The annual Zoner Photo Studio X spring update is here, adding robust new AI-powered masking tools to the Windows-based photo editing application.
“AI changes the rules of the game,” the Czechian developer promises. New AI tools enable photographers to easily select a photo’s subject, background, sky, or a particular object in a single click. These additions help bring Zoner Photo Studio X (ZPS X) up to speed with some of its competition.
By combining AI-powered selections and masks with ZPS X’s advanced image editing and local adjustment tools, photographers can make diverse, wide-ranging edits to their images.
“For example, you can adjust the color of the water’s surface without affecting the boat floating on it. Or, if you want to make the boat stand out, you can quickly select it and use Masking Tools for precise adjustments,” Zoner says. “Instead of complex selection, you simply click and AI performs the operation for you. Instead of spending hours carefully selecting the sky from between tree branches or selecting any other object, AI now handles the heavy lifting.”
For photographers who capture multiple images of similar subjects and scenes, like portrait and wedding photographers, it’s also possible for users to transfer masks to various photos. Zoner says that its AI technology adapts to the new composition of each image, which it promises will save photographers time on repetitive editing tasks.
“With this new feature, users can skip the tedious clicking and object selection for every photo in an album. Instead, they can edit an entire series with just one click,” Zoner explains.
Beyond the new AI-driven masks, Zoner has also improved its existing masking options based on other factors, including brightness levels and color range. Photographers can target brightening and darkening of specific areas without impacting the rest of the photo, which Zoner says is ideal for high-contrast images. Further, photographers can perform selective color adjustments without manually selecting individual subjects, which Zoner says is “perfect for refining highlights and shadows in skin tones by adjusting orange hues.”
New options for fine-tuning clarity allow photographers to adjust clarity separately for highlight and shadow regions in their images, ensuring extra detail where it’s needed and none where it isn’t. There is also a new Chromatic Aberration option in the Effects panel. Inspired by cinematic lenses, this option adds “trendy color fringing to contrasting edges,” in case photographers want to sidestep the advanced optical technology available in modern lenses. Vintage is certainly “in” right now.
After photographers edit their images, they typically want to share them. ZPS X’s 2025 spring update adds the option to create dynamic collages, including carousels. Users can also prepare their images for sharing on social media with purpose-built templates, including one that divides one image into multiple sections. This can also be used for printing diptychs and triptychs.
Pricing and Availability
This latest update is the first of two major releases planned this year, as Zoner Photo Studio X is on a twice-a-year update schedule.
Zoner Photo Studio X is available for $59 annually or $5.99 per month. It is also available as a seven-day free trial. Again, Zoner Photo Studio X is only available for Windows, and complete purchasing details are available on Zoner’s website. (https://www.zoner.com/en/buy)
Image credits: Zoner Photo Studio X
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