A system and method for editing images. Each image editing operation is described by a few parameters. Multiple users can share image processing changes by sharing a few set of parameters instead of the whole bitmaps of the images. An Editing List describes the parameters defining the image changes. The size of Editing List is very small and is ideal for network transmission and collaboration. Image Editing Lists are independent of the images themselves. By decoupling the Image Editing Lists from the original bitmap images, other advantages are obtained. For instance, the same Editing List can be applied to other images and also to multiple images at the same time. Rendering of the modified images can be performed at a later time and only when necessary. In case of collaborative editing, the transmission time is reduced drastically.