The spring 2023 update brings the largest number of improvements to Zoner Photo Studio since Version X was released in 2016. Native support for a growing list of more that 1200 lenses, much faster Raw processing times and major upgrades to the Video Module top the list of the many welcomed upgrades, but they’re not all. ZPS X now also offers full support for dual monitor setups and key improvements to Zonerama, the FREE online platform that provides users unlimited space to upload photos and videos where they’re securely stored and shared.

Zoner Photo Studio X keeps improving by leaps and bounds. The spring 2023 crop of upgrades is the biggest and best ever and includes several improvements to the user interface. Here’s the rundown.

Native Support for 1200+ Most Frequently Used Lenses
The all-new native support for lens profiles empowers users to automatically correct distortion, chromatic aberration and vignetting in the Develop module without the need to install add-ons. Enabling automatic lens correction in the Camera and Lens section of the Develop module is fast and easy. The list of supported lenses will continuously grow and be added via future updates.

ZPS X also supports a significantly expanded number of cameras since the fall 2022 update—50% more, in fact.

Faster Raw Processing —  Nearly 2X as Fast
Loading Raw images takes substantially less time. Additionally, the demosaicing algorithm and other image processing optimizations have been completely redesigned. The enhancements apply to all aspects of Raw processing, including initial opening, repeated opening, import, export, and indexing in the Catalog. 

And that’s not all. The preview quality in the Develop and Manager modules of Zoner Photo Studio X has also been improved. The processing of details in photos with high digital noise has also been optimized.Improved Dual Monitor Modes
The option for using a second monitor has likewise been enhanced. ZPS X now offers two modes that supplement the activity on the main monitor, providing users with more space for previewing photos that are being edited or more space for the Browser to move between files. The upgrade also allows working with multiple video project files and working with maps, and supports ultrawide monitors.

Major upgrades to the Video Module
While some photo editing programs practically ignore video editing, Zoner Photo Studio X has been significantly enhanced in several ways. Users can transform and animate clips, images, and text to create unique, never-before-seen effects in the Video module.  

Users can now preload video clips folders (a feature similar to ZPS X’s ability to preload Raw files) for faster workflow. And video files across the entire program can be previewed by simply hovering over the thumbnails. Video previews play smoothly, even on low-powered hardware, and deliver tack-sharp details in full resolution.

Business-friendly Improvements to Zonerama
Your clients can now select and label photos you share with them for further processing without logging in. After you share a secure link with your client they can choose what they want to order and mark it for further editing. Photographers see the selected photos directly in Zoner Photo Studio X linked to Zonerama. This eliminates the need for any third-party programs.

Improved Develop Module
The artifact reduction algorithm for higher ISO setting has been improved, especially for Fujifilm cameras with X-Trans sensors. Also, the addition of the luma-adaptive method for the natural addition of film grain creates more realistic results with a stronger likeness to actual film. Additionally, the ability to scale filter masks provides improved transfer of filters between images of different sizes.

Last but not least, users can now rearrange the order of settings groups like Exposure, Color Shift and others in the Develop module to match their work habits and speed throughput.

Other Enhancements to Zoner Photo Studio X
Improvements in photo management include the option to auto advance to the next photo after rating, rotate thumbnails and apply structured keywords. Also new: support for times shorter than one second when sorting photos, improved slideshows and the addition of an export-time metadata token. 

Download the FREE 30-Day Trial Today

If you haven’t discovered Zoner Photo Studio X yet, don’t wait. You can download the Free Trial and join the 100,000 customers in the U.S. (and millions worldwide) who use ZPS X and understand why Zoner Photo Studio X was the proud winner of two prestigious awards for Best Photo Editing Software from the world-renowned TIPA and EISA associations.

Comprehensive Photo & Video Editor
Zoner Photo Studio X is the powerful, inclusive photo and video editor. From the Browser through output options, you never have to change apps. Zoner Photo Studio X features five modules within the primary workspace. They’re labeled Manager, Develop, Editor, Print and Video. There are flexible workspace layout choices, too. And you can select the Browser view and see all images and all of your image folders—without leaving the Zoner Photo Studio X workspace.

