot Actually Does (And How It Works)

Here’s what Aftershoot does once you hand over the reins:

• Sorts through RAWs using facial recognition, image sharpness, and content-based ranking
• Flags closed eyes, motion blur, bad lighting, weird expressions, and duplicate frames
• Applies star ratings or color labels based on your preset preferences
• Seamlessly exports to Lightroom or Capture One so you can jump straight into editing

You still get final say. But now, you’re reviewing maybe 800 images—not 4000. I saved over 12 full days last year just by not manually culling. That’s two weeks I got back. For rest, more clients, watching TV… Literally anything else.

My AI Photo Culling Workflow with Aftershoot

This is how I use Aftershoot inside a sustainable post-wedding workflow:

1. Import RAW files into Aftershoot after backing them up to my hard drive and cloud.
2. Let the AI run (overnight, or while I’m making lunch or laying on the couch)
3. Skim the results, fix anything that slipped through the cracks
4. Batch Edit
5. Export to Lightroom with my stars, colour labels, and edits and intact
6. Finish small tweaks myself

That’s it. No marathon scrolling sessions, decision fatigue, and definitely no spiraling.

Energy Protection for Burned Out Wedding Photographers

If you’ve ever edited with your heating pad on high, meal-replaced with cold coffee, or collapsed after a 12-hour doubleheader—you already know this isn’t just about culling. It’s about your capacity and quality of life.

Aftershoot gives you a way to still deliver an amazing client experience without sacrificing your health. That matters more than any myth about “earning your stripes” through suffering.

This is the future of photography for those of us who need systems that don’t ask for more than we can give.

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FAQ

Will it pick the wrong moments?
Sometimes. No tech is perfect. Have you ever used Adobe’s AI object remover?! But it does make fewer mistakes than you think. You train it over time by adjusting your preferences and manually re-rating images.

Is it worth learning a whole new software?
Absolutely, especially if you’re already stretched thin. The interface is clean, the onboarding is fast, and the payoff is huge. Like anything, there’s a learning curve, but the more you use it the more efficient you and the platform become.

Before You Go…

This post contains affiliate links—but you already know I don’t recommend anything I wouldn’t use on my worst flare day.

Try Aftershoot free + use my discount link for a bonus on your first subscription.

Want systems that do the heavy lifting? Check out my Done-For-You HoneyBook Workflow Service. Because you deserve tools and workflows that honour your capacity.

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Originally published: May 5th, 2022 | Updated August 19th, 2025