ON1 2024

[JonnyWhitters]

Having bought a copy of ON1 Raw a few months ago, I'm finding it quite a struggle to migrate away from Affinity. I purchased it as I figured it would speed up my workflow, but in reality it just seems to slow everything down and requires much more balancing after any filters are applied. As a result I find it hard to get a photo looking natural and not overly processed.

Aside from dropping an apocalyptic sky into a group photo I haven't used it for anything meaningful. Consequently I'm still as happy as anything with Affinity 2 paired with Adobe Bridge.

Am I being too quick to judge here? Are there any users on here with ON1 as their "go to"? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Cheers

 

[ancient_mariner]

Am I being too quick to judge here? Are there any users on here with ON1 as their "go to"? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

The processing software we use takes quite a bit of learning and familiarity to get the best from, and sometimes tools are given a familiar label while doing things differently from what we expect. I have the 2023 version, bought to replace Lightroom, only to find that I lost the ability to do what I wanted. However on moving to Lightroom classic from Lr6 I also found that did not do what I wanted either, and as you describe it, photos can often look over-processed.

It *can* produce good work, but needs time and familiarity: I have used it for people pictures most successfully. Just take your time, use the 'effect amount' slider to back out effects that appear too strong and stay away from sky replacement! In the effects tab, the Tone Enhancer is much better than the tone controls in the develop module, doing much more what I would expect.

 

[JonnyWhitters]

Thank you for your thoughts here, I recognise there are a few elements that I need to push on with, including how to edit a file without it altering the original (I heard it was non-destructive, but haven't found that to be the case so far).

Looks like I need to find some more quiet time and play with some old snaps. Will have to go a long way, or like your Lightroom issue, Affinity will have to regress for me to switch over entirely.

The sky replacements are frightening and I've already seen some other people put shots taken with their drone onto Facebook groups where they've substituted the original for an AI one. They look awful and I can't believe people think it's acceptable to have their original subject lit by the sun in their original, only to replace the sky with the sun in a totally different position...

 

[droj]

Only you can work out what works for you. It could be said that Affinity Photo has a basic raw converter but is mainly a multi-layered pixel editor, whereas ON1 is touted as a raw converter but I suspect has too many gimmicks for my taste.

It's a good idea to try out different apps, but over time your aspirations may vary, and / or your tastes might mature. So nobody can dictate (because they're not you) & you must explore in your own fashion & in your own time.

You might feel that the pressure's on, but in actual fact there's no real rush. Explore here, explore there. There will be discoveries - some short-lived, & others part of a plan for growth - and disappointments.

Judging by your account, your image making's in an immature phase. But so is mine, relatively, & I've been at it for years! So I wish you well - keep trucking. One of the keys to self-tutoring, apart from exploring your own instincts as best you can, is to look at and reflect on lots of other people's stuff. Not to copy, but just to know what's possible.

And oddly, some of the most untutored snapshots are the most full of life ... photography is a craft, but might be at its best when that craft is transcended by vision, purpose, accident, or all three.

 

[Sangoma]

I think Affinity have really hit the mark with ease of use and features, they really do listen to feedback and what people want.
I can't see I will ever use anything different, unless they go the subscription route!

 

[JonnyWhitters]

Only you can work out what works for you. It could be said that Affinity Photo has a basic raw converter but is mainly a multi-layered pixel editor, whereas ON1 is touted as a raw converter but I suspect has too many gimmicks for my taste.

It's a good idea to try out different apps, but over time your aspirations may vary, and / or your tastes might mature. So nobody can dictate (because they're not you) & you must explore in your own fashion & in your own time.

You might feel that the pressure's on, but in actual fact there's no real rush. Explore here, explore there. There will be discoveries - some short-lived, & others part of a plan for growth - and disappointments.

Judging by your account, your image making's in an immature phase. But so is mine, relatively, & I've been at it for years! So I wish you well - keep trucking. One of the keys to self-tutoring, apart from exploring your own instincts as best you can, is to look at and reflect on lots of other people's stuff. Not to copy, but just to know what's possible.

And oddly, some of the most untutored snapshots are the most full of life ... photography is a craft, but might be at its best when that craft is transcended by vision, purpose, accident, or all three.

Thank you, yes I agree that ultimately I will decide if it’s right for me (in the same way as camera systems or cars), but I just wondered if I’d been too quick to judge and condemn. I thought if there were people with strong attitudes towards the benefits of using it and their images looked good then I should persevere. As I own the software, there’s no rush and I could bob and weave between the two programmes depending on mood and image type, but I find it difficult to see the benefits over Affinity’s offering.

I’m selling a few which helps fund a pot that could scratch an itch for gear or travel to new locations, but most of all I’m enjoying creating. It’s when you’ve had a long day with a few hundred or a thousand shots that an efficient workflow can pay dividends I guess.

I think Affinity have really hit the mark with ease of use and features, they really do listen to feedback and what people want.
I can't see I will ever use anything different, unless they go the subscription route!

I’m feeling much the same! Just seems to work well (even better now I’ve worked out how to do macros)

 

[ancient_mariner]

The thing with these applications is that if you want to learn them then you need to put the time in, otherwise they'll always be a bit awkward or sub-optimal.

For some, they can't get past the 'AI-sky swap' that it can do, and therefore damn a perfectly good peice of software for being gimmicky. It's actually a very powerful, very useful piece of software, but one needs to not fall into the trap of choosing the wackiest preset it offers and then assuming that's what it's all about.

 

[LCPete]

The thing with these applications is that if you want to learn them then you need to put the time in, otherwise they'll always be a bit awkward or sub-optimal.

For some, they can't get past the 'AI-sky swap' that it can do, and therefore damn a perfectly good peice of software for being gimmicky. It's actually a very powerful, very useful piece of software, but one needs to not fall into the trap of choosing the wackiest preset it offers and then assuming that's what it's all about.

Very good point actually, once I get used to and figure out how to use a program I’m very loathe to change , I’ve been using DXO and Affinity for a while now and I’m still learning what it can do

 

[JonnyWhitters]

The thing with these applications is that if you want to learn them then you need to put the time in, otherwise they'll always be a bit awkward or sub-optimal.

For some, they can't get past the 'AI-sky swap' that it can do, and therefore damn a perfectly good peice of software for being gimmicky. It's actually a very powerful, very useful piece of software, but one needs to not fall into the trap of choosing the wackiest preset it offers and then assuming that's what it's all about.

Naturally. Anything new is always a little awkward and people are generally resistant to change. I was trying to find out if people are using this as their sole editing tool

 

[ancient_mariner]

Naturally. Anything new is always a little awkward and people are generally resistant to change. I was trying to find out if people are using this as their sole editing tool

I use it for my people photos and when I need more powerful editing than lightroom can manage. My mono stuff has a workflow that I've not found a way to transfer, so that stays in lightroom.

 

[JonnyWhitters]

I use it for my people photos and when I need more powerful editing than lightroom can manage. My mono stuff has a workflow that I've not found a way to transfer, so that stays in lightroom.

That's interesting, I'll have a play with a couple of portrait shots to see how it stacks up for me. Yes, the workflow seems more awkward for me and I cant see how it doesn't alter the raw image file (as yet). Makes me wary to process a bunch straight after a shoot.

 

[ancient_mariner]

That's interesting, I'll have a play with a couple of portrait shots to see how it stacks up for me. Yes, the workflow seems more awkward for me and I cant see how it doesn't alter the raw image file (as yet). Makes me wary to process a bunch straight after a shoot.

It's like lightroom, to get the altered image out you have to export. There's no 'saving' your edit as there is with destructive editing.