If it lives up to the claims being made for it, new raw processing/image editing software from Oregon-based On1 has the potential to break Adobe’s monopolistic subscription pricing model.
On1 Photo Raw is, as name implies, a raw image processor – ‘perhaps the most promising new raw processing tool we’ve seen in years’ according to US photo technology website, Imaging Resource.
It is also a capable image editing suite as well as a lightning fast raw processor which can be used as a standalone product. Alternatively, it can be used as a plug-in to Adobe Photoshop CS6+, Photoshop Lightroom 4+ and Photoshop Elements 11+, as well as Corel PhotoPaint. It will also work as an extension for Apple Photos, and act as a standalone host app for Google’s Nik Collection.
On1 has married its existing editing software – On1 Photo 10 – with a newly-developed raw processor to create a professional standard all-in-one suite for about the price of the entry-level, de-featured Photoshop Elements.
But for those hoping to escape Adobe’s subscription usury (with monthly rates for an Australian Creative Cloud subscription rising from $50 to $80 per month this week) the On1 subscription model – which includes the option of a one-off payment for a perpetual licence – may prove attractive enough for photographers to switch. It will at least expose Adobe to some healthy price competition.
According to On1, On1 Photo Raw was designed from the ground up over several years with modern cameras and computers in mind. On1 indicates that, using standard PC or Mac hardware it will be capable of opening a 50-megapixel raw files in a fraction of a second, and of making edits in real time without the need to wait for the screen to redraw.
On1 Photo Raw will allow editing without first having to import images into a catalog. Image tagging, rating, and multi-image editing will be provided, allowing you to apply the same adjustments to many images in a single pass.
On1 Photo Raw will include built-in layers, brushes, and advanced masking tools, making it a full Raw processor and complete photo editor in a single app. It will also offer non-destructive effects and portrait retouching, ‘something not present in any photo editor on the market’. Tools such as Lens Blur, Skin Retouching, Dynamic Contrast, HDR Look and others are all available in Photo Raw’s non-destructive workflow.
From the day of release – slated for spring – it will support raw file formats from 800+ cameras, as well as Adobe’s DNG raw file standard, plus JPEG, TIF, PSD, PSB and PNG formats.
Photographers can become an On1 Plus Pro Member at an annual cost of around US$150 – giving early access to the software and access to new versions and features as they become available. But unlike the mean-spirited Adobe model, the software licence is perpetual – On1 doesn’t clip the ticket on a monthly basis.
‘Photo Raw will never require a subscription and will be available for purchase by itself later this year,’ states the company’s FAQs.
For US$150 customers have a licence for installation on up to five machines, access to all of the company’s apps, access to the company’s personal coaching including advice and critiques from pros, plus over 100 hours of workflow training videos, plus a 50 percent discount on any further On1 products.
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