Here’s the approach I developed over many years to efficiently cull and edit large sets of photos. The key is avoiding the repetitive task of opening and closing the edit, crop, or preset panels for each photo. Instead, I explain how to take five focused passes across the set.

Start by reviewing your entire set of photos and flag all promising photos – including similar variations of the same shot. The benefit of this approach is you’ll get to compare similar photos and pick the best one later.

Once you’ve made your initial selections, filter to show only the flagged photos.

The Five Passes:

1. Reduction – review each photo and confirm it’s truly a “pick.” Compare similar shots and select the best version. Un-flag rejected photos to remove them from view.
2. Storytelling – review your final selection of photos. Less is more, but make sure your chosen photos tell the complete story. Check that you haven’t missed any key moments—you may need to revisit the full set and add another photo.
3. Composition – crop each photo in the set. Ensure horizon or vertical lines are straight.
4. Editing – apply your presets, adjust color/exposure and correct lens distortion to each photo.
5. Creativity – consider adding a creative touch to select photos of your choosing. Experiment with black and white, creative coloring, filters, cropping or edit with external apps.

After completing these passes, don’t forget about batch processing. Apply noise reduction across photos and update metadata like location and copyright information.

Finally, conduct one last review of each photo before exporting your collection of memories to share.

Although reviewing each photo multiple times may seem repetitive, after trying it a few times you might find that it not only speeds your process up but helps you spot subtle details and ensure consistency across your set.