Zoner Photo Studio might be reasonably priced, but is it a serious and viable option for a professional?
Reasonably-priced software is often the most appealing, as no one wants to shell out for more expensive programs that might not meet their needs, or indeed might exceed them.
While many photographers move on to something more advanced eventually, there are advantages of sticking with the cheaper programs. The aim of these less-expensive programs is to offer enough features so as not to overwhelm a complete beginner, but offer enough in order to stand up against the bigger more industrial programs like Photoshop. Is Zoner Photo Studio sophisticated enough for the more advanced photo-editor out there?
Now in its eighteenth incarnation, Zoner Photo Studio is priced at $49 and aims to be an all-round photo editor, from organising snaps on your desktop, to cropping them and making more advanced edits. The company is an old-hand at making software, but this newest version of the program is the most complete yet. The program now supports 4K and high DPI output, but most excitingly, there’s capabilities to edit non-destructively and it’s even easier to edit light and shadows.
Just connect your camera to your desktop and Zoner will start importing into its organiser. Categorising photos is easy with the lefthand panel, which can sort your shots by label, colour or even place. On from there, are simple edits that can be made with just a few clicks using the new Develop tab, such as Temperature or Brightness. Zoner even comes with a histogram interface. The speed and power of the program will certainly help to cut your working time drastically.
Also new to Zoner has the ability to create your own presets for future use. Along with the higher picture quality, and tools like the Brush, Selection tools and the ability to smooth or blur, Zoner feels like a much more complete program, full of useful edits for any project imaginable. Zoner might not be the pinnacle of photo-editing, but it’s enough to satisfy any beginner or intermediate; you might want to go more advanced, but Zoner offers enough power and speed for you to manage either way.
A solid choice of software for both beginners and intermediates of photo editing, Zoner Photo Studio is sturdy, reliable and easy to use.