The Complete Guide to Photo Editing - Preview

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LEARN PROMINENT EDITS

TIPS&TRICKS

Modul

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Introduction

Manager

Develop

Editor

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Modules and the Zoner Photo Studio X interface Zoner Photo Studio X and its wide range of tools cover everything you need for your photography. From downloading to your computer, to editing and printing. For navigating the program, it is divided into separate sections, called modules. You can switch between these modules as you work.

Import and organize your photos using the Manager module. Edit your photos in the Develop and Editor modules.

Finally, order prints or create photo products in the Print module. The order of the modules follows the entire pho-

tography workflow – from going through your photos to printing them. What are the uses of the different modules and how do you navigate them? Find out in the pages that follow.

Switch between modules using the tabs on the top right.

M oduly a prostředí Zoner Photo Studia X

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THE MANAGER MODULE The Manager module, as its name indicates, helps you get your photography in order. Every photographer, at least when starting out, is faced with the problem of organizing and keeping track of a large volume of photos. However, if your photos folder is well organized, you won’t need to worry about finding any of your photos. In the Manager

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The M anager module

module, you can also easily assign ratings, keywords, or GPS coordinates to your photos. However, it doesn’t stop there.

You will appreciate many of the special features offered by the Manager module, such as the ability to make batch edits, add a watermark, stitch together a panorama, or use HDR.

Manager

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The right side panel contains the tools for the Manager module. You can see all available information about the selected file (with some able to be edited). You can also find buttons for exporting and sharing images, or the Batch Filter (Ctrl+Q), which allows you to batch edit a large number of photos at one time.

The main window. This is where you see previews of all the photos of a selected folder. Double click a photo to open its larger preview, or to inspect the image for sharpness or digital noise. Each preview also displays ratings or colored labels you’ve assigned. Use the small toolbar at the top center of the screen to set the quality and size for previews.

Once you select a photo, you can switch to the Develop or Editor modules and begin editing.

The Navigator. Zoner Photo Studio X goes through the contents of the folders on your computer and you can access any photo you have on your hard drive. You can also use the Navigator to access the Catalog and Zoner Photo Cloud or Zonerama folders.

Use the menu in the top left of your screen to access different functions of the Manager module. Other modules have different functions for this menu. You can see tabs above this menu that work similarly to those of a web browser. You can open several photos in multiple tabs in different modules. This comes in handy when you are working on more than one photo at once.

The M anager mo dule

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THE DEVELOP MODULE The Develop module is primarily used for what’s called non-destructive editing. Non-destructive editing means that the adjustments you make do not overwrite the original photo. The original file remains intact and you don’t have to worry about ruining it if you made a mistake while editing.

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The D e velop module

All edits are written to a supplementary file that Zoner Photo Studio X remembers and that you can return to at any time.

The Develop module is best suited for editing RAW images.

Use the Develop module to comprehensively solve any exposure or color issues, do retouching, and much more.

Manager

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This is what’s most important of all – your edited photo. Use the mouse wheel to zoom in. Click and drag to move the zoomed-in area. This way you see all your edits not only as a whole but in detail too.

The right side panel is where you find all the tools you need for editing in the Develop module. For instance, you can edit exposure, colors, sharpen your photo, or edit only a selected area using tools for local edits. There is also the green Export button for saving finished photos.

TIP: You can expand the width of the right side panel by hovering over its left edge. The cursor changes to an arrow. Click and drag the panel to expand it to the desired width.

Bottom filmstrip – where you see all the photos in a selected folder. Quickly and easily browse through the photos in the filmstrip. This saves you a trip back to the Manager module if you want to work with a different photograph. Use the small arrows in the bottom part of the filmstrip to collapse it when not needed.

The left panel, or the Navigator. This is shared by all modules and allows you to search for any photo on your computer.

While editing, it may get in your way. For this reason, click the small arrow icon on the far left side to collapse it and allow more space for the photo you are editing.

The D e velop module

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When editing your photos, you may find that you cannot decide which adjustment is best. In this case, it is useful to see multiple versions of the same photo side by side. The Create Variant option does just that. A variant is a copy of a photo. But, unlike standard file duplicates, there is the advantage that a Variant is only a virtual copy. It takes up hardly any space on the hard drive.

Create a variant in the Develop or Manager module by right clicking the photo and selecting Create Variant. It creates a preview of another version of the same file next to the photo, which you can work with as if it were another photo.

You can create multiple variants. They are automatically grouped. When creating multiple variants, you have an icon in the top left of the first photo to group or ungroup the photos.

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Creating multiple var iants of a single photo

Manager

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To compare all photos and see which adjustments are best, you can select all the variants and they will be displayed next to one another in Preview mode.

After selecting the best variants, you can delete the rest. But, you don’t have to! There is the option to export multiple variants at the same time as if they were standalone files. This is useful in situations such as when you are submitting photos to someone in color and black-and-white versions.

Creating multiple var iants of a single photo

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Sometimes these basic exposure adjustments are not enough and you need to use tools for local edits. The Gradient Filter (G) allows you to darken the upper part of a photo. The sky is naturally brighter than the rest of the photo. To make up for this imbalance, click and drag the Gradient Filter. As you drag the filter, the purple mask shows you which part you are editing and how smooth the transition will be.

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Editing landscape photos

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TIP: When editing the sky, the Polarization slider is often a big help.

It can simulate a physical polarizing filter.

