When the art community discusses the inside and outside of artificial intelligence, the AI-focused software brand aftershoot called on over 1,000 photographers for their ideas. The results highlight some interesting statistics.
According to the Aftershoot 2025 Great Photography Workflow Revolution Report, 64% of photographers showed that their clients were unaware of AI use, and 81% reported improved work-life balance.
The study asked over 1,000 photographers who already use a variety of questions about how technology has impacted workflows. Anything that is being investigated is considered an “active AI adapter.”
The survey is not limited to location, and includes photographers from around the world, with about 38% of respondents having 11-20 years of experience. Approximately 54% of photographers in surveyed photography are weddings, while only 16% are portrait photographers.
Only users of Afthoot, an AI-driven photography culling software, may not be showing trends within the broader photography community, and may not be applicable to users of other AI platforms. However, this report offers some interesting glimpses into the challenges facing the industry and how AI is being used.
Sixty-four percent of respondents said their clients were unaware of AI use, while 30% indicated they received positive feedback about faster turnaround times. Only 1% of those surveyed said their clients had negative feedback about their AI use.
Eight of the 10 photographers surveyed showed improved work-life balance after switching to AI workflow. Approximately one-third of respondents said they used their time saved to creative projects, education, or business growth.
Of those surveyed, 28% said they had delivered the full gallery within a week. That's more than twice as much from Aftershoot's 2024 survey. Only 7% of respondents who said they planned to use that time saving at a more competitive price were planning on using that time saving at a more competitive price, but still thought their clients were more price sensitive. Instead, 60% said they would reinvest that time in premium experiences and client relationships.
The survey was already focused on photographers who use AI, but not all respondents use it. Generate AI – A form of machine learning that uses AI to create things that were not previously possible.
In contrast, 40% reported not using AI extensions or generations at all, while generative extensions and generative filling tools were the second highest use among about a third of respondents.
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Although they use less than half of reports using the Generate AI or Image Extension, 71% said they use culling backwards or select photos to deliver. Approximately 58% use Lightroom for retouching, then 47% use Photoshop, Aftershoot's own retouching tool 27%.
Of those surveyed, 62% said they used both AI and manual hybrid workflows, while 31% said they were AI alone. The majority – 68% – predicts that AI will handle more than 50% of post-production within the next two years.
One of the drawbacks of using additional AI software is the price. 52% say up to a quarter of their software budget is spent on AI, and 42% say AI constitutes an even higher percentage of their software budget.
Photographers have access to the full aftershoot research results.
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