That's actually what I have been doing, and while it's not that hard, it is a little time consuming. There's also the fact that some of the lots I use are not over there, so I'd have to do the upload with each if I need that particular setting. I thought if I could just play with those check boxes in SimPE and get the same result, it would be easier. Simpler, at the very least.
Here's an idea. Disposable neighborhood = a copy of your real neighborhood. Clone the sims, make a copy of your Neighborhoods folder, install the clones into the copy of the neighborhood, take the pictures, and delete the neighborhood afterwards.
Doing things with InSim/SimPE may seem faster. The concern is that the sims will probably end up with double memories, unless you then clean those with SimPE... and editing memories can be a hassle. Plus who knows what sort of glitches could occur while you're messing around (so make a backup, right?). So it might not turn out to be any faster or easier after all.