A few months ago, I was in a hangout with Matt Kloskowski and Richard Harrington discussing some of the new features of onOne’s Perfect Photo Suite 9 (click here to watch the replay). During the live broadcast, we had quite a few questions rolling in from the viewers, but we didn’t have the time to answer all of them. So I thought I would put together some of those questions here for you on the blog!
BTW, onOne has a free 30-day trial of their software … click here to download it!
Question:
What makes onOne’s Perfect Photo Suite 9 better than LR?
The Perfect Photo Suite, in my opinion, is not created to replace Lightroom. Lightroom works primarily as an organizational tool and database, a way to sort through your entire library of photographs and have them cataloged all in one place. Not to mention the fact that it also serves as a very powerful RAW processor.
The Perfect Photo Suite is great for stylizing and enhancing images, but it is not a RAW processor. You can access and view RAW files, but it is limited. Because most photographs shoot in RAW, then we need some way to process these photos accurately (adjust white-balance, non-destructively enhance the tones, lens profiles, camera calibration, etc.).
My answer is to use both. When I process my images, I use both Lightroom and the Perfect Photo Suite. If anything, I would say that onOne is replacing the need for Photoshop (when it comes to processing photographs). Photoshop still has its place, and I still use it from time to time, but onOne has become my preferred image-enhancer for my photography.
Question:
Can I use the Perfect Photo Suite without Lightroom on RAW files? I mean to develop them from the very beginning (exposure, w. balance etc.)?
The Perfect Photo Suite will read RAW files, but it does NOT have a RAW processor. You can edit directly from a RAW photo, but in my opinion the quality may be worse than if you were to edit directly from a JPEG file, depending on the type of camera you are editing from.
If you shoot RAW, I would highly suggest using a dedicated RAW processor, such as Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Camera Raw, or the processing software that comes with your camera (almost all cameras come equipped with their own editing software). Edit the basics, such as white balance, exposure, etc, and then take that file (a PSD, preferably) to onOne’s Perfect Photo Suite to continue with your edits.
Question:
Does the plugin work with video files this release ?
No. The Perfect Photo suite does not have the ability to edit video files.
Question:
If you have presets you saved in Suite 8, will they work the same in 9 or will they need to be adjusted?
The presets from Suite 8 should work just fine in Suite 9.
Want some free textures? Get ours here.
Question:
Is there a preview in PPS like in Lightroom for masking? Like you could hit the checkmark and see the Red overlay where you’re painting.
Yes! You can switch between different masking previews using the toggle on the bottom-left of the preview window.
Question:
Can you do textures easily in PPS9?
Yes! That’s one of my favorite parts of onOne Software. You can use the “Manage Extras” feature to easily import your own textures, and then they will be available in both Perfect Layers and Perfect Effects. Watch the video below to learn how to import your own textures into onOne Software (this video shows Suite88, but it works the same in Suite 9):
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMcfJC1S_Uw]
Question:
I understand PPS 9 has a noise reduction capability. I’ve been looking around and have had trouble finding it in the software. Can you help point out where that is?
The Noise Reduction feature is inside of Perfect Enhance, as well as in Perfect Effects:
Question:
I struggle with knowing how far to go with plug-ins and processing so that the photo doesn’t look over-processed. Any advice?
My advice is when adding effects, reduce the Layer Opacity to zero, and then increase the Layer Opacity until you like what the effect is doing to your image. I tend to add almost all of my
onOne also has a “Master Opacity” setting in Perfect Effects where you can scale back everything you have applied. It’s good practice to play with both the Layer and Master Opacity sliders before committing to your final image.
Question:
Is the Perfect Photo Suite destructive, or non-destructive?
The Perfect Photo Suite is technically destructive, since it is not a RAW processing software. However with the new “Smart Photos” feature in Suite 9, you can go back to your image and make changes to your existing effects. The effects are also applied on a separate layer in Perfect Layers, so you are able to delete the layer and start over with your original image in place.
Question:
Would you explain how the Perfect Photo Suite works as part of the Creative Cloud?
When you install onOne Software, it adds plugin files to Lightroom, Photoshop, and Photoshop Elements. You can move your image into the Perfect Photo Suite in the following ways:
-
Lightroom:
- First, select an image.
- Then, in the menu, select File > Plugin Extras and choose the software where you would like to open your file.
- Your image will open into the Perfect Photo Suite. When you are finished editing, save the file and it will appear back inside of Lightroom alongside your original file.
