How to batch-edit photos on iOS 16

You can make changes on one and apply to many

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• iPhone

• iOS 16 or later

• A batch of photos

Apple’siPhone 14, especially theiPhone 14 Proand14 Pro Max, are packed with some excellent cameras, but that doesn’t mean every photo or series of images will come out just right. Sometimes you have to edit one or more of them. If you want a series of images to all have the same look and feel, though, you can (depending on the number of adjustments you make) take some time to edit each one.

Of course, a more time-efficient way of doing things would be to make all of your changes once, and then apply those edits everywhere.

WithiOS 16, Apple introduced a nifty hidden feature: batch image editing. Apple doesn’t call it that, exactly. Instead, the feature is really more of a copy of everything you did to one photo and paste the actions through to a bunch of images.

It’s incredibly useful and also dead simple to do. Here’s all you need to know about batch editing images in iOS 16.

Quick steps for how to batch-edit photos on iOS

Step-by-step guide for how to batch-edit photos on iOS

1. Start with the one but think of the many

The first thing you’ll be doing is applying all youredits to a single photo. That sounds simple but since the idea is you’ll eventually be applying those changes to a bunch of photos, you might want to spend some time considering all your changes.

It’s for that reason that you should look at all the images you’re about to edit and then think about theoverall look and styleyou want. If, for example, you want an elegant wedding photo album, you might opt for high-contrast black and white. That could be an easy set of changes to make. If, however, you want to start fiddling with the colors, it could take more work, You’ll want a combination of changes that will lookequally good on all images. Otherwise, it’s best to just edit individually.

2. Edit your photo

Open the image in Photosandselect Editin the upper right-hand corner.

You can select theAuto filter, or dig into specific controls like Contrast, Brilliance, Warmth, etc, and adjust the image until you have a look and mood that you feel comfortable applying to multiple photos.

One thing to note is that if you do image adjustments like cropping or rotating the images, those will not be copied as edits that you can apply at a batch level.

3. Copy your edits

While you’re still in the original photo,select the menuin the upper left corner that looks likethree ellipses. ChooseCopy Edits. This copiesall the image edits(not including crops and rotations) you made to the photo in that session.

4. Return to your photo library

Return to your photo libraryandselect all the imagesthat you want to batch edit. You can make this task a little easier if you start by putting all your images – including the one featuring the initial edits – ina new album.

To select images, youchoose “Select"from the upper right corner. It’s next to those ellipses.

Nowselect all the imagesyou want to edit by tapping or dragging your finger over a series of images.

5. Apply the edits

With all your images selected, you can now apply all the edits.

Tapthe ellipses More menuin the bottom right-hand corner of the Photo Library screen. ChoosePaste Edits. iOS 16 will do the rest. Depending on how many images you chose and the degree of editing, it may take a moment for your iPhone to complete the operation.

If you don’t like the edits or how batch-editing impacted one of the images, you can always open that image,select Edit,andhit Revertto return to its unedited, original state.

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A 38-year industry veteran andaward-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoffmakes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, theToday Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.

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