Let’s be honest — editing can either be your happy place… or the thing standing between you and your next cup of coffee.

After nearly a decade photographing newborns, milestones, and families, I’ve refined my editing process to something that’s fast, consistent, and still feels like me.

Here’s my exact step-by-step workflow — the tools I actually use, and the one AI program that completely changed how I handle newborn skin.

Step 1: Culling with Photo Mechanic

If you’re still culling in Lightroom, I’m begging you — stop. 😅

Photo Mechanic is lightning-fast. I can zip through hundreds of RAW files in minutes, tagging only the best frames to edit. No lag, no waiting, no wasted time.

Step 2: Initial Edits in Adobe Bridge + ACR

Once I’ve chosen my favorites, I open everything in Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

This is where I handle:

  • White balance and exposure corrections

  • Lens adjustments

  • Cropping and straightening

  • Color consistency across the gallery

It’s also where I use my Expodisc readings from the session to ensure true-to-life tones before diving deeper.

Step 3: Retouching in Evoto (Especially for Newborns)

Here’s where the magic happens.

If you’ve ever edited newborns, you know their skin can be tricky — redness, flakes, baby acne, uneven tones… the list goes on.

Evoto has been a total game-changer for me. It’s an AI-powered retouching tool that smooths skin, balances tones, and even corrects blotchiness — all while keeping the texture natural.

I use it for:

  • Newborns: quick and gentle skin smoothing that keeps the baby’s texture realistic

  • Moms: soft skin retouching that enhances, not erases

  • Batch editing: fast turnaround on larger sessions without losing quality

It saves me hours of Photoshop work every week — and that’s not an exaggeration.

If you want to try it out, you can get a bonus with my code WFZMDPSX39 when you make your first purchase.

Step 4: Finishing Touches in Photoshop

After Evoto, I bring the images into Photoshop for the details that still matter most to me as an artist:

  • Dodge and burn for subtle dimension

  • Enhancing catchlights in the eyes

  • Cleaning up stray hairs or lint

  • Gentle color grading for my signature warm tones

This is the stage where I slow down and get creative. Everything before this is about efficiency — this is about artistry.

Step 5: Final Export and Delivery

Once everything’s polished, I save the finals to my organized PAX storage system and upload the gallery to ShootProof for delivery.

From cull to client-ready, my workflow is now fast, repeatable, and stress-free — leaving me more time for actual photography (and let’s be real, mom life).

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to reinvent your process every time you sit down to edit. Once you dial in your system and the tools that fit your rhythm, editing becomes something you can flow through instead of fight against.

If you’ve been wanting to streamline your editing workflow, I can’t recommend Evoto enough — especially for newborn photographers who need that perfect balance of soft and natural.

👉 Use my code WFZMDPSX39 to get a bonus on your first purchase and see how much time it saves you.