-
Photoshop CC:
- In the menu, go to Window > Extensions > onOne.
- Then, click on the software you want to open it in, such as “Perfect Effects 9”.
- Then, double-click where it says “Open Perfect Effects 9 Suite”.
- When you are finished in Perfect Effects, click “Apply” and your effect will appear as a new layer in the Layers panel.
-
Photoshop Elements:
- In the menu, go to File > Automation tools, and then select the software you want to use.
- When you are finished editing in the Perfect Photo Suite, apply your changes and they will appear on your image in PSE.
Question:
Do you keep the original RAW and the PSD both in the Lightroom catalog? The PSD/TIFF file created by PPS so much larger than the original RAW file.
I personally keep ALL of my images in my Lightroom catalog. I never delete anything, and because I use a Drobo I’m not worried about running out of hard-drive space.
If you are concerned with file-sizes in onOne Software, you can do the following to trim down the space:
- Edit your files in 8-bit (instead of 16-bit). You can set this in the Preferences in onOne Software.
- Don’t use the Smart Photos feature (it will create smaller files). OR, even better, use the Smart Photos feature and once you have your final image exported (a JPEG, for example), simplify or flatten the document so that it is not longer retaining all of that data.
Question:
Does Version 9 have a method for stitching panos?
No, you will need to use other software do to that. Click Here to learn how to stitch a panorama using Adobe Photoshop.
Thanks Nicole!
Great article for beginners. But it didn’t answer the question that will likely make me sound like one. I like Perfect Effects 9 for all these reasons the one thing I do NOT like is (grins) it has a save and close and saves it in psd but there is no place to flatten and save it in jpeg as you talked about. At least not that I can find. Or are my blond roots showing? lol
Great follow up to the onOne hangout, which I watched. I downloaded onOne trial and like it. I noticed that I can only move an image from Lr cc to one of the primary features such as portraits. Then, once in onOne I cannot select the layers tab. The only way I can get to layers is to open the file from onOne. Is this how the program works or is this a limitation of the trial? I’d like to be able to go directly to layers from Lr. I seem to recall Levi did that in the hangout. This… Read more »
You can open the image up into the entire Suite (not just module) from within Lightroom. Do the following:
1. Select an image
2. Go to File > Plugin Extras > Perfect Photo Suite 9
3. The image will open in Layers and you can go back and forth to the other modules from there
You can also open up more than one photo and stack them in Perfect Layers using the “Open as Layers…” option.
Of course. Thanks Nicole. I was using Photo > edit in. My mistake. I see it now under the file menu. All modules including Layers. Now, to get that layer mask to work for me better :) Thank you!
I am quite negatively surprised, that Smart photos do create larger files, what a bummer :-( I thought, that those operations are virtual, and applied in the end. At least virtual copy in LR is simply a register of performed operations.
Well, maybe onOne decided to use some PSD internals to keep all those binary data inside, but they do create .xmp files for the rating/favorites anyway – so why not to save just the settings, and apply them once the module is invoked?
I would really expect just the opposite – Smart photos saving our HD space ….
You misunderstand the technology. Lightroom adjustments are basic interpretations of the raw file, hence they are merely instructions. onOne and Photoshop preserve edibility by scoring different states within the same file.
I know that LR works upon the RAW file. But it needs to interpret it as a bitmap in the end in computer memory anyway. We could say, that adjusting sliders is straightforward, but even LR users brushes, which allow you to affect certain areas/pixels. But even for brushes, LR does all adjustments virtually. They are stored in the catalogue and applied only during the export or when you go into a plugin. If you lose your catalogue, you lose your adjustments (retouching). onOne chose the way to work with the binary data and hence to store Smart photos inside… Read more »
The Smart Photos in onOne work similarly to Smart Objects in Photoshop (in PS, Smart Objects have limitations as well, just like they do in onOne). Also, because onOne is a pixel editor, it’s unlikely that it would ever be able to create a “virtual sidecar” file in the same way that Lightroom does. The rating information you mentioned in your comment ties in with the existing metadata of the file, and the other modules make pixel edits (not metadata changes). You are not required to work with Smart Photos in onOne, and you can always simplify the layer in… Read more »
I really like Perfect Photo suite 9. My only issue with it is that it is not compatible with intel graphics cards. Our new computer has an intel graphics card so I cannot use PPS9 on that computer. I can use it on my laptop but it is really slow.
