If 2025 felt heavier than usual, you’re not imagining it. Bigger galleries became the norm. Burst shooting became standard practice. Clients expected faster turnaround times, even as image counts continued to climb. Fortunately, key AI tools in our workflow have allowed us to not only adapt to these demands, but also change how they work. According to Snapshot 2025, an annual industry report from Aftershoot, thousands of photographers finished 2025 with more time, without outsourcing, per-image fees, or giving up creative control. In fact, on average, photographers reclaimed 473 hours of post-production time in 2025. That’s nearly 12 full work weeks per photographer.
Let’s take a closer look at Aftershoot’s Snapshot 2025 report to get a better idea of how we can use this information to improve our own workflow.
What Is Snapshot?
Snapshot is Aftershoot’s annual industry report, designed to track how photography workloads, turnaround times, and post-production practices evolve over time. By analyzing real production data this way, Snapshot looks at day-to-day workflow behavior to reveal a bigger picture view of where the industry really is. Based on data for 2025, the report shows that workloads are up, delivery timelines are shorter, and efficiency is a must.
A Year Defined by Volume
Snapshot 2025 is based on real-world data from nearly 188,000 photographers, giving us a clear look at how photography workflows have shifted over the past year. And the numbers make one thing obvious: photographers were under more pressure than ever.
In 2025 alone, photographers processed 8.8 billion images through Aftershoot. Of those, 6.8 billion images were culled, including 1.24 billion duplicate frames,roughly one out of every six photos captured.
Burst shooting has become a necessity. Manual sorting has not kept up.
Where the Time Went, and Where It Came Back
This wasn’t about shaving off a few minutes here and there. It changed how photographers worked day to day.
Photographers using Aftershoot’s AI tools saved tens of millions of hours by automating the most repetitive parts of post-production. AI-powered culling accounted for roughly 40 million hours saved, faster editing reclaimed another 36 million hours, and automated retouching returned an additional 13 million hours. Combined, those gains added up to 89 million hours saved across the photography community in 2025.
Put another way, the average photographer using Aftershoot got back nearly 59 working days, time that could be reinvested into clients, creative work, or simply stepping away from the screen.
The Financial Impact of Automation
Time savings weren’t the only benefit. Snapshot 2025 also highlights the financial impact of reducing post-production labor.
By automating culling, editing, and retouching, photographers saved an estimated $212 million in 2025. Editing alone accounted for $134.5 million of that figure, underscoring where photographers tend to lose the most time and where automation delivers the biggest return.
For many studios, these gains directly translate into improved margins and long-term sustainability without raising prices or outsourcing work.
AI as a Sustainability Tool
One of the clearest takeaways from Snapshot 2025 is that AI is no longer viewed as a novelty. It’s become infrastructure.
“As photographers take on bigger workloads and shorter deadlines, AI has shifted from a nice-to-have to an essential part of running a sustainable creative business,” said Aftershoot founder Harshit Dwivedi. “Saving 89 million hours in a single year isn’t just a number; it represents time creators reclaimed for creativity, clients, and life beyond the screen.”
Co-founder Justin Benson echoed that sentiment, noting that as expectations rise year after year, tools like Aftershoot allow photographers to grow without burning out, by letting technology handle repetition while photographers focus on the work they actually enjoy.
Special Offer
To coincide with the launch of Snapshot 2025, Aftershoot is offering a limited-time deal for new users. Get unlimited AI culling and editing for $99 for six months, designed to help studios start 2026 with a faster, more sustainable workflow without changing how they shoot or deliver.
Claim the special Snapshot offer here.
As Snapshot 2025 makes clear, the photographers who thrive moving forward won’t be the ones working longer hours. They’ll be the ones who remove friction from their workflow and reclaim their time.
