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  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

ON1 Photo RAW 2019.2

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
I have been fascinated by ON1 Photo RAW (now at version 2019.2), an extensive photo editing and image management software package. It is available for both Mac and Windows platforms. My fascination has been especially piqued by the fact that through 2019.03.28, we can buy the product (plus a bundle of do-dads whose value I will not try and assess) for USD 69.99.

Although one review referred to a USD 99 annual fee, the publisher's site makes it quite clear (once you find it) that there is no such thing; you buy the product and get a perpetual license. (Perhaps there is also some kind of subscription that gives you updates beyond the "free" ones.)

I have ON1 (as I will call it from here on) installed, but have not yet done much with it. I plan to give it a test spin soon.

I suspect that its usage paradigm will in many ways somewhat parallel those of Photoshop and Lightroom. I almost never use Photoshop, and when I do, it is a fairly ancient version; I have never used Lightroom. So my learning curve of ON1 may be slower than for folks having experience with one or the other of those applications.

***

In any event, I would be interested to hear from any of the members who have had experience with ON1 Photo RAW (even if earlier versions).

Thanks.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
It’s about time you simply jumped in and enjoyed yourself, Doug!

You cannot sit by and watch the entire 2 mile locomotive go by!

You will be in the age of “time-space sliding” of 4D images from dual virtual worm holes on an iPhone 18GX-Alpha Max III with the orgasmatron set to full power!

Get in right now and just try a few pics!

Do it before Viagra goes the way of rotary phones and the lines of busty girls seated at telephone boards in stretch sweaters looking like headlights of 1958 sedans!

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Asher,

It’s about time you simply jumped in and enjoyed yourself, Doug!

You cannot sit by and watch the entire 2 mile locomotive go by!

Although there was an interesting anomaly in the multiple unit hoses between units 4 and 5, which I would have missed otherwise!

You will be in the age of “time-space sliding” of 4D images from dual virtual worm holes on an iPhone 18GX-Alpha Max III with the orgasmatron set to full power!

Get in right now and just try a few pics!

Good advice.

Do it before Viagra goes the way of rotary phones and the lines of busty girls seated at telephone boards in stretch sweaters looking like headlights of 1958 sedans!

This is the closest I can get just now to 1958 sedans:

287

We note that the 52A headsets worn by these operators (Hey! my headset is up here!) do not have the transmitter arm rotation limiting bars (intended to prevent the small cord going to the transmitter arm from getting wrapped around the arm as the headset is repeatedly folded up and reopened as the operator goes on and off duty). Thus it is likely that this photo is before about 1958, when I think that feature was introduced!

Best regards,

Doug
 
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Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Well, back to ON1 Photo RAW 2019.2.

My first feeling is that my 'puter does not have the soup needed to run such a creature. Everything is very sluggish.

I'm still looking for how to draw masks/selections.

More later. I have to go edit some pix for Carla (in Picture Publisher 10 - I don't have the time to do it in anything more modern).

Best regards,

Doug
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
This completes my discussion of ON1 Photo RAW 2019.2.

I have uninstalled it from my system to free up HD space.

I would still be interested to learn of any experience of other members on this application.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Well, by way of follow through, here we see a number of operators at a Traffic Service Position System console. These were consoles at which long distance operators handled calls manually but not by manipulating a cord switchboard but rather by giving commands that caused a switching machine to actually set up the required connection.

290

The operator nearest us has a 52A headset of the newer design. You see the "trombone-like" addition to the transmitter arm to prevent it from rotating around and around. The next operator back has a 52A of the older design, which did not have the "trombone".

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Was it a nunnery for well endowed young women, as it seems that all the operators, especially #2 seems to have had a diet of estrogen-fed chickens that have caused mammary hyperplasia of startling proportions!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
So what computer are you using now.

Someone might have a younger one. Ole ting dust and stubbornly using up space and collecting dust

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Asher,
So what computer are you using now.

A Dell Optiplex 755, tower form, Intel Core 2 Duo CPU system, 2.66 GHz, 7.9 GB of RAM, with an NVIDIA GeForce 210 based display system with 1.07 GB of onboard RAM, running Windows 7 Professional, X64, SP1,.

Someone might have a younger one. Ole ting dust and stubbornly using up space and collecting dust

Sure. But I am not anxious to "upgrade" It would be a gigantic task, and at this point there isn't really the motivation for it.

Thanks.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
One advantage, Doug, is that one can carry one 50 mm lens, for example and capture overlapping adjacent pictures and then have the same quality as an expensive super wide angle lens. Same with bracketing for exposure or focus stacking to build an entire rare insect as a fabulous delight that demands everyone’s attention. So a simple $400 camera can do much that expensive system can do.

All one needs is processing power.

In addition, with 12 MP digicam and the new Topaz AI software one can print 60” wide version of your happy Texas Longhorn shot that I love so much. You could enlarge it to 60” widexand your eyes 6-10” from the print, you will be able to see the perfect hairs around theceyes and the amazing Forrest of colors in its enlarged, (rebuilt-perfectly), irises!

If there was a fly, it would be identified and rebuilt perfectly, if it indeed works as promised!

But it does need computer power!

Hamburgers and diet cola are fine and girls with breasts enlarged in Photoshop can be attention-getting, but a “cordon bleu” steak, Chateu Neuf Du Pape, wine and my favorite genuine 27 year old muse for company makes for a far better evening!

