Everybody today has a smartphone. And while the cameras in our phones still lag far behind real cameras, you can use a phone for a number of other things that are closely related to photography. There’s a whole sea of mobile apps for photographers, and it’s not easy to sail among them. We’ve done it for you and made a few picks. Take a look at our favorites.

On the one hand, portrait retouching is a complicated skill that takes years of practice to master fully. But on the other hand, Zoner Photo Studio offers a number of tools that will let you get started with retouching very fast. Read up on the retouching basics that every portrait photographer should master. With our guide, you’ll learn them fast.

What do you do when you want to gorgeously document the look of your shot location, but the weather just isn’t there? One thing you can do is to replace the sky during post-production. This is a creative technique where you take advantage of work with layers. You’ll need both your original photograph and one with a more interesting sky. Ideally they both should have been shot at the same focal length. And what do you do after that?

Sure, you can go to a friend, hand them your phone or camera, and let them just take a snap. That’s one possibility. But you’ll get better results if you think a little first. A profile photo is actually a portrait, and so it follows portraits’ usual rules. Master the basics among these rules, and you’ll take great profile photos one after another.

Landscape photography doesn’t work the same way every time, but a few basics will apply for most of your photo opportunities. If you’re not sure what camera settings to use or what tricks will get your landscapes looking even better, turn to this article for advice.

You can use blending modes both in your work with layers and in your work with editing effects in ZPS. When you’re working with layers, you’ll find the controls for blending modes in the right panel under the Layers line, above the list of layers. During edits themselves, you’ll always find the blending mode controls (“Blending Options”) by the specific adjustment you’re applying (e.g. Curves, Grayscale, Blur, etc.). ZPS offers you over 20 different choices of blending mode. The best way to get to know them is by trying them out.

Already on its own, Zoner Photo Studio offers a very wide variety of tools for photo editing. But in addition to its built-in tools, it also offers access to plugins. These expand its features and offer you even more ways to edit your photos. But—how do you install and work with plugins?

A full lunar eclipse is awaits us this very weekend. So don’t miss this chance to catch a rare phenomenon that the Moon is offering us. Prepare your camera and capture the exceptional play of colors and shadows. We’ll show you how.

Wintertime offers a new view of every landscape, and you’ve got to take advantage of that. But it’s important to also think about your equipment—and above all your health. After all, photographing snowy landscapes can often be a little dangerous. Yet if you prepare well, you’ll be rewarded with magical pictures. We’ll show you how to photograph winter landscapes, and how to prepare for it.

Macro photography is a genre that just about everyone tries. Some people stick with it, while others never come back. If you try macro and if you’re the sort who doesn’t like to give up, then don’t let cold weather drive you away from it. Did you know you can take great macro pictures in the comfort of your home? With a little work, you can even give these pictures a genuine “outdoor” look. We’ll show you how.