ON1 is now shipping ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5, the mid-year release of its photo editor and image-management app for Windows and macOS. The update adds support for embedded camera profiles in the Develop module; an expanded Transform function; a new LUT (look-up table) filter for the Effects module; a revamped import/export manager for presets, LUTs, and border and texture files; and the addition of nested albums and presets. The update also includes support for recently released cameras and lenses.
Profiles and LUTs
Photo RAW 2018.5 adds support for the built-in profiles that come with most modern digital cameras, letting you get the same basic look that you see on your camera back. In addition, ON1 has included a number of its own camera profiles for landscape, portrait and other scene types.
LUTs work like any other filter in Effects, with full masking and blending options. The LUTs filter comes with a set of built-in look-up tables, but you can easily import any third-party LUTs to achieve popular color-grading or matte looks.
The updated Extras Manager supports the import of look-up tables saved in the popular .3DL and .CUBE formats.
Performance improvements
In addition to the new features, ON1 said that they’ve significantly improved performance and stability throughout the app, with “speedier switching between Browse, Develop, and Effects” and enhancements to the Masking Brush that make it “more fluid and responsive, especially on Windows computers with large or high-dpi displays.”
For more detailed notes—and videos—of the new features, check out the Photo RAW Exposed page on the ON1 website.
Photo RAW was designed to be a subscription-free alternative to Lightroom and Photoshop. It offers a complete non-destructive workflow for raw files when used as a standalone app, but it can also be used as an editing and stylizing plug-in—with re-editing capabilities inside Photo RAW—for Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Apple Photos.
ON1 Photo RAW 2018.5 is available now for $120; upgrades from Photo RAW 2017 and earlier versions are $100. (The update is free for existing owners of Photo RAW 2018.)
[Disclaimer: I have worked for ON1 in the past, and wrote the user guide for Photo RAW. I am also the co-author of the ON1 Photo RAW 2018 Master Class ebook, which is currently available free in the CDP store.]