Zoner is for All of Us
Zoner Photo Studio X is not just for professionals and advanced hobbyists. If you have a decent camera or high-end smart phone and you’re getting some great shots and/or videos, Zoner Photo Studio X is the pathway to better imaging. ZPS X is a set of reliable photo editing tools you can put to work quickly and intuitively, and get results immediately. Zoner Photo Studio X makes every photo better.

Affordable? Yes!
Priced at just $5.99 per month (or $59 for 12 months), Zoner Photo Studio X is one of the best money-saving, genuine bargains available to photographers. Included at no cost (in fact, available even if you haven’t tried Zoner Photo Studio X yet) the Learn tab on the Zoner website offers a robust assortment of how-to tutorials, videos and inspiring stories.

Zoner also maintains Zonerama, the FREE-to-all online platform that provides users unlimited space to upload photos and videos where they’re securely stored and shared. Even if you are not a ZPS X user you can open an account on Zonerama.

Who is Zoner Exactly?
With over 10,000,000 downloads from their website, Zoner is the real deal. Founded back in 1993 out of love for photography, the Zoner Photo Studio series is used by millions of photographers around the world – 100,000 in the US alone – from the ranks of absolute beginners to seasoned professionals. Zoner Inc’s corporate headquarters are located in the Czech Republic and the USA, with additional corporate offices located in North America, Central Europe, and Japan.

—Shutterbug Staff

I overestimated the home field advantage yesterday. While shooting along the creek, my foot slipped and I splashed into the water with all my gear. The plan was to get a photo of a hunting kingfisher for today’s Photography News.

Photographing flowers is a lot like cooking breakfast. Anyone can crack an egg, but can anybody eat the omelet without gagging? Here are seven brief but important tips every budding flower photographer should know.

Some say spring flowers are Mother Nature’s way of rewarding us for enduring winter. Others suggest flowers were invented by a honeybee. Whatever their mystical origins, they make great subjects for photographers of all skill levels. The following seven tips are for newbies who wish to partake in one of the most popular rituals of spring, but intermediate and advanced photographers might find a blossom here, too.

1. Proper Equipment is Important
Time and time again we remind you that cameras don’t take pictures, people take pictures. While that’s eminently true, you’ll get better flower pics if you mind the gear. While some high-end smartphones are capable of capturing reasonable close-ups, you’ll generally get better results with a close-focusing compact camera, DSLR or mirrorless.

We’re not suggesting you break the bank and buy a new camera to capture a few crocuses—unless of course you think that flower photography is likely to become a big deal for you going forward. Instead we’re reminding you to match your expectations to the level of tools available to you.

Mirrorless and DSLR owners, consider a macro lens. More on them below. Short of a dedicated macro, take a look at screw-in close-up lenses like the Kenko +10 ($12.90 from Amazon). They’re inexpensive and work reasonably well. Be sure to check what size screw-in filter your lens needs before ordering.

Tripods are indispensable for all close-up photography. If you shoot with a smartphone you need an adapter to attach it to a tripod. Check out the PodZilla and GorillaPod lineups. They work well and have budget-friendly prices, but they’re rather short, so buy one only if you are willing to get down on the ground, close to the subject.

Although you’ll get better results on cloudy days or by working in the shade, consider buying a reflector to fill in shadows and overall enhance available lighting. They’re affordable and easy to pack, deploy and use. If possible, have a second person hold the reflector in the right position. Alternatively, prop it against a second tripod, lawn chair or other stable object and secure it with removable painter’s tape.

2. Distance Matters
The size of the minimum field-of-view is the critical factor here. If you can get close enough that your camera can capture an area about the size of a single sheet of copy paper (8.5 x 11, or A4 for our European readers) and nothing else, you can get close enough to get satisfying results. If you can cover a smaller field, say, a 3 x 5 index card, then you’re really onto something. When photographing flowers it’s important to isolate the flowers and exclude the distracting background, and you can’t do that from three feet away, usually.

