On1 Photo Raw – Version 2017.5 – Review
Choosing a RAW editor


There are several choices in terms of RAW editors for your photos and just like finding a comfortable pair of shoes, finding the right photo editing software is a personal choice. Some people want a one-stop shop where they can get all their image editing done in one place. Others look for the right combination of editing apps and plugins to create their final images. Lastly, there are the purists who just want to shoot and move on with little to no editing on their images.
Well… Like Meat Loaf says, two out of three ain’t bad!
On1 has the one stop shoppers and the combo folks covered with their newest offering, On1 Photo RAW.
If you already use RAW editing software like Adobe Camera RAW, Lightroom, or Capture One, you may think that this review is not for you. You’re likely wrong though! Read on to find out why.

If you’re looking for your first RAW photo editor, then this is certainly a review for you. I’ll take you through some of the best features of Photo Raw and also share my opinion on how the software could be improved in future updates. There’s no image editing software that’s perfect after all.
Speaking of improving all the time, this review comes just in time for the launch of the highly anticipated update to On1 Photo RAW… Version 2017.5. To see what is new in this build, I’ll have the complete list at the end f this review.
RAW vs JPEG
If you’re new to RAW image editing or have wondered why you should be shooting in RAW format (or RAW + JPEG) please check out a brief article I wrote: The difference between RAW and JPEG
Non-Destructive Workflow
In On1 Photo RAW you can work on the RAW files from your camera in a non-destructive way by having all the edits be performed in sidecar files.
What is a sidecar file? Good question…
Sidecar, connected, or buddy files are all the same thing and are computer files that store data that is typically not supported by the source file that you want to work on or edit. In Photo RAW, using sidecar files allow us to edit the RAW files in a non-destructive manner unlike editing JPGs or TIF files directly.
On1 Photo RAW allows you to attach or link the sidecar files to the RAW files by going into the program’s preferences.
Check out my quick tips on how to set up your preferences in On1 Photo RAW.
In this review, I’ll be working on several different types of images from Travel, Landscape, Cultural, and Architectural. I want to test out the versatility of the program and this is a great way to see exactly what potential Photo RAW has for producing top-shelf results that I’m looking for.
Bear in mind that while Photo RAW works extremely well on its own, it also works exceptionally well in conjunction with Photoshop, Lightroom, and other third party software. Like most pro photographers, I use Photoshop to work on my images but I also do use On1 and other software as plug-ins within Photoshop. So if you’re asking yourself if Photo RAW is for pros, my answer would be… heck yeah!
Photoshop is not for everyone though. It is a very complex program that has a steep learning curve. On1 Photo RAW will fill the needs of photographers who are beginners and want to take their photography to a new level with simple adjustments. Photo RAW is also for more advanced amateurs who are willing to take the time to delve into the program’s more advanced features… and there are lots of features!
Installing the On1 Photo RAW application
Start by downloading the software from the On1 website. Don’t worry about the cost since there is a free trial available and this should give you ample time to try and test out all the different features.
Once you download is complete, follow the easy on-screen instructions on how to add the software to your Mac or PC.
Upon installation, you will notice that On1 provides options to check out some of their video tutorials as well as tips and tricks on how to get started using the software. All the newest features of Photo Raw are also explained in detail one mouse click away. As you see on the screen capture below, you have the choice to see this screen when you launch the software. I suggest checking the box, as you never know when you’ll want to brush up on all the newest features or have a direct link straight to the tutorials.

Getting started with On1 Photo RAW
Now that the software is installed, let’s start at the beginning and jump right into what makes Photo RAW tick. The best place to start is with the different modules within the app. Let’s start with…
The Browse Module
Like the name says, this is where you browse all your photos and you can do it extremely fast in Photo RAW. One of the nice things about this software is the fact importing images Is not required.
You don’t create libraries or catalogs in Photo RAW, rather, you simply are viewing the images as they appear on your memory cards or hard drives (including cloud based drives).
If you’re like me, you know where your images are and things like a master catalog are not necessary.
The images appear on my computer with lightning speed compared to Adobe Lightroom. Even though I have a fast Mac Pro computer with 64 GB of RAM, Lightroom takes some time to load images and build previews. In comparison, my photos appear almost instantly in Photo RAW.

