What's the quickest turnaround for photos?

if you had too large of plants before, that is because of how long you veged the plant - a self-inflicted problem. easy to fix by setting timers to 12/12 sooner. it's your chioce not the plants. if you want autoflower-sized plants, flip after 2 weeks from sprout. easy-peasy. though, i'd suggest a bit more thought in the matter, since growth rates vary. vege enough to fill the space no matter what. this is the primary benefit of photoperiods... you have far greater control over the outcome - as far as filling the sapce/yield. A scrog is a simple way to keep them shorter as well as supporting any potential lanky phenotype you may run across. if you grow small plants, this is unlikely to occur as short plants are stronger in this way. I grow larger plants, but for seveal weeks before flip, the plants remain the same height while spreading out horizontally sea of green with many plants quickly flipped to 12/12 is another way to go. Thist would require the shortest time and may even be faster than many autoflowers. more plants = less vege time to fill the space = less electricity expended as well as your own efforts. sea of green might be the most familiar thing relative to growing autoflowers, but i wouldn't be rigid about vege times.. i'd work backward from filling the space properly to make decisions about vege time. train it, top it.. whatever you want.. it's easy to keep a plant low-profile.