Zoner Photo Studio X Software Review (Spring Update 2023)

As promised by its creators, Zoner Photo Studio X (ZPS X) has received another update, adding more features and improvements to what was already introduced in the Autumn 2022 release. To find out how the new features enhance the software, we’re retesting Zoner Photo Studio X, focusing on what’s new, so you can decide if it’s the photo editing software for you. 

Zoner Photo Studio X Features

As we’ve previously reviewed Zoner Photo Studio X, we’ll be just focusing on what’s new in this update but do take a look at our previous review for a full run-down on what the software has to offer. 

With the Spring 2023 update, you now get native support for 1200+ lenses and those who work with multiple monitors can work with different viewing modes so you can compare photos, work with multiple video project files, use the Full Preview mode while editing and more. 

Talking of video, the video module has had a lot of work done to it so if you regularly edit videos as well as photos, you’ll have more options and tools to access. This includes scaling, moving or cropping footage, creating keyframes, preloading video clip folders faster and previewing videos more smoothly. As video isn’t a subject we cover in detail, we won’t be testing these features but it’s good to see such tools available in the same software as photo editing tools rather than having to move to a completely different program.  

For photographers, the ZPS X team have worked hard to make RAW editing even quicker, they say the time it takes to open a RAW file is nearly cut in half, and export has also been sped up. For RAW processing, the demosaicing algorithm has been redesigned. 

As well as a photo editor, ZPS X also offer a free online gallery called Zonerama and now, clients can label photos you share with them in the gallery so you know they need further processing. 

Other new features added to the Spring 2023 update include:

• Artifact reduction for high ISO settings
• More natural addition of film Grain
• Customisation of the Develop module
• Scale filter masks
• Higher-quality photo previews
• Interactive video thumbnails
• Automatic advance when rating
• Convenient thumbnail rotation
• Reorder tabs in the program header

Zoner Photo Studio X Ease Of Use & Performance

Zoner Photo Studio X offers a non-destructive photo editing process for working with layers, masks and other well-known tools. You also still get access to an image library where you can organise your photos.

ZPS X works in a modular format, keeping tools specific to a task in one place which keeps the UI clean and easier to navigate. The UI actually keeps the same structure and style as we’ve previously seen so if you’re already using the software, you won’t need to get to grips with anything new. Although, you can now rearrange settings groups to how you want them to be ordered and if you’re working on multiple projects, these can now be moved/organised how you like in the program header bar, too. 

Staying in the Develop module, native support for thousands of lenses is available and this continues to be expanded so you can automatically correct distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting. The time it takes for RAW photos to be imported and exported has got faster which means your workflow will be faster but we never really had an issue with the speed images opened up anyway. Having said that, offering speed improvements is always welcomed. The time it takes ZPS X to process RAW files is also faster as the team has redesigned the RAW demosaicing algorithm.

There’s a handy preview function in the Develop and Manager modules where images can now be rotated via an icon on thumbnails and when applying ratings, once you’ve poped your rating on a photo, the software automatically moves on to your next shot which should speed up the process of rating and organising images. 

Even though the update mainly focuses on ways the user can customise the interface and video module improvements, there are a couple of additions to tools for adding creative grain and for dealing with noise in images. For those who enjoy adding a bit of film grain to black-and-white images, this now looks more realistic when applied and at the other end of the scale where you want to remove noise, the software works hard to reduce artifacts from images captured at higher ISOs. 

As well as a photo editor, ZPS X also offer a free online gallery where there’s no limit on the amount of photos you can upload and it doesn’t compress images either. The gallery is called Zonerama and those who use it can now allow clients to mark-up photos they think need further processing which saves time, speeds up workflow and keeps images all in one place. 

Take a look at some of the sample images captured by photographers and edited in ZPS X below. 

Zoner Photo Studio X Sample Photos

Value For Money

Zoner Photo Studio X is priced at $5.99 per month or $59 annually but ePHOTOzine members can currently save 20% when purchasing the software which makes the annual price $47.20 and the monthly subscription cost $4.80. You can also try ZPS X free for 30 days for a limited time as this trial duration will change soon. For more information, visit the Zoner Photo Studio X website.

Zoner Photo Studio X Verdict

Zoner Photo Studio X is continuously evolving with new tools, improved features and faster workflow the focus of the team behind the scenes. The price is reasonable and as updates keep coming, you know you’re investing in software its creators care a lot about. 

[REVIEW_FOOTER]R_features=4.5|R_Handling=4|R_performance=4.5|R_value=4.5|R_overall=4.5|A_level=4.5|A_text=Zoner Photo Studio X is still easy to ‘Highly Recommend’ with its comprehensive line-up of photo editing tools that are supported by a good photo management system. |E_id=7837[/REVIEW_FOOTER]

View Full Product Details