Indexing
If you want to have easy access to specific images within specific folders, use the indexing feature. By indexing these folders Photo RAW will keep track of all the current thumbnails of all the photos in that folder. Using indexed folders allows you to have those folders at your fingertips anytime you use Photo RAW. A good example of this is when working on your latest project. Index that folder with all your RAW images and it will stay at the top left of your window for quick access.

Indexing folders allows images to load faster in the browser. Now the browser is quite fast as is but indexing permits Photo RAW to draw the thumbnails for the image files in advance and that helps speed up the whole process of viewing, selecting and editing your images. Time is money and I’ll take every last second of extra time made available to me.
How many images can you index? Well, I tried with several thousand and it worked seamlessly. The folks at On1 say that you can do tens of thousands of files with no issues but be aware that you’ll need to allow your computer to take the time to index that kind of volume. As I’ve said, I found the browser fast but the indexed images show up instantly.

Albums
A great feature in Photo Raw is albums. This is a way that allows you to create virtual albums of images that all have the same star rating or are labeled a specific color. You can also drag images right from the browser into the specific album in the sidebar that you want to add it to. By adding images to an album in any way you are not physically moving them from their original location and that is exactly what I’d want.

You can also create “smart” albums. A smart album is created by either going to the album menu and selecting smart album or clicking on the + symbol next to the Album section in the left-hand sidebar. You can create these smart albums by selecting a wide variety of criteria such as:
- Select
- Reject
- Any specific star rating
- Any color label
- Date range
- Any of the other search criteria in the below screen capture of the search menu:

Smart Albums are a powerful tool that will allow you to navigate through your files with ease once you start using Photo RAW.

Shortcuts & Filters
There are more ways to search for photos and get directly into specific folders.
Use the filter mechanism to search by time created, star rating, color label, and keywords. Be sure to refine your searches using the advanced features in the Filters.

There are several handy shortcut buttons that will take you straight to specific folders on your computer.

There are three view modes in the Browse module. Light table, full photo, and filmstrip. This is similar to most all other image browsers.
To see a full frame image when looking at a thumbnail, just double click on the thumbnail to see a full-size preview. One more mouse click will get you to a 100% magnification of the image.
If you’re a steadfast Lightroom user and prefer that kind of image browsing with catalogs, then you can still use all the other features of Photo RAW as a Lightroom plugin. For some, that may be one of those best of both worlds situations.
The last thing to touch on here in the Browse module is the presets tab.
Presets
One of the cool things that you can do right in the Browse module is use presets. If you’re a legacy user of On1 software, have no fear, your old presets will still work. If you’re new to presets, let me give you a quick overview. Presets are a series of settings that you’d like to save for future use on other photos. When you modify any of the settings in the Develop module or Effects module, you can then save those settings as a preset. This works well if you’re looking to do a series of images that are all similar or if you’d like to apply those settings on future shoots where you think it would be a good starting off point on those new photos. This can be a big time saver.

You can use the presets as is or fine tune the effect in the Develop module.
There are a lot of presets to choose from and of course, you can create your own from scratch or tweak existing ones to your liking and save them as your own presets.

One of the cool things about creating your own presets in Photo RAW is the fact that you can save only the settings in either the Develop or Effects module separately or combined.

My strong suggestion when it comes to using presets is to use them in moderation. Many of the presets will seem over the top and effect heavy and well, they are. The good thing is that you can reduce the effects in the Develop module and fine tune the effect to be as strong or subtle as you choose. Like with most one click solutions in any software, the results are usually far from ideal. Using presets as a starting point though is a nice way to get a head start to the final look you’re after.



If you enjoy the presets but want more, good news, there are much more available! You can download many preset packs over at the On1 store.
I’ll be creating my own set of On1 Presets in the near future and will be giving them away for free. To be notified when the presets are available, sign up to my newsletter.
The Develop Module
This is where it gets interesting. The Develop module is basically the command center for your image editing and fine tuning.


