What software do you use to edit your photos? This is probably one of the most commonly discussed topics among photographers. What makes Zoner Photo Studio X stand out from other photo editing software on the market? Read on to learn the 7 reasons why Zoner Photo Studio X is the clear choice for photo editing software. 

If you are deciding which photo editing software is right for you, I’ve chosen several reasons and functions that come in handy when editing your photos. 

1. Cost and international support

No other software offers so many features at such a low cost. Saving users money is important. In other words, cost-performance ratio is a priority at ZPS X.   

You can always upgrade your license to a ZPS X family license. Family licenses allow each member in your household to have their own ZPS X license. Zoner Photo Studio X is used by a large number of schools, offices, and large corporations. 

Czech-based Zoner has been developing ZPS X for over 20 years. Its extensive experience in developing professional photo editing software includes customer support in English, German, and Czech. If you have any issues with your photo editing, you can expect a response from customer support within 24 hours, depending on the complexity of the issue. 

2. The Manager Module

The Manager Module is your guide to fast cataloging (import, organizing, etc.), quick and basic editing, and batch editing. This is usually the first module you see when you open the program. You can change the default module in the settings based on your preferences. This module also contains other handy features photographers often use in their workflow, including GPS coordinates of the exact location where a photo was taken, EXIF data, the option to add keywords, and more.

While other photo editing software has a module similar to the Manager module, I would argue the Manager module in ZPS X is more sophisticated and packs many features. I recommend clicking through and trying out all the different options. 

Some highlights of the Manager module include: 

• Batch renaming 
• Embed images and add your logo 
• Resize images for use on social media 
• Option to rotate images 
• Create HDR images using multiple exposures

The possibilities are endless. The Manager module allows you to create your own system for working with your photos, making your workflow faster and more efficient.

3. The option to edit without importing to the catalog

Zoner Photo Studio X lets you work with images using the Catalog. The Catalog allows you to import photos to the program, making your work with them faster. There is no need to slow down your workflow with non-image files. 

Importing files to the Catalog is not necessary or required for loading photos. You can use the directory without needing to import to the Catalog. This comes in handy when you need to quickly edit just a few images. 

4. Highlights and shadows 

For this point, I’d like to highlight the sophisticated algorithm that ZPS X applies when selecting parts of a photo to adjust the highlights and shadows. For these adjustments, it only targets and adjusts the parts that are bright, and other parts are unaffected. Other photo editing software tends to be more aggressive with these types of adjustments. 

5. Color Shift

In my opinion, Color Shift is the best function that is unrivaled by the competition. It is one of the best reasons to choose ZPS X.  

There are several functions and sliders for adjusting the color of a photo:  

• Saturation and Vibrance 
• Tone Curve settings for each RGB color channel 
• Color Shift across the entire color spectrum 
• General color toning settings 
• Lights and Shadows 
• Shift Primary Colors

Two of the biggest advantages of ZPS X over its competition are: 

1. In Color Shift, you can choose from two modes in the Hue section. One allows you to work with a maximum possible change of up to 30° and the second mode allows changes of up to 180°, creating what’s known as color inversion. Other photo editing programs, like Lightroom, don’t allow this and you don’t have the option to make drastic color changes. 

2. Another advantage of ZPS X is that Color Shift can be applied to tools like the Radial Filter, Gradient Filter, and Filter Brush. This feature comes in handy in many cases and is something you may miss when using other photo editing software. 

You will most likely take advantage of this option when you need to adjust the color rendition of an image in one section of the photo without affecting the other sections. For example, you want to adjust the color of the grass, but don’t want to change the color of the stadium seats. This is a key feature of ZPS X. 

6. Straighten lines

The Straighten Lines function is considered a basic photo editing tool. Compared to other photo editing software where this function is not very intuitive, ZPS X offers the option to straighten lines even if you don’t shoot at a 90-degree angle and shoot from a different angle, from above, or from the side. 

Depending on the genre, some photographers will take full advantage of this feature, others less so. But don’t underestimate its power. You can also take advantage of automatic line straightening, which makes this feature even better.

7. Automatically save adjustments to a separate file

The last reason why you should choose Zoner Photo Studio X is its ability to use metadata that contains information about the adjustments made to an image. For example, when using the Develop module, another file with a .data-zps extension is created in the same folder where the photo is saved. This file contains metadata about the adjustments made to the photo.  

If you move the folder with these files, you don’t lose the adjustments you’ve made. This is also done in other programs, but it is not automatic and you must save your adjustments manually. You can easily forget to manually save your adjustments. Then, if you delete the image from the catalog, all your adjustments are lost. 

These are by no means all the pros of using ZPS X. I focused on the advantages that are, in my opinion, the most useful and come in handy in my photography workflow. Finally, ZPS X has made huge strides in the last few years in terms of its quality and editing capabilities. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.   

Download Zoner Photo Studio X free for 7 days and see what quality photo editing looks like for yourself.