Experiences with ON1 Photo RAW 2018?

May 11, 2016
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At the moment I have LR5 (and have frequently used LR6 on other people's PCs). I want to get something newer, but am not sure I want to go along with Adobe's monthly payment scheme.
Hence the need for a good comparison.

I will give the trial version a go and I have already found several tutorial videos on Youtube (no written tutorials on the website of ON1).

I have read some reviews on the internet but I regularly get the impression that is often just a copy of ON1 press releases.

Therefore I would like to know if anyone has used ON1 Photo RAW 2018 to such an extend that he or she can tell something about its usefulness and limitations.

Thanks in advance!
:)
 
Mar 25, 2011
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What features do you need?

Supported image formats Raw, Tiff, jpeg, Haif, DNG, PDF and so on

Color Management

Speed of processing?

Image management is often a big item that is missing from editing software. If you only have a few images and can find them easily, it might not be a big deal, but once you have 20 years worth and tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, its a essential feature. A Database is the usual method to do this.

Printing ability - Some have strong features, some weak.

Soft Proofing (part of printing)

Paper type simulation (group with soft proofing)

Video editing?

Advanced editing, layers, masks.

Stacking

Panoramas


Make a list of what you use, and what you want to use. Then weed out software that does not fit your needs. Few if any use all the features, but if you want to do a simple task like remove a background and make it transparent or add a different background, you might not want to buy additional software and should make sure its supported.
 
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May 11, 2016
153
53
Thanks, Mt Spokane Photography.
The questions you ask are all relevant. I just did not want to make a long post, this time.

The main subjects I photograph are aircraft in flight, birds (still and in flight), landscapes and architecture.

I mostly use RAW-files, and occasionally TIFF (from scans) and now and then JPEG.
I process photos to be shown on screen as well as being printed, the latter both at commercial print services and professional print services.

So far, however, I did not delve much into the color management much. Soft proofing I do not do (just trial and error).

Image management is no real issue so far. Each "project" I do (this can range from a vacation to an outing for shooting airplanes or birds) I store on HDD with my own naming conventions, with folder names stating each group of items I want to be identifiable. The Lightroom dB I store with it for re-use later, if wanted.
If ON1 supports the storage of each project's dB, than that is quite okay for me.

Advanced editing is important. Layers, masks, stacking and Panorama's (not very often - but when I need it I want this to work well) are all required. I want to be able to use profiles for my lenses and I would like the camera to be recognised by the software. I regularly can use a 7D Mk II and some others in addition to my own 80D, so in general this must be updated regularly in some way.

Video editing I do not do.

I am curious what experiences there are with ON1 for such tasks.
 
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cayenne

CR Pro
Mar 28, 2012
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So far, I LOVE On1 RAW 2018.

I too have been using LR5 for years and do not want to pay Adobe "rent" for the foreseeable future.

I have enjoyed On1 RAW 2018, the extra features it has, like luminosity masks, and layers and such that LR does NOT have are really valuable to me so far.

The only drawback I found at first with first release of 2018 version...was not having quite the import ease of LR, with being able to set meta data, have it move off my card to main working drive and backup drive, and rename, etc.

HOWEVER, it appears the just released (today?) new version of On 1 RAW 2018.1 version, will address a LOT of those last concerns.

I've not had a chance to do the free update, but if it does as advertised, I think it will end all questions of me maybe buying LR6 before it disappears....and I may just go full on with On1 RAW.

Here's the import features the latest .1 version offers:

https://www.on1.com/products/photo-raw/

Scroll down and see the first video about "Import"....this looks like it will do what I need for LR replacement.

I do need to look a bit more into how On! differentiates between regular folders and "cataloged" folders...which I think the latter offer the same database type access that LR offers.

The thing is, with On1 RAW...you have a choice if you want things database'd or not.....

If this works, it could for me solve any complaints I have had.

As soon as I get the 2018.1 update and have time to play with it, I'll try to remember to come back here and update this thread with my findings.

If you're doing the free trial, you might see if you can update to the .1 trial version....it looks at this point as if this .1 version might be the 'great equalizer'.

cayenne
 
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May 11, 2016
153
53
Thank you, cayenne, for your elaborate reply.

I did not know there was a new version. I downloaded my trial version about a week ago. But so far I did not find the time to install it (work tends to have a penalty on one's spare time :) ). But I will get the newer version, so I can try that from the start.

I am looking forward to your findings about ON1.
By that time I no doubt will have tried it for at least a bit.

Thanks again for your time, and looking forward to your update!
 
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Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
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I'm updated to ON1 RAW latest 2018 but still haven't had much time to use it. However, I have followed the updates that are based on user suggestions and they sure have been listening and pumping out improvements. I guess the question is, how competent their designers are.