Lowering Exposure and Lights while simultaneously adding Contrast makes the sky clearer, more dynamic, and darker. This adjustment simulates a physical graduated neutral-density filter that you attach to the camera lens.

Another useful tool is the Radial Filter (R), which you can use to effectively highlight what’s most important in the photo. In this case, we apply the filter to the middle part of

the photo and increase Lights to make this part stand out from the rest of the photo.

For most cases, we recommend using a larger Gradient width, because it makes the result more natural-looking.

Set Gradient width using the slider in the right side panel under the mask.

Editing landscape photos

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Manager

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Adding life to an uninteresting photo

Adding life to an uninteresting photo

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It’s a shame that more people don’t take notice of uninteresting photos. Even colorless settings that lack contrast, such as fog, can result in captivating photos. Using tools in the Exposure settings group is often enough to improve these types of photos.

To liven up flat, uninteresting photos, start by choosing the proper Exposure settings and increasing Contrast. Clarity, which brightens up the edges, and Dehaze, which adds even more contrast, can also help a lot. Finally, add some color using Vibrance and the result will be nearly unrecognizable compared to the unedited version.

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Adding life to an uninteresting photo

visible it is and the more it hides what is below it.

Change the order of the layers by clicking their preview and dragging. You can also set the transparency of the layers using the slider above the layers list. You can also completely hide a layer’s visibility by clicking the eye icon.

Open a photo in the Editor module that will be the background photo and main setting of the scene. In our case, the picture of a forest. Before you do any editing, click Duplicate Layer. The duplicate layer of the original remains in the bottom layer. This way, you have a backup in case something doesn’t work out.

You have to add layers in order to add other objects to the photo montage, such as fog or a person. Click the +Add Layer button. To add other images, click Paste from File. The File Explorer opens. Find the image you want and click Open.

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Layers

Manager

Develop

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ADDING AND MOVING LAYERS The image you have selected is added in a separate layer.

First, you must make sure the image you have added is properly placed in the background. For this reason, the Move and Transform function is automatically activated.

Move and Transform has three modes. The first is Resize.

With Resize, you click and drag to move the image, click and drag its corner to resize, or click and drag outside the image

to rotate. The original shape and aspect ratio of the image remains intact.

The second mode is Perspective. With Perspective, you can turn a rectangular image into a rhombus shape. Use this mode to give the added image perspective distortion to make it fit better with the original photo. The last mode

Adding and moving layers

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TRANSITIONS AND EFFECTS It is common to add transitions between frames. Whether you are making a video using photos or video clips, try adding transitions to liven up the finished product.

You have two options for transitions. If you want to give all your video clips or photos the same simple fade to black, select all and enable Video fading – Fade video in and Fade video out.

For other effects, use the Add Transition Effect icon. A window with several options for blending clips opens. Hovering over each transition shows a short animation. Apply transitions to the video by dragging them between two clips. A green box appears indicating a transition. Next, you can adjust the length of transitions by trimming, just like when trimming a clip.

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Transitions and effec ts

In addition to transitions added between clips, there are also Effects for clips. Effects determine how each clip moves. For a quick and easy effect, select all clips and choose which Pan

& Zoom effect to apply. If you choose Automatically, you get a more dynamic result where the effects alternate. If you select one specific clip, you can use these effects on only one clip.

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SOUND AND TEXT What is a video without sound? To add narration or music, you need to create a new audio track. Use the button at the top left to add an audio track. Or, if you drag an audio file from the bottom filmstrip to the bottom part of the timeline, an audio track is automatically created.

You can add text to videos similar to the way you add transitions. Choose the Text tool below the T+ icon. Choose one of the preset templates and drag the text box to the timeline. Click this text box to open Clip properties – Text in the right side panel. You can choose the placement, color, font, and many more settings for the text box.

S ound and tex t

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Správce

Vyvolat

Editor

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FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS I have a new computer. How do I get Zoner Photo Studio X on it?

RAW doesn’t work in the Develop module. What can I do?

Are photos saved in Zoner Photo Studio X?

Your license is connected to your email. Download a new installation file at www.zoner.com and log in with your email and password. Your license loads automatically.

If your RAW images are not working properly, you most likely need to install the Adobe DNG Converter.

Detailed instructions are found at zoner.to/dng-konvertor.

No, photos are saved on your hard drive. Zoner Photo Studio X only views and edits them.

Do I need internet access to edit my photos?

Why does a RAW photo look differently in the Manager and Develop modules?

An internet connection is not required for photo editing. An internet connection is required for installation, login, and use of Zonerama and other ZPS X online services.

How do I find the validity of my license?

In Zoner Photo Studio X, click the “?” icon at the top right and select About.

Or, log in to your Zoner account at account.zoner.com.

This is a common issue. The Manager module only displays photo previews.

The Develop module loads full image data so the photo’s appearance can change.

I select something in the Editor module and after confirming, it disappears. Why? Your selection’s blur is set too high.

Decreasing the Blur slider for the selection tool should resolve the issue.

My panel disappeared, where do I find it?

All panels can be expanded and revealed using the small triangle icon in the thin bar on the edge of the screen. Also, check to make sure you don’t have full-screen mode turned on (command F12).

I’ve read the entire guide and I’d like more editing tutorials.

Visit our online photography magazine learn.zoner.com. You can find over a thousand tutorials for taking and editing photos.

Frequently-ask ed questions

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