The Develop module allows you to fine tune your images with the following tool collections:
Tone and Color
Exposure, contrast, shadow and highlights, color temperature are all found here. This is where I start off with every image.
Black and White
Choose from selecting different color filters to selectively modify your photo into a black and white image. You can also use selected presets that emulate old school black and white films.
Sharpening
There’s more than one way to skin a cat and there’s more than one way to sharpen images. This is a complex topic that all serious photographers should get better acquainted with and you’ll find some robust sharpening tools here for helping you sharpen correctly for screen, print, and even helping get your images to look more in focus.
Split Tone
Using a split tone to selectively color your highlights and shadows different colors can lead to some beautiful cinematic looks to your images.
Color Adjustment
This is where you control your hue, saturation, and brightness of each color. The handy eye dropper tool allows you to have pinpoint accuracy if you choose to target a specific color.
Curves
Curves is a powerful tool that allows you to control the brightness and contrast in your photos. You’ll find curves in most image editing software. You can also selectively work with your RGB color channels in curves.
Glow
Wonder how to get that dreamy look to your photos? Wonder no longer. This is where you can master that ethereal look. Just don’t over do it!
Noise reduction
When shooting at high ISO or in images with recovered shadow detail, it’s easy to get a lot of noise in your images. Here’s where you can reduce the noise in those images with ease.
Transform
When shooting subject matter with straight lines, especially with wide angle lenses, you can get a significant amount of distortion. The handy transform tool allows you to correct those issues.
Vignette
I love adding subtle vignettes to a lot of my images and Photo Raw has the perfect tool for this purpose.

If you don’t see all these tools when you open up the Develop module, fear not! Just click on the “Show More” button and you’ll be able to select whichever ones you want to have appear on your screen.
Local Adjustments

You can apply selective local adjustments to your images in the local adjustment tab and can even do so on multiple layers for even more fine control.
It’s also possible to make global adjustments on one layer and selective adjustments on other layers.
To selectively add adjustments, just use either the brush tool or the adjustable gradient tool. There’s also a nifty “perfect” brush that will detect edges as you paint in selective effects.


While the best way to get a neutral density gradient effect remains using an ND graduated filter on camera, by using the adjustable gradient tool in Photo RAW, you can control not just the density but color, contrast, hue, saturation and more in select areas of your photos. This is especially handy for photographers like me who shoot a lot of landscape and travel images with foregrounds and skies that are often challenging to match in terms of density and overall look.

Effects Module
This is where the real fun begins. In previous incarnations of the On1 Photo Suite, the effects were always the key selling point. It’s no different here in Photo RAW.
You can still dig into the deep library of presets while in the Effects module but you also now have a whole series of filters to work with. Each filter section has it’s own mini (and sometimes not so mini) library of filters.
Filters

Each time that you add a filter, you can fine tune it quite dramatically with opacity settings as well as the unique aspects of that individual filter. Again, using a deft touch and not overdoing it is the key to achieving a well-balanced final edited image.
Each time that you add a filter, you can fine tune it quite dramatically with opacity settings as well as the unique aspects of that individual filter. Again, using a deft touch and not overdoing it is the key to achieving a well-balanced final edited image.

If you like giving your images that retro vintage kind of look, you’re in luck. Photo Raw has several filters like Black and White, Vintage, Borders, Antique, and Bleach Bypass. Looking to get some starting off points for adding glow, vignettes, split toning, or color enhancements? You’ll find it here. Take the time to fully explore the different presets and filters and remember that not all of these effects will be to your taste, especially at full strength. To be honest,
It would literally take weeks to share all the different filters and filter combos available in the Effects module and the key is using them in combination to create your own custom looks. Remember that to make the all the effects you’ve added to your RAW file final, export it as a TIFF or JPEG.

Filters are just one aspect of the Effects module.
Other nifty features I liked about Effects is the masking bug. With this tool, you can use a number of different starting points when you use the dropdown menus at the top of your window. For those familiar with previous On1 products, you’ll fondly remember the masking bug in their previous stand alone app called Focal Point. This app was one of my favorites and luckily it has been absorbed into Photo RAW.


With the masking bug tool, you can add blur (like I did in the example of the Vietnamese woman below) in selective ways to emulate a more narrow depth of field bokeh that you’d get when shooting with a fast lens like the Fujifilm 56mm f/1.2. I love this tool not just for blur effects but also for adding any of the other effects in a subtle way that will help define your style.
Try it with many different combinations of effect or just one, the choices are limitless.

