I saw this yesterday and I'm quite excited about it....looks like you will be able to do PS type heavy lifting stuff all within a RAW workflow.
The functionality additions for On1RAW look amazing....all for software you don't have to "rent" monthly/annually. I bought 2018. I actually DO find that in this next edition they have added so much that it will be worth it to me to pay the $79 I think it is, to upgrade to the coming 2019 edition.
Actually, I need to check, I may get it free...as that I did do their "On1 Plus" program, which gives a year of extra education on their tools, and pros giving tips on photography, different genres, etc......and I think with that I get the 2019 upgrade free.
Anyway, I've been experimenting with not using LR at all and using ON1RAW.
So far, as far as functionality, cataloging, file manipulations, it meets and in actual developing tools, I find exceeds LR...the luminosity masks for RAW workflow alone is worth the cheap price of the ticket.
With coming layers and masks and all in RAW workflow, I'm really anticipating some amazing work can be done in full RAW workflow.
That's the good.
The bad.
I'm currently working on a Macbook Pro, late 2011. I have it stuffed with 16GB ram...core i7, best they had at the time, I've replaced the local HD with a 1TB SSD.
I have some Thunderbolt adapters hooked to it...one with a SSD in it for caching needs for apps, and one with a spinning SATA hard drive.....my work drive.
I find that as I work, that On1 RAW....gets slower and slower....and at times, I have to quit it and come back. I will say their support is good, in that during the year, they sent me a link to a one off dev copy they were working on for older Macs with older versions of OS X (I'm on Yosemite).....and that did significanly improve things.
I was finding that LR5 had been slow on me after long work hours...especially when loading images.
On1....well, I must admit it is trying my patience.....BUT, I'm also curious if I was to update the OS X version, if that would help? I'm also planning in the near future, to get an iMac PRO that is fairly loaded...guessing that would help performance too.
I was having to finish a large job (shot JazzFEst in New Orleans last May)....before I wanted to even think about doing and OS update....so, will see if that helps.
So for right now, I will say the only complaint I have with On1 RAW, is speed. The tools and control it has is fantastic. Yes, the workflow is a little different than with LR...but with any change of tools...there is some difference, but largely, the keyboard short cuts are the same or similar...and if you know one, you basically know the other.
It works with my cataloging and image in process I used same as in LR..so that's no big deal.
I AM excited about the new version actually being able to fully "import" your LR images....settings and all. If that works, I think I'll likely cut the cord forever with LR.
Right now, I'm using On1 for 98% of my needs, like I used to use LR.
I now use Affinity Photo for heavy lifting, in place of PS. While I still have PS CS6......I don't use it that much anymore.
I do not like the rental model....and I don't see the "improvements" that Adobe has done since CC as being so life changing and new that I can't live without it. I find that the speed of things like Affinity Photo with engines written from scratch outperform PS for most jobs....I find that the new improved tools that ON1 RAW gives...to be superior to those from Adobe.
I'm happy not renting...and if On1 can help boost my speed (or my OS changes do) I can't say enough good about them.
That's my $0.02,
cayenne