Intel graphics cards are integrated. These cards are never good for apps… most aren’t compatible with apps like Photoshop or Lightroom either. Check if your computer also has a DISCRETE graphics card. These can often be targeted or forced to be used by the Performance settings in computer.
How do I check for a discrete graphics card? I probably don’t have one as the time I tried to use my OnOne software not all of the modules would work which is how I found out it is not compatible with the intel graphics cards. P.S. My PSE12 and Lightroom 5 work great with the intel graphics card.
Look a your system configuration and control panels. NVIDIA and ATI (AMD) are two major manufacturers
That’s not imo true. My Dell notebook has Intel gfx HD4000 card, our photo studio has gfx HD4400 gfx card and it works on both. It was terribly slow on Win8. Ater upgrading to Win8.1, it got way faster, dunno if new drivers were included or MS reworked gfx subsystem. But anyway – onOne is slow and sometimes it has bugs (as all SW has). OTOH – LR, PS and even editing video in PowerDirector is almost instant, where onOne is slower. My second ntb has nVidia 750 card, but I can see no difference, even if I start app… Read more »
Make sure that you meet their system specs. But integrated cards are always slower than dedicated GPUs. I see no problem on Mac or PC, but I have performance GPUs installed.
How can I download my new OnOne,s CD , my new iMac doesn’t have a cd slot?
Thanks, Barbara
onOne is an electronic download on their website. if you have a serial number use that. If you still need support, contact their customer support department
I too have been unable to use onOne’s Perfect photo suit 9
I use suite 8 with no problem also I have photoshop Cs3 installed.
Is there a way round this because I would like to upgrade.
Contact their support department. Make sure your system meets the requirements to run.
Hi. I’m currently using Perfect Photo Suite 8.5.2 and have purchased Perfect Photo Suite 9 but before I load PPS9 onto my Mac can you tell me if I can still use the onOne legacy products Photoframe 4.6 and Phototools 2.6 within PPS9. I can do this with PPS8 and I do still like to use these legacy products on occasions, especially Photoframe 4.6. If they will work within PPS9 how do I incorporate them into Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CS6 as onOne plugins? If they won’t work with PPS9 will I still be able to use them within PPS8… Read more »
I have Perfect Photo 8 on my PC and also downloaded PPS 9 on the same computer. Should I uninstall version 8 ? Thanks—Jerry
Both can be installed
Excellent, Nicole — as always it is interesting and informative to read you. Anxiously await release of your Perfect Effects lessons. Like you, my preference is to work with Lightroom 5 and Perfect Photo Suite 9. Both are incredible programs that do so much to make the work of a non-pro mere enthusiast like me look so much better than it otherwise would. I do value Lightroom especially for organizing and view PPS as replacement for Photoshop rather than Lightroom. Following you led me to now also follow PhotoFocus which I also find excellent.
Why is the ‘Save As’ option always greyed out? Sometimes, I would like to save two versions of an edit. For example: if I do both a colour version in Perfect Effects plus a mono version layer in BW Effects, I must choose which layer I want active when I save and close the file. Suppose I want to see the colour version at first but then want to see the mono version. I then have to go back, activate the mono layer (on top of the stack) and save and close. Why can’t I at least ‘Save As’ in… Read more »
It’s tough to say without knowing more details. Have you tried right-clicking over the image in the Browse module? There’s a “Save as” option there. Otherwise I would encourage you to contact onOne’s support team to see if they can help: http://www.on1.com/company/contact
When I evoke one of the PPS5 modules, such as perfect effects, from Lightroom… the order of the film strip on the bottom of Lightroom reorders with the photo that is being modified in perfect effect found in the far right. Can the reordering be controlled?
I downloaded Perfect Photo a Suite 9. When I select a photo from lightroom and select edit in, the choice to select Perfect a Photo Suite is not an option . My only choices are “edit in Adobe Photoshop CC2014 or edit in other application”. What did I do wrong.
Excellent forum/posts. Did I get it right that when you open an image in LR and select Plug-in Extras and jump to PPS and after editing close PPS, you end back to LR? Well I do not get back to LR. I assume this is because I have both appls as Stand Alone?
Thanks
Hi. I know this Q&A is a few months old, so this may or may not be read… I just downloaded Perfect Photo – and i’m still in the trial (which may be the answer to my issue right there) i am unable to save anything with layers. I’ve been using it – i love the masking! But i spend all this time on it, only to not be able to save those layers i’ve just slaved over. Now, the site DOES say the program is fully functional during trial… i’m just wondering if there is something i’m doing wrong,… Read more »
I’m pretty sure that the trial will allow you the full experience. First, when you edit your photos, make sure that they are in PSD. If you are using the “Layers” module, then the photos should save with layers as a PSD file.