It's interesting to see the suggestions and what is being looked at and implemented.

https://www.on1.com/products/photo-raw/ideas/

My feeling is, they're going to succeed.

Still, if every year is a new version that you have to pay for how does that differ from a subscription? ;)

Jack
 
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May 11, 2016
153
53
Thanks for taking the time to reply, Jack Douglas.

Jack Douglas said:
I guess the question is, how competent their designers are.

This is indeed the answer I am looking for.
There seem to be a lot of functions comparable with LR, and even some that go further. Finding out what functions ON1 offers and what they do is the first step.
But my main concern is indeed: can they lead to results that are at least as good as LR?

I'm sure that ON1 needs some other workflow, at least at times. I do not have the illusion that one person can find out all this by himself in a reasonable amount of time. Therefore I hope to hear experiences in that area from others.



Jack Douglas said:
Still, if every year is a new version that you have to pay for how does that differ from a subscription? ;)

That is a relevant question too.
But I myself will only address this issue as soon as I formed my opinion what the program offers and how well it does that.
 
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cayenne

CR Pro
Mar 28, 2012
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Jack Douglas said:
My feeling is, they're going to succeed.

Still, if every year is a new version that you have to pay for how does that differ from a subscription? ;)

Jack

Well, that's the thing...you DON'T have to buy a new copy every year.

If the version you have suits your needs, just like the old days with LR or PS or whatever....you can just be happy with what you have and not shell out any more money. That's the definition of the perpetual license.

And it does appear so far, that On1 RAW is at least putting out 1-2 updates per year, and those are free.

Just for fun this year, I signed up for one year of the On1 Plus Pro package (which includes this years' On1 RAW)...I think it was like $120-$130 maybe?
I wanted to see the extra content, tutorials, and all it offered, plus you get included with that, the next year's full update for no extra charge.

At this point, it seems worth it as I work my way through the tutorials, guest instructors, and extra pre-sets and tools they give out with the Pro package. Of course I won't be buying into that every year, and frankly, this 2018.1 version, with its new additions, looks VERY close to what I"ll be satisfied with for a long time to come.

I'd not need to buy new versions really after that I'd think...at least not annually by a long shot.


HTH,

cayenne
 
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Jul 28, 2015
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My question would be how many do you process?
I ten to be old school and process the lot. Others use a program to sort the keepers and process a very few - this itself may be dependent on your main interest: Wildlife typically has a huge redundancy, portrait and street photography less so.
If you need to process very few I would use a program like One1 to sort the keepers and use DPP to process the ones you want - the clunkiness matters less if you only convert a few of them.
 
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Jack Douglas

CR for the Humour
Apr 10, 2013
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cayenne, that's interesting and I'll be watching for your feedback. I now find DPP so quick and easy for the basic adjustments that I haven't put effort into ON1 RAW and I really should. Too many jobs interfering with my fun.

Of course, the bulk of what I've been shooting is just wildlife, needing only a bit of compensation and cropping so I don't have experience with all the fancy activities to know what I'm missing.

Jack
 
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cayenne

CR Pro
Mar 28, 2012
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I tend to mostly bring in most of what's on my card.

I do look quickly to delete the ones that stand out as obviously out of focus, missed exposure that can't be fixed, horrible composition, and shots when I accidentally hit the button, etc.

But that's only a few..I bring these in, and then soft through and cull out the unusable and unfixable..and then from those I pull my winners and then just develop them.

Of late, I'm shooting mostly concerts and festivals...or just fun projects for abstract photography I'm sort of getting into....but when I shoot something like JazzFest coming up, I'm covering 2 stages back and forth all day for 4 days.

I shoot easily near 1K a day or more...so, I have a lot of card dumping and sorting and culling to do.

This year, I plan to try it out with On! RAW. I shoot that early May this year.

But I have some shots of a pup I bought for my mom recently and some shots of my 2005 Mazdaspeed Miata I'm about to put up for sale and those will be my first real tries with full workflow from card to finished develop.

I'll try to come back and post my experiences.

cayenne
 
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Jack Douglas

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Apr 10, 2013
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Since I get updates relating to ON1 and have chosen it over PhotoShop subscription I thought it worthwhile to pass this on. I believe ON1 is trying very hard to improve and be good and competitive. Perhaps the number of videos on the various features is a good indicator of this, for anyone who's interested.

https://www.on1.com/products/photo-raw/getting-started/?utm_campaign=eNews&utm_source=RAW_Plus_Own&utm_medium=email&cm_mmc=Act-On%20Software-_-email-_-ON1%20News%20-%20April%202018-_-Watch%20now

Jack
 
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cayenne

CR Pro
Mar 28, 2012
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So far, I'm finding On1 RAW to be a darned good LR substitute.

