Despite these three main functions, the application comes free of charge. There are also two paid versions, with a richer set of options, but the freebie is already packed with plenty of possibilities.
We soon faced the interface after we went through the regular steps of the installation process. Looks may seem impressive at first, but the plethora of buttons and choices at hand could make the application window appear a bit daunting to a beginner user.
Actually, considering all the knobs it comes equipped with and the set of possibilities available, Zoner Photo Studio is more suitable for the above average user, who likes to handle huge picture collections as well as apply minor corrections to the items.
Switching between the three modes of the program, Manager, Viewer and Editor can be easily done from the top right hand corner of the application window. Regardless which one you choose, there are numerous details that can distract you from viewing the image, such various panels and information boxes. On the upside, there is the slideshow view of the picture collection, which puts the focus on the imagery rather than the options at your disposal.
The Manager
This part of the application is pretty easy to use for the most basic tasks, like looking at a preview of the selected item, organizing them according to a myriad of criteria. The basic options in this sense are name, size, type, creation/modification date, ascending and descending.
But there are also the advanced choices, which offer a much wider pool to pick from; appealing to these you can sort the images according to title, keywords, author, copyright information, rating, description, dimensions, DPI, compression, color representation, so on and so forth. The options in this area are so vast that even include EXIF details, and you can organize your pictures according to these.
Navigating to the desire directory of images is not a tough task, especially if you are accustomed with Windows Explorer’s way of browsing data, because Zoner’s system is a pretty fine replica. As soon as you select an image you will be able to preview it in the lower left hand corner of the interface but, most importantly, photography aficionados will be able to see information such as tonal distribution, basic and detailed EXIF.
Quick, automatic corrections can be easily applied to the selected image and you can also tamper with the colors by changing levels, temperature or simply adjust them to your own liking.
It looks like the image manager component in Zoner Photo Studio encompasses options from the other two modules, since besides its organizational skills and the restrained color correction abilities it also features the possibility to save the content of an image folder as a slideshow. However, the most surprising features are its capability to create panoramas and even 3D scenes. Of course, in order to achieve this you must have the necessary set of pictures that can overlap in perfect synergy for the desired result.
In order to witness the organizational skills of this module the developer puts at your disposal the Catalog, a special section that automatically indexes all the images in the folders you browse. The items are arranged based on their EXIF information by year, month and date. Those with no EXIF details are automatically passed in the catalogued group.
The Viewer
Although it is one of the major functions in the application, Zoner Photo Studio’s default viewing abilities do not bring the image out entirely. Even if you take out the display of the header and the footer, the upper elements of the interface are still interfering with viewing the images.
However, in lack of a full screen view of the picture the default presentation is greatly improved when switching to slideshow view. Besides offering a clear view of the image this mode comes with a hefty set of options that let you customize how the pictures are played, enable background music or view the header and footer and define the information they display.
The most important part of the slideshow is represented by the transition effects; and the batch at your disposal is pretty rich. There are 27 choices to pick from, which include various stripes, fill in, cover and slide effects, but the possibilities are not limited to these. If you find a suitable combination of effects you can bundle them together into a preset that can be used on other slideshows.
The Viewer screen can be “adorned” with various details about the displayed image. Thus, besides showing “header” and “footer” elements the application is perfectly capable of showing the histogram, the thumbnails or the description panel. By default, the histogram is shown behind the footer, but you can drag it to a more comfortable position at any time.
The Editor
Zoner Photo Studio’s editing abilities are different than what a regular freebie would put at your disposal. There are some basic instruments available, but some of them are quite a surprise.
As far as attuning the color set of the image is concerned, you’ll benefit from the same set of tools as in the Manager screen, but running down in the left hand part of the Editor window you’ll find a list of more unconventional instruments.
The basic choices lacking from this version of the application include selection tools, shapes and an eraser. Instead, from the basic bundle of instruments you get a zoom tool, cropping, red-eye removal, clone stamp and a paintbrush you can customize in terms of diameter, opacity, density or work mode.
Retouching and alignment tools such as “iron” and “align horizon” and “morphing mesh” are also part of the freebie’s arsenal of editing instruments. These, together with “droste” effect, are regularly part of a more complex image editing toolbox.
Despite the fact that selection tools would have been more adequate for basic image editing, the instruments present in the free version of Zoner Photo Studio can also be put to good use; you can apply text over the pictures or engage in more complex operations such as correcting the horizon line in a tilted photo; “clone-stamp” is great for covering small objects with the background.
Moreover, there is a nice collection of filters you can apply: grayscale, old photograph, explosion, oil paint, waves, pencil drawing, pixelize, emboss, fading borders, etc.
If you’re looking for a single application to manage your photos, play them in a slideshow as well as apply some minor retouches, Zoner Photo Studio is a pretty good deal. Its organizational skills do not depend entirely on the details you can pin on each picture (tags, rating, description, title, author, etc.) as it can automatically index all pictures you browse and catalog all the items by year, month and day.
Looks could use a bit of retouching so that users are not distracted by the various items in the interface when viewing the images. Edition is not a matter the free edition of Zoner Photo Studio excels in, but it offers a pretty interesting set of instruments.
On the upside, viewing a collection of images in a slideshow is great. You have plenty of effects to pick from and there is also the possibility to add music in the background to improve the experience. Another plus in the application is that it can build panoramas and 3D pictures if you have the right elements.
The Good
The free version of Zoner Photo Studio comes with a slew of publishing options you will not find in another freebie too soon. Besides being able to upload pictures to image sharing services it can also help you create calendars, slideshows or contact sheets.
Featuring an extremely large number of sorting options which rely on EXIF information as well as size, creation/modification date, its organizational skills are truly exceptional.
Color-adjustment tools at your disposal in the software let you modify anything from levels to temperature.
The Bad
Looks could use a bit of brushing up in order to put the emphasis more on the photo it shows regardless of the active module.
Users accustomed with lighter interfaces may have trouble adjusting to this immense gathering of options.
Editing options do not fit the basic needs the free version of the software should cover.
The Truth
Given the avalanche of information is shares about the loaded photo Zoner Photo Studio is definitely not an application for the average user. It is not complicated, but the large amount of options and possibilities are in contrast with the light interfaces trending these days.
Its functionality goes beyond that of a simple image manager, viewer and editor as the app brings in options for bundling the pictures into calendars, contact sheets or slideshows; the items can be sorted with the utmost precision.
Bottom line is that Zoner Photo Studio is a heavy application designed to provide the user with all options so that it eliminates the need of a third party software when it comes to managing, retouching or viewing photos. For plenty of the users the huge pile of options may be too much.
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