Also, if you are editing in another module, make sure that “Smart Photos” is checked when you open the file (you can also enable individual layers in Perfect Layers; just right-click the layer and select the option from the list, or access it from the menu).
I can’t seem to find a way to rearrange files before renaming them, as can be done in Photo Mechanic.Am I just missing something or is there not a way to achieve this?
I copy the license number for Perfecr phto Suite 9 from the website but after installing it rejects it with “invalid license #”.
Any ideas?
Jeff – I would reach out to on1 directly. https://www.on1.com/contact-on1/
Thanks Nicole!
Great article for beginners. But it didn’t answer the question that will likely make me sound like one. I like Perfect Effects 9 for all these reasons the one thing I do NOT like is (grins) it has a save and close and saves it in psd but there is no place to flatten and save it in jpeg as you talked about. At least not that I can find. Or are my blond roots showing? lol
I am quite negatively surprised, that Smart photos do create larger files, what a bummer :-( I thought, that those operations are virtual, and applied in the end. At least virtual copy in LR is simply a register of performed operations.
Well, maybe onOne decided to use some PSD internals to keep all those binary data inside, but they do create .xmp files for the rating/favorites anyway – so why not to save just the settings, and apply them once the module is invoked?
I would really expect just the opposite – Smart photos saving our HD space ….
You misunderstand the technology. Lightroom adjustments are basic interpretations of the raw file, hence they are merely instructions. onOne and Photoshop preserve edibility by scoring different states within the same file.
I know that LR works upon the RAW file. But it needs to interpret it as a bitmap in the end in computer memory anyway. We could say, that adjusting sliders is straightforward, but even LR users brushes, which allow you to affect certain areas/pixels. But even for brushes, LR does all adjustments virtually. They are stored in the catalogue and applied only during the export or when you go into a plugin. If you lose your catalogue, you lose your adjustments (retouching). onOne chose the way to work with the binary data and hence to store Smart photos inside… Read more »
The Smart Photos in onOne work similarly to Smart Objects in Photoshop (in PS, Smart Objects have limitations as well, just like they do in onOne). Also, because onOne is a pixel editor, it’s unlikely that it would ever be able to create a “virtual sidecar” file in the same way that Lightroom does. The rating information you mentioned in your comment ties in with the existing metadata of the file, and the other modules make pixel edits (not metadata changes). You are not required to work with Smart Photos in onOne, and you can always simplify the layer in… Read more »
How can I download my new OnOne,s CD , my new iMac doesn’t have a cd slot?
Thanks, Barbara
onOne is an electronic download on their website. if you have a serial number use that. If you still need support, contact their customer support department
Great follow up to the onOne hangout, which I watched. I downloaded onOne trial and like it. I noticed that I can only move an image from Lr cc to one of the primary features such as portraits. Then, once in onOne I cannot select the layers tab. The only way I can get to layers is to open the file from onOne. Is this how the program works or is this a limitation of the trial? I’d like to be able to go directly to layers from Lr. I seem to recall Levi did that in the hangout. This… Read more »
You can open the image up into the entire Suite (not just module) from within Lightroom. Do the following:
1. Select an image
2. Go to File > Plugin Extras > Perfect Photo Suite 9
3. The image will open in Layers and you can go back and forth to the other modules from there
You can also open up more than one photo and stack them in Perfect Layers using the “Open as Layers…” option.
Of course. Thanks Nicole. I was using Photo > edit in. My mistake. I see it now under the file menu. All modules including Layers. Now, to get that layer mask to work for me better :) Thank you!
I have Perfect Photo 8 on my PC and also downloaded PPS 9 on the same computer. Should I uninstall version 8 ? Thanks—Jerry
Both can be installed
I really like Perfect Photo suite 9. My only issue with it is that it is not compatible with intel graphics cards. Our new computer has an intel graphics card so I cannot use PPS9 on that computer. I can use it on my laptop but it is really slow.
Intel graphics cards are integrated. These cards are never good for apps… most aren’t compatible with apps like Photoshop or Lightroom either. Check if your computer also has a DISCRETE graphics card. These can often be targeted or forced to be used by the Performance settings in computer.
How do I check for a discrete graphics card? I probably don’t have one as the time I tried to use my OnOne software not all of the modules would work which is how I found out it is not compatible with the intel graphics cards. P.S. My PSE12 and Lightroom 5 work great with the intel graphics card.
