onOne PhotoTools 2
Key features
- Up to 16 effects can be stacked and previewed before being applied to images.
- Combinations of effects can be saved together as a pre-set to save time.
- Effects are categorised in a searchable library.
£99.00
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With 181 traditional and digital photographic effects on offer, onOne PhotoTools 2 is a great plug-in for both amateur and professional photographers.
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Photo answers rating
onOne PhotoTools 2 standard edition is available for both Mac and PC, offers 181 traditional and digital photographic effects including alternative processes, film types, darkroom effects and skin softening, and works with JPEG, TIFF and PSD files. Layered files can be used but a small workaround needs to be applied to allow this. When PhotoTools has been used it creates a new layer with the filters applied so you can maintain a non-destructive workflow.
Up to 16 effects can be stacked in a similar way to Photoshop layers, with a control for opacity and masking. Masking allows you to apply individual filters to specific parts of images for optimum control, and while it works very well, if you make a mistake you can only go back one step.
The interface is well laid out and easy to use, with everything where you’d expect it to be. Effects can be searched by keywords or by scrolling through the library, and are stacked and controlled on the right of the screen, while before and after versions of your image can be viewed in the main area of the window.
One of the great features of this plug-in is that if you use a set of filters often, you can save them as a pre-set that can be applied at the click of a button. Coupled with batch processing, you can then apply a wide range of effects to a large number of images without having to spend hours on your computer.
onOne PhotoTools 2 is a great piece of software that’s both easy and fun to use. It’s ideal for both amateur and professional photographers who don’t have the time to play in Photoshop. However, if you’re a Photoshop expert and have plenty of time to retouch, this might not be for you.