You do need the same elegance in your computer and trust me, every sinew in your body will benefit!

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Asher,

One advantage, Doug, is that one can carry one 50 mm lens, for example and capture overlapping adjacent pictures and then have the same quality as an expensive super wide angle lens. Same with bracketing for exposure or focus stacking to build an entire rare insect as a fabulous delight that demands everyone’s attention. So a simple $400 camera can do much that expensive system can do.
<snip>

Thank you for those observations.

I do not at this point foresee my creating landscape panoramas with a nice APS-C sensor size camera and a really good 50 mm lens (had those once, got rid of them), or to do focus stacking for photographs of insects.

Thus I don't (at this point) foresee the justification of going through a really large process to equip myself with a higher-power (to use a metaphor) computer system that can do the necessary manipulation. (I could of course get a machine just for that and use my existing machine, with its over 425 applications), for my "regular" work.

In addition, with 12 MP digicam and the new Topaz AI software one can print 60” wide version of your happy Texas Longhorn shot that I love so much. You could enlarge it to 60” widexand your eyes 6-10” from the print, you will be able to see the perfect hairs around theceyes and the amazing Forrest of colors in its enlarged, (rebuilt-perfectly), irises!

Perhasp so. But of coruse I don't have a 60" wide printer. But I could subscontract it.

And then where would I hang it?

Best regards,

Doug
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Well, Doug,

Given your connections to theater groups and the mayor, your photography skills could indeed by leveraged for the community!

As you suggest, you would keep your current setup with its many familiar and functional applications, but a new machine dedicated to images for your favorite causes, (e.g. publicity needs), would be very worthwhile.

They would provide the place to mount the 30” to 60” prints and naturally expect to pay for the printing as well, themselves!

This is a very easy way for a photographer to donate to a worthy cause as most of the gifts value is in visual experience and framing skill, not in cash!

One modern computer would be good for many years!

Asher
 

Kevin Gagel

New member
Doug,

I'm an On1 user myself. I had a similar computer configuration to you and decided to upgrade my computer. For me that was the right choice. On1 Photo Raw is doing a lot (and yes, I believe it could do better in terms of computer resources) but a dual core comp is old - very old by todays standards.

I'm pretty happy with my new setup and On1.

PS the 99USD annual fee is for the "On1 Plus" access. On1 Plus is their online video resources and "courses" as well as support and user forums. You don't have to subscribe to it. I didn't at first and when they offered a 1 year non renewing - I took the bait. I'm happy with that too.
 

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Hi Doug,

I have had ON1 photo raw already from the beginning so let me tell you how I see it. When it first came out, Bart and I have done extensive tests of the raw conversion engine, which to me is the most important aspect of a raw converter program. The conclusion was obvious, the raw conversion had less resolution compared to the likes of Lightroom of Capture One. The image quality was clearly lesser. In the due course of never versions, it has improved a lot but it is still not up to the same level as the others imo. So I never use it for raw conversion purposes. The image processing side though (i.e. effects) is quite good and I use a couple of filters such as the tonal enhancement and dynamic contrast quite often once the image is converted in LR. My workflow is, do everything in LR to perfect the image and then move it to ON1 for finishing touches and creative retouching (if the image needs that of course). ON1 also has a very nice resizing/upscaling engine and it is quite good in retouching portraits. The effects bit and the non-destructive, layered workflow is that $ 69 more than worth imo. Especially if you shoot in jpg format, i.e. don't need the very best raw converter. The user interface takes some getting used to, but it has gone from quite obscure to reasonably well.

Now coming to the performance issue, I have one of the fastest and newest PCs money can buy. It runs 8 cores at 5GHz and I have 32GB of RAM and an M2 SDD which runs at a screaming 3000MB/s. My graphics is also top notch. Even then, drawing masks often cause delays and stutters. The rest of the program is quite responsive though. So upgrading your PC would not change much I'm afraid if you want a program which is 100% responsive all the time.

Hope this helps.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Cem,

This is a superb review and introduction of the practical use and particular way one might integrate On1 into a photography workflow.

....and it also reminds us of the potential value, (and limitations), of a fast computer.

Asher
 

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
I just wanted to dispel the general belief that a very fast computer will do everything very fast. It isn't the case as in this example. For every fast computer there is an ingeniously stupid programmer who writes bad code to make that computer suffer. ;)
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Kevin,

Doug,

I'm an On1 user myself. I had a similar computer configuration to you and decided to upgrade my computer. For me that was the right choice. On1 Photo Raw is doing a lot (and yes, I believe it could do better in terms of computer resources) but a dual core comp is old - very old by todays standards.

I'm pretty happy with my new setup and On1.

Thanks for all that info. I myself am very old by today's standrds!

PS the 99USD annual fee is for the "On1 Plus" access. On1 Plus is their online video resources and "courses" as well as support and user forums. You don't have to subscribe to it. I didn't at first and when they offered a 1 year non renewing - I took the bait. I'm happy with that too.

Aha. I'm sure that early reviewer got confused about that (easy to do).

Best regards,

Doug
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Cem,


Thanks so much for that valuable discussion of using ON1 Photo Raw.

Good to hear from you.

Best regards,

Doug
 
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