Look a your system configuration and control panels. NVIDIA and ATI (AMD) are two major manufacturers
That’s not imo true. My Dell notebook has Intel gfx HD4000 card, our photo studio has gfx HD4400 gfx card and it works on both. It was terribly slow on Win8. Ater upgrading to Win8.1, it got way faster, dunno if new drivers were included or MS reworked gfx subsystem. But anyway – onOne is slow and sometimes it has bugs (as all SW has). OTOH – LR, PS and even editing video in PowerDirector is almost instant, where onOne is slower. My second ntb has nVidia 750 card, but I can see no difference, even if I start app… Read more »
Make sure that you meet their system specs. But integrated cards are always slower than dedicated GPUs. I see no problem on Mac or PC, but I have performance GPUs installed.
I too have been unable to use onOne’s Perfect photo suit 9
I use suite 8 with no problem also I have photoshop Cs3 installed.
Is there a way round this because I would like to upgrade.
Contact their support department. Make sure your system meets the requirements to run.
Hi. I’m currently using Perfect Photo Suite 8.5.2 and have purchased Perfect Photo Suite 9 but before I load PPS9 onto my Mac can you tell me if I can still use the onOne legacy products Photoframe 4.6 and Phototools 2.6 within PPS9. I can do this with PPS8 and I do still like to use these legacy products on occasions, especially Photoframe 4.6. If they will work within PPS9 how do I incorporate them into Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CS6 as onOne plugins? If they won’t work with PPS9 will I still be able to use them within PPS8… Read more »
Why is the ‘Save As’ option always greyed out? Sometimes, I would like to save two versions of an edit. For example: if I do both a colour version in Perfect Effects plus a mono version layer in BW Effects, I must choose which layer I want active when I save and close the file. Suppose I want to see the colour version at first but then want to see the mono version. I then have to go back, activate the mono layer (on top of the stack) and save and close. Why can’t I at least ‘Save As’ in… Read more »
It’s tough to say without knowing more details. Have you tried right-clicking over the image in the Browse module? There’s a “Save as” option there. Otherwise I would encourage you to contact onOne’s support team to see if they can help: http://www.on1.com/company/contact
Excellent, Nicole — as always it is interesting and informative to read you. Anxiously await release of your Perfect Effects lessons. Like you, my preference is to work with Lightroom 5 and Perfect Photo Suite 9. Both are incredible programs that do so much to make the work of a non-pro mere enthusiast like me look so much better than it otherwise would. I do value Lightroom especially for organizing and view PPS as replacement for Photoshop rather than Lightroom. Following you led me to now also follow PhotoFocus which I also find excellent.
When I evoke one of the PPS5 modules, such as perfect effects, from Lightroom… the order of the film strip on the bottom of Lightroom reorders with the photo that is being modified in perfect effect found in the far right. Can the reordering be controlled?
I downloaded Perfect Photo a Suite 9. When I select a photo from lightroom and select edit in, the choice to select Perfect a Photo Suite is not an option . My only choices are “edit in Adobe Photoshop CC2014 or edit in other application”. What did I do wrong.
Excellent forum/posts. Did I get it right that when you open an image in LR and select Plug-in Extras and jump to PPS and after editing close PPS, you end back to LR? Well I do not get back to LR. I assume this is because I have both appls as Stand Alone?
Thanks
Hi. I know this Q&A is a few months old, so this may or may not be read… I just downloaded Perfect Photo – and i’m still in the trial (which may be the answer to my issue right there) i am unable to save anything with layers. I’ve been using it – i love the masking! But i spend all this time on it, only to not be able to save those layers i’ve just slaved over. Now, the site DOES say the program is fully functional during trial… i’m just wondering if there is something i’m doing wrong,… Read more »
I’m pretty sure that the trial will allow you the full experience. First, when you edit your photos, make sure that they are in PSD. If you are using the “Layers” module, then the photos should save with layers as a PSD file.
Also, if you are editing in another module, make sure that “Smart Photos” is checked when you open the file (you can also enable individual layers in Perfect Layers; just right-click the layer and select the option from the list, or access it from the menu).
I can’t seem to find a way to rearrange files before renaming them, as can be done in Photo Mechanic.Am I just missing something or is there not a way to achieve this?
I copy the license number for Perfecr phto Suite 9 from the website but after installing it rejects it with “invalid license #”.
Any ideas?