With On1 effects less is more!
I’ve been semi-housebound lately as some damage I sustained to my right hip in a fall a year ago has flared up and has prevented me from getting out and about to take photographs.
So instead I have spent my time revisiting my love-hate relationship with On1 Photo RAW 2024, and in the process decided that with just On1 Effects, less is more.
After getting up close and personal again with On1 Photo RAW 2024 again over a few days, the upshot is that I have deleted it from my computer – for good!
Despite running the package on a Mac that meets the level of specifications recommended by On1, I found that there are still too many little issues and bugs that drove me nuts, and this surprises me in a package that has received so many good reviews such as this one at Life After Photoshop.
So read on and find out why I thing with On1 Effects less is more.
5 reasons why I have deleted On1 Photo RAW 2024
- It takes far too long for the On1 workspace to load – often up to 30 seconds – with a nagging message telling me that On1 is checking for, or downloading, updates. The reason for this, On1’s support team tells me, is because On1 now installs “assets in the background which can take additional time“…and “this can be affected by internet speed”. Other advice offered is “try rebooting your computer“. That was only ever a Windows thing for me…
- When in the Browse mode, more often than not it takes about 20 seconds for the right-click menu to pop up. Well – it doesn’t really pop up, it takes its time and thinks about it in the background while I sit and (don’t) enjoy watching a spinning Apple color wheel. On1’s answer to my query about this is “if you have added catalogs, are browsing folders with a lot of images….this can cause high CPU usage and memory usage….this is expected behavior“. Well, I certainly didn’t expect it to take as long as it does.
- There is often time to go away and make a cup of tea while On1 switches back from the Edit module to the Browse module. I suppose this is expected behavior too! At least if I’m away making a cup of tea I don’t have to watch the spinning color wheel!
- There are occasional random crashes and slow-downs – accompanied by the almost ever-present spinning color wheel – and they always seems to happen at the most inconvenient time.
- And, as for closing Photo RAW down….the bottom line is that sometimes it doesn’t close down – unless I use my Mac’s Force Quit option.
Enter On1 Effects 2024 – When Less Is More…
There is so much that is great about On1 Photo RAW 2024 – not the least of which is the Effects module.
If you already have a top-notch RAW processing package such as DxO Photolab 7, which also includes fantastic optical correction features, first-class noise reduction, full image adjustment capabilities, LUTs, and more – then you don’t need the “front-end” of On1 Photo RAW.
On1 Effects is effectively Photo RAW repackaged without the RAW processor, AI Brilliance, AI Noise and Sharpening, and the DAM module.
And the beauty of it is – all the issues that made me delete Photo RAW have gone away.
So now my modified workflow starts in Photolab 7 where I do the basics – RAW processing, exposure compensation, optical corrections, color corrections, horizon, and cropping, etc. then I export the image to On1 Effects for the “fancy stuff”.
The downside to this flow is that On1 Effects does not have the nice tight integration with Photolab 7 that the Nik Collection has, meaning the overall process becomes a little messy at times. But maybe practice will make perfect.
Sure On1 Photo Effects has hundreds of built-in filters and presets, and is full of AI-this and AI-that, but really, most of what you can do inside Photo Effects can be done using Photolab and the Nik Collection once you master DxO’s control point and local adjustment methodology.
On1 Effects Sample Images
All of the following images were pre-proccessed in DxO Photolab 7, then exported to On1 Photo Effects 2024 for finishing.
The AI masking tool built in to On1 Effects is very useful, and with careful use can be very accurate and precise.
In the image Cool and Crisp, AI masking was used on the shadow area in the center foreground to adjust the shadows and bring out a little more detail. Another AI mask was used on the right forehand to adjust structure and detail.
The remainder of the image is virtually untouched.
In On1 Effects AI masking can be used to add Filters to specific areas, as well as make Local Adjustments.
The Daniel O’Connell Suspension Bridge had local adjustments and filters applied to various parts of the image using AI.
Saturation and vibrance were tweaked on the foreground grassed area; the grassed area had a Dynamic Contrast filter applied to it, the rock face had Structure adjusted using an AI mask, while the sky also had a Dynamic Contrast filter applied.
Just like the Nik Collection, On1 Effects also offers a vast array of effects, finishes and styles. The beauty of On1 Effects is that you don’t have to jump between modules to access all available effects.
After being pre-processed in Photolab 7, Derelict Oyster Boat was a one-click finish applied in On1 Effects using a Black and White Alternative preset with no other filters at all.
I love the LUTs in DxO Photolab – and I love the LUTs in On1 Effects. What On1 Effects does that Photolab 7 doesn’t do, is it allows you to preview the LUT effect easily just by scrolling through the list of options. Another good thing is that more than 1 LUT can be applied to a photo – although I’m not sure why you would want to do that unless you are seeking a way-out-there result.
I can’t remember what LUT I used on Boatshed Antiques – my excitement got the better of me.
And of course as well as placing a LUT on a LUT, you can still add any number of other filters to your image.
Grunge is an example of using AI masking to add a texture to to everything except the bottle, which itself had a couple of AI masked filters – Dynamic Contrast and Tone Enhancer – added to it.
Being able to create an image like Toko Mouth Settlement is what can make On1 Effects so much fum.
Some waterborne detritus was removed using the Perfect Eraser, as was a distracting bird.
The LUT applied is one of my favorites – Timeless. I liken Timeless to the Vintage Saturation preset in Nik Color Efex, and it is also very similar to Photolab’s Timeless LUT.
Some Dynamic Contrast was added over the whole image, and the finishing border is called Film Type 55-1.
Some of the AI masking features inside On1 Photo Effects are very impressive – but they are not entirely foolproof – such as when masking a background/sky through overhanging trees. In cases like this, I have found that DxO’s control point technology works best.
But, in my opinion, where Photo Effects does beat the Photolab/Nik combination is in the selection of borders and textures. There are so many choices of each.
I would also add that Photo Effects has more LUTs to choose from – but Photolab 7 can also use the On1 LUTs very easily.
At the end of the day – or rather at the end of the On1 Photo Effects 2024 trial – I won’t be keeping Photo Effects as I am more than happy with Photolab and Nik.
On1 Effects Sample Images Slideshow
The headline image for this story is the Ratana Church, at Raetihi in NZ’s North Island. Black and white conversion in On1 Effects 2024.