What else can you do in the Effects module?
- Reduce digital noise in your photos.
- Sharpen your images for print or web.
- Create precise vignettes.
- Create your own luminosity masks right from the dropdown mask menu.
- Crop your image.
- Add textures to your photos.
- Retouch skin.
- And much more including some new features in the most recent 2017.5 update of Photo Raw that I’ll cover at the end of the review. Be sure to scroll down!
This image took me under 5 minutes to go from start to finish




Layers Module
A big advantage that Photo RAW has over Lightroom (especially if you do not use Photoshop) is layers.
One of the more integral tools that you can use within the layers section is a robust set of masking tools. The masking bug, masking brush, the polygonal tool can be used to create masks and you can refine the masks easily with the chisel mask, blur mask, and of course the refine brush.
Refine brush allows you to quickly fine tune edges of your mask with a quick stroke of the mouse or pen on your Wacom tablet. You’ll then likely need to use the chisel tool to finesse that edge even more and then finally use the blur tool to soften those mask edges. With a little practice, your transition edges will look seamless.
With the perfect brush and by using a combination of the different masking tools, I was able to create this mask in minutes that allowed me to add in a new sky to the top layer image.

The Mask

Replacement Sky


If you have any experience with Layers in Photoshop, you’ll get the hang of this module easily. For those of you new to layers, you’ll soon wonder what you did without them!
Resize Module
The Resize module is a classic from On1. I did a review on this software several years ago and it is still my go-to software and the industry standard for image resizing.
What is impressive with this software is the proprietary algorithm that Resize uses to enlarge your image file size to the size you want to print. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a miracle app that can take a small sized JPEG and allow you to print it at poster size with no visible degradation.
What Resize does do brilliantly is take your quality files and enlarge them beyond their native size three/four times or more the original size.
Instead of adding details about Resize here in this review, I am currently updating my Resize review to showcase the most up-to-date version of the software available. Keep in mind that Resize is also available as a stand-alone product if desired.
Once completed, I’ll share the new On1 Resize review on an update here on the blog and in my newsletter.
CROP + LEVEL 
Crop or level the horizon in your photo
CROP PRESETS 
Sizes for different paper and screen sizes
SHARPENING 
Sharpen your photo the right way for the type of print you are making
FILM GRAIN
Adding film grain can make photos appear sharper or hide imperfections like JPG artifacts
TILING 
Divide giant photos into mosaic tiles for easy printing and proofing
GALLERY WRAPS 
Automatically add gallery wrap wings for printing on canvas
PRESETS 
Choose from hundreds of presets for desired print size and adjust options for printer and paper combinations
Resize is available as a standalone app if you’re looking for just this feature and not a whole photo editing suite. And of course, there’s a free trial.
Portrait Module
Hold on a second! Where did the portrait module go? For those of you familiar with On1’s previous offering of Photo 10, you’ll remember the portrait retouching functions that were available. Seems that they are missing, for now.
Click here for On1’s explanation of what happened. The good news is that it should be back in some form in one of the next free updates to the software.
Who is On1 Photo RAW made for?
I wrote this On1 Photo Raw review trying to keep in mind that many different types of photographers with different skill levels of image editing would be reading it.
From what I’ve gleaned by using On1 Photo RAW I can see three types of typical users for the software.
New photographers looking for a quick solution to improving their image editing, especially with RAW files. This software is as simple or complex as the user wants it to be. By that I mean the user can get some very cool results with just a few minor adjustments by using presets and other easy to learn tools.
Experienced amateurs who want to take greater control over their final images and are willing to spend some time learning some of the more exciting features in On1 Photo RAW. While there certainly can be simple edits made with this software, you can finely adjust everything from color, detail, sharpening, noise reduction, skin retouching and so much more.

My ON1 PHOTO RAW REVIEW CONCLUSIONS
What’s NEW in On1 Photo Raw 2017.5?
Lots! Enough to make me put all the details on a separate page along with some handy video tutorials from On1 on how to take advantage of the newest features and more.