With the 2018.1 addition, and by watching some videos, I now feel pretty decent about my process for bringing in my images from my card, backing them up, renaming and beginning my work flow.

I tend to bring in most everything and part of my starting workflow is the rating and culling of them.....

My only complaint so far, is they don't have a lens profile for my Canon 11-24mm wide angle lens. However, I found a link to upload sample images for my camera and that will be used to help them develop a profile for this lens, which granted, is a bit specialized.

I am really enjoying learning the nuances of starting with a luminance mask, and applying changes to the RAW files with those....there appears to be a LOT of things you can do with On1, that either you can't do in LR, or I just never found in LR5.

I do find, however, I have to be careful with On1....in that I find it easy to OVER process some images, I didn't have that much a problem with LR5. Then again, it just may be the sliders are a bit more sensitive than LR....but I have found a couple of images that after I exported them, give them a close look, I went "UGH"...and have had to go back and turn things down a good bit.

But again, is a new tool....and part of this may also be my learning curve, but even the short coming of On1 RAW I've seen so far, they seem to really be working on this software, and if it isn't quite yet up to par with everything on LR, I think they will close the gap in a VERY serious manner in the next 1-2 updates.

Anyway, if you are interested, I would highly recommend doing the free trial....and even if you buy it, it isn't that $$$ at all.....perpetual license, and if you like it, you are free to update only as you find it is worth it....

HTH,

cayenne
 
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snappy604

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Jan 25, 2017
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Jack Douglas said:
Still, if every year is a new version that you have to pay for how does that differ from a subscription? ;)

Jack

To some extent I agree, but on another level... so you get LR + PS, but don't use PS at $10 per month (not sure it's still that low).. that is $120 per year. I might replace something like LR or On1 or Affinity once every 3 or 4 yrs... at $120 per year subscription, that is $360 to $480 for what LR was ($150? I got mine for $80) or On1 pro (which I don't own, but seems to indicate forever upgrades) for $130.....

so $130 for On1 or $150 for standalone LR cost for 3 yrs or via subscription $360 for 3 yrs... I think it's clearly more cost effective not to rent.

For me I also like owning, not renting.. it's a mind-set :)
 
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Jack Douglas

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Many of us don't really want a rental scenario. Same when I bought my tanks for welding and it's partly that I'm not a pro and so not involved to the same extent.

And usually an upgrade is fairly reasonable and often more than reasonable if you don't respond initially. So, I'm with you given that ON1 is actually listening to suggestions and implementing what they can when they can and so far I see reasonable progress. And perhaps you like supporting a smaller player. ;)

Jack
 
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stevelee

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I was used to paying close to $600 most years for upgrading Adobe applications anyway, so a $50/month subscription didn't seem that bad, even though I was resistant to the subscription idea. I don't use Illustrator as much as I used to, and I hardly ever use InDesign any more since I retired, but I would miss them if I didn't have them when needed/wanted. OTOH, I didn't have Premiere or Audition before, and have used them a bit. I'm doing a project of digitizing 78s of my neighbor singing as a present for her 90th birthday. I'll make CDs for her family when I'm done. I've used Audition for part of that process, along with Amadeus Pro and Audacity. Each has its strengths.

If it gets to where I have trouble affording lunch, I guess I'll drop the Adobe subscription, but probably not before.
 
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Talys

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Feb 16, 2017
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stevelee said:
I was used to paying close to $600 most years for upgrading Adobe applications anyway, so a $50/month subscription didn't seem that bad, even though I was resistant to the subscription idea. I don't use Illustrator as much as I used to, and I hardly ever use InDesign any more since I retired, but I would miss them if I didn't have them when needed/wanted. OTOH, I didn't have Premiere or Audition before, and have used them a bit. I'm doing a project of digitizing 78s of my neighbor singing as a present for her 90th birthday. I'll make CDs for her family when I'm done. I've used Audition for part of that process, along with Amadeus Pro and Audacity. Each has its strengths.

If it gets to where I have trouble affording lunch, I guess I'll drop the Adobe subscription, but probably not before.

This is pretty much me. I was buying almost every Adobe upgrade, anyhow so whether I pay $50 or $10 per month, I'm still pretty much ahead. I still have CS6, and if I wanted to, I could just use that for Illustrator and InDesign, which I don't use a lot of.

I am definitely in the minority, but I have a soft spot for CorelDraw over Illustrator (mostly, it's just that I prefer their Bezier mechanism over Adobe's, but there are some minor things like what I think is a superior area select mechanic).
 
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