If you own a mirrorless or DSLR camera, the 18-55mm kit zoom it came with probably falls short here. For truly great flower snaps, consider a macro lens or a zoom lens that focuses close. The Tamron 70-180 f/2.8 zoom comes to mind (read our review here). With a lens like that you can capture a small field from a distance. And the versatile lens is also ideal for portraits, sport and wildlife.

Flowers grow on trees, too. Dogwoods flowers are great subjects. A close-focusing zoom is more suitable than a straight macro for flowers above your head.

3. Breeze is Bad
During close-up photography, exposure times (shutter speed) can be very short. This is especially true if you’re using a macro lens and small aperture for greater depth-of-field. Even the slightest breeze can move the flowers and corrupt sharpness.

The most simple countermeasure is to block the wind with your body as much as possible. A better (but more cumbersome and strange-looking) approach is to use two sides cut from a large corrugated box. Alternatively you can ask a helper to hold a sheet of plywood, Masonite or cardboard as a windshield.

You can make pleasant blurry images of flowers gently moving in the airstream too, but frankly, looking at those shots gets old fast and you probably won’t want to collect too many of them.

4. Rain is Good
Don’t stand out in the rain; keep your equipment dry at all costs. But welcome rain and the raindrops that sparkle in your images. Short of a thunderstorm, you can assault your flower garden with a hose or sprinkler can and get similar results.

Peak Design, manufacturer of some of the finest camera backpacks, shoulder bags and straps in the business, offers The Shell, a glove-like waterproof wrapper that provides excellent protection from the elements.

5. Out-of-Focus Can Be Cool
Because flowers are typically very colorful, you can make appealing abstract images by intentionally shoot out-of-focus shots. The best results come from a lens like Lensbaby which focuses manually and is purposefully full of rich unsharpness, aberrations and blur. Read our review of the Lensbaby system here.

If you like the blur effect, you can imitate it when you edit the image or you can use a soft-focus/diffusion filter, or other special effects filter like the Cokin Dreams Filter or Tiffen Glimmer Glass.

6. Bugs Often Hide From Your Eyes But Not Your Lens
Unless you have an allergy or melissophobia, don’t worry about the bees—they’re not interested in you. Worry instead about the tiny bugs that haunt your images even though you didn’t see them when you took the picture. Spider webs magically appear sometimes, too.

Unseen surprises happen all the time, and they’re hard to avoid. You can give the plant a gentle shake, quick brush with a Swiffer Duster or other common sense remedy, or you can become highly skilled with the blemish removal tool in your image editor.

No image editor? Check out Zoner Photo Studio X. It’s powerful but affordable ($5.99 per month or $59 for a full year) or Adobe Photoshop Elements (around $99 and sometimes on sale for around $79).

7. You Can Practice All Year Round
Obviously, if you grow flowers indoors you have a year-round gallery. But when you’re tired of the same rosebuds and African Violets, take a ride to a local greenhouse or garden center. The ones we often visit have no objections to photography, but it’s always better to ask first. And leave the tripod at home unless you have a special arrangement with the shop owner.

After the flowers die, let them dry and continue to photograph them. Even wilted and desiccated they can still deliver up some attractive images.

See Your Flower Pics on Shutterbug
Now that you know more about capturing images of flowers, send us your best for consideration as a Shutterbug Photo of the Day. Check out this recent article for more information: Start 2023 Right: Share Your Images & Be Featured in the Shutterbug Photo of the Day Gallery.

Become a Member of the Shutterbug Community
Register for a free account. Sign up for our newsletter. Spend five minutes (or less) uploading your best shots once every week or so. Potentially become a Photo of the Day winner. Enjoy viewing the fantastic work being done by thousands of photographers all over the world—and add your images to the enduring collection.

—Jon Sienkiewicz

 

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Last week, there was rain in the desert. I was so surprised to visit some of the driest places in America – Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Canyonlands, and more – and see them under storms and fog rather than the blue sky. It’s not “good weather” by most definitions, but it was perfect for landscape photography.