Save 20% off all On1 software purchases use COUPON CODE: KENK20

Nice review.
Surprised no mention of two problem areas — performance and memory usage.
In some important areas the performance of On1 is poor. Rendering a raw image for export, or for transfer to Photoshop, can take minutes. Unacceptable, especially with multi-image edits like panoramas or HDR
I second problem area is memory usage. Count on large amounts of memory used for edits. Wondering how much memory is used for Indexing or for Sidecar generation? Lots I bet.
No doubt these problem areas will be improved over time, but right now On1 has some work to do.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. To be truthful, I have not encountered the issues you bring up but I’m not denying that it is true for you. Each computer set-up will handle things differently. I have a relatively fast Mac Pro tower with 64GB of RAM and a hefty scratch disk. Transferring to Photoshop was pretty seamless for me.
When working on PSD or PSB files from big MP sized cameras like the GFX, 5DSR, and others, the memory will become an issue for sure on older computers. Thanks for pointing out the issues that you’re having. I’ll address this with On1 engineers. They take all comments and constructive criticism well and are always looking to improve their already fine products.
Have a great day!
I’m really surprised that you have not seen a long rendering delay when moving a raw file to a .psd format for Photoshop. If not the more-than-a-minute delay that I see, than surely 10’s of seconds.
I’m running under Windows 7-64 on an i5 cpu with 16 GB of RAM and a new GTX-950 GPU with 2 GB of memory. My images are stored on a dedicated fast SSD. This hardware is certainly capable of running On1 at top speed.
Perhaps On1 has not tested its latest release on a Windows platform, but has optimized its software for MAC ??
I have the same poor performance problem on my mac. Even exporting a jpg image takes a long time
Absolutely agree with G. Pasternack the software is great but flawed. Memory and performance needs to be sorted before I can call it my go-to
Hey Melvyn,
I appreciate your input as will the folks at On1. If you have specific issues with the software, make sure that you get in touch with On1 directly. They truly do want to hear what you have to say and are constantly tweaking, improving, and adding new features.
Cheers!
I have an ON1 license, yet still sticking with LR so far. I would like to see an article that specifically targets LR users and draws a side by side comparison. Skimming through this article, it is not obvious to me why I should choose to use ON1 over LR6. I already have in LR, presets, local touchups, indexing, etc. etc.. Plus I have direct publishing, structured/nested keywords, IPTC editing, and a host more features.
Hi Paul,
I don’t see this as one over the other, in my case at least. I use a lot of different software for editing my images. I wouldn’t want to own just one wrench if I were a plumber ;-)
There are reasons for some folks to choose On1 over Lightroom. It is less expensive and not a monthly fee like Lightroom. Photo RAW has more simple and ready-made presets and filters built in. It offers layer support. That’s just three reasons.
It also works great WITH Lightroom as a plugin even if it also can act as a stand alone app.
All the best!
I like your analogy “I wouldn’t want to own just one wrench if I were a plumber ” however if your comparing On1 Photo RAW to a tool, I’d say it’s more like a stick of Dynamite, waiting to explode in your hand. Why would any Photographer use a program that has ZERO ability of backing up the database file or using the database to transfer edits and metadata information from one machine to another. And before you reply “use the sidecar” option, that’s just a copout for poor software Development . I mean if On1 is saying “we highly recommend utilizing the sidecar file option to preserve your changes rather than the database option” why not have the Sidecar option enabled by default? It’s because to many people are complaining about their underlining Database Bugs, which they continue not to address. Every time you make one edit to as photo, the software now generates a sidecar file, Edit a thousand photos, you now have an extra thousand sidecar files.
Getting back to your wrench analogy, On1 Photo RAW is like a wrench that only works with one type of proprietary nut. Meaning On1 sidecar files are not the same as the .xmp sidecar file. The .xmp only holds metadata changes and is recognizable and readable by other photo editing applications while the ON1 sidecar files are only recognized by On1 Photo RAW.
This was an excellent review. I\’m glad I read it before really trying to get in to learning this software. I\’m also glad I jumped in and made the purchase. Hoping the learning curve is pretty low since I am not very computer savvy.
Thanks, Vickie! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the review.
Happy editing!
“Long time listener, first time caller…”
As an experienced / advanced amateur with lots of input (ie. photos) and not much output (ie. pictures printed from my Canon Pro-100) because of the grind of tuning, sizing, etc. with Photoshop (seemingly all the more arduous as a heavy user of Snapseed on my Android phone), I really appreciated the breadth and depth of your review. Hit on many, many important notes and cemented my decision to purchase the software while it is being offered at heavily discounted price (to On1 email subscribers) through the end of the month. Hugely advantageous to be able to run it stand-alone, as my version of Photoshop is not recent enough for it, or its freely available predecessor, to run as a plugin.
I tried to contact ON1 with this question but no response. I downloaded Perfect Resize 7.5 from the internet on my older desktop and it prompted me that my video card was not set up for Open Gl2.0. I tried downloading a driver update but no help.
I then googled Perfect Resize and got ON1 RAW 2018.1 and downloaded on my separate laptop their 30 day free trial. Is ON1 Raw the same thing as Perfect Resize 7.5
I think this is the buggiest and worst supported program I have ever used in my approximately 40 years of computing. The layers module is a disaster. It often hangs up causing the loss of all work in the module. It often suddenly just quits on its own, it changes the hue of photos, the issues go on and on. I have tried to work with support. My last effort was a few days ago and when they requested more information in addition to the very thorough description I gave them, I never heard from them again. In my previous effort they simply could not (not surprisingly based on my experience with them) help me. I often find myself simply reverting to version 2017 which frequently auto quits, but does not seem to suffer from the amount of bugs as its “upgraded” successor 2018.
It seems that the program gets more buggier as its alleged sophistication/features are allegedly enhanced. I do have to spend the time to get into another program, but I have worked with this program for years so I continue to suffer the buggy disasters. One thing I have learned is that when I am working in layers, I continue to save my work as I go along in that I have had one to many experiences of losing over an hours worth of work in layers when it simply quite or completely hung up. As an aside, my iMAC is well equipped with memory, etc., and there is NO OTHER program that gives me any issues.
I’m going to send them a can of bug spray for XMAS and perhaps a discount certificate to a programming course for their alleged programming work force.
Hey Sandy, sorry to hear about your troubles. May I suggest that you reach out to On1 support directly to address your concerns? If you are truly unhappy and want me to reach out to them on your behalf, let me know.
Really bad service from On One. I purchased Perfect Photo Suite 5 for $479.90 and then upgraded to version 6 for an additional $129.95. I have written to them on numerous occasions inquiring about upgrade options to On One Raw but all I get are automated responses. They have a 6 member support team.
I am deeply suggested that, your blog’s criteria is so dynamic. sometimes I used this software and its work perfectly.
One of the features that I am looking for is the ability to stitch photos together, ie to build a panorama shot, does ON1 do that as well? And is it relatively strait-forward to do?
There’s so much I like about this program but I can’t abide the crashing and mouse cursor hanging every time I use it. I’m sure that I will eventually delete every trace of ON1 from my PC and try to forget the total frustration.
Okay. There seems to be some serious issues with Photo Raw export and other things. I’ve been told On1 knows about it and plans a fix to be contained in a update. It could be as early as June, but no guarantee.
I got the feeling they know they broke the software, but can’t fix it without causing still more problems. An alternative is to replace the export software module with a better, more robust module. Besides cost, all those software hooks or links have to re-coded and tested, and hopefully, tested, again.
I haven’t touched On1 software in over a month. Thankfully, I still have Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription so I can still work. Photo Raw has been off my radar – out of sight out of mind.
When a company breaks code or cuts corners with sub-par modules, the overall cost in money, time, reputation and loyalty is a whole lot more than doing it write the first time.
Photo Raw initially seemed like it might replace at least one Adobe tool. While On1 fumbles, Adobe is making their software an absolutely necessary requirement for professionals. I just can’t pay the bills with On1. Retail price for On1 is not really cheaper than Adobe CC and recent issues actually make it more expensive. In the case of On1, I paid a decent amount of money for software taking up space on a drive. Yeah, I’m not happy and I’m not impressed. I haven’t heard a word from On1 – only rumors from others frustrated users and trainers. I cannot honestly recommend Photo Raw to colleagues, students, friends or family. Processing client work that cannot be correctly exported means I wasted my money. I recommend you don’t waste your money and for the same price, get professional software.
I’m getting somewhat frustrated by Adobe’s control over photographic software. Perhaps the market is evolving with yourselves, Nik, Topaz. I’m very interested in checking the new competition. Perhaps photography is about to see some major evolution. It may just be very exciting, so I’m very interested in learning about your products.