Using ON1 2023 Plugins With Lightroom

Using ON1 2023 Products with Adobe® Lightroom® Classic CC

ON1 Effects 2023, ON1 NoNoise AI 2023, ON1 HDR 2023, ON1 Portrait AI 2023, ON1 Resize AI 2023, and ON1 Sky Swap AI 2023 integrate tightly with Adobe Lightroom Classic CC for enhancing your images.

Note: ON1 Photo RAW 2023 does not support Adobe Lightroom as a plugin. Functionality has changed from previous versions. Plugin support is only available when using ON1 Effects 2023, ON1 NoNoise AI 2023, ON1 HDR 2023, ON1 Portrait AI 2023, ON1 Resize AI 2023, or ON1 Sky Swap AI 2023.

However, ON1 Photo RAW 2023 still supports integration with Lightroom when using the Lightroom Migration Assistant. For more information on moving your Lightroom catalog to ON1, take a look at this article: Lightroom Migration Tool - ON1 Photo RAW

Effects, NoNoise AI, HDR, Portrait AI, Resize AI, and Sky Swap AI can be used as plugins to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 6 and above. When you run the product installer, the plugin files for Lightroom will be installed automatically.

Accessing from Lightroom

There are two primary ways to use ON1 with Lightroom, via the Plug-In Extras command in the File menu, or by choosing Edit In from the Photo menu. Using the Photo > Edit In menu gives you quick access to Effects, NoNoise AI, Portrait AI, and Resize, while File > Plug-In Extras gives you access to Effects, HDR, NoNoise AI, Portrait AI, and Resize.

File Access When Using ON1 as a Plugin

ON1 Effects 2023

Using the Photo > Edit In menu gives you access to Effects for quickly editing an image that won’t require re-editing, while File > Plug-In Extras gives you two more powerful options for editing inside Effects, including:

• Re-editability via ON1’s proprietary Smart Photos format, which saves all the edits made in Effects, so that you can re-edit them at a later time.
• Batch processing of multiple images for editing in Effects

ON1 NoNoise AI 2023

Using File > Plug-In Extras is the preferred method for working with raw images; because the file creation characteristics are driven by NoNoise, it gives you additional, and more powerful, options for editing inside NoNoise AI, including:

• The capability to send DNGs to NoNoise AI, letting you preserve the fidelity of the raw files as you apply noise reduction and sharpening.
• Batch processing of multiple images in NoNoise

ON1 HDR 2023

You access ON1 HDR from Lightroom’s File > Plug-In Extras menu item, where you will find two options. The first, Merge with HDR 2023, is designed to create an HDR image from a series of bracketed photos. The other, Edit within HDR 2023, is for editing a single image inside ON1 HDR, or for batch-processing a set of single images using HDR’s Develop, Effects, and Local Adjustments tabs. Lightroom interoperability gives you the following features:

• Create finished HDR images from a series of bracketed shots.
• Re-editability of those finished HDR photos when they’re saved via ON1’s proprietary Smart Photos format, which saves all your edits made in HDR, for re-editing at a later time.
• Editing either single images or a group (via batch processing) of images in HDR.

ON1 Portrait AI 2023

There are two primary ways to use Portrait AI with Lightroom, via the Edit In command in the Photo menu and Plug-In Extras command in the File menu. Using the Photo > Edit In menu is designed for quick retouching jobs on single images, while File > Plug-In Extras gives you two additional, and more powerful, options for editing inside Portrait AI, including:

• Re-editability via ON1’s proprietary Smart Photos format, which saves all the edits made in Portrait, so that you can re-edit them at a later time.
• Batch processing of multiple images, either to automatically find and retouch faces using Portrait’s AI Auto mode, or to edit multiple photos in more detail.

ON1 Resize 2023

There are two primary ways to use Resize with Lightroom, via the Plug-in Extras command in the File menu and the Edit In command in the Photo menu. Both generally work the same way, the primary difference being where you choose the file format of the photo being opened in Resize, and that you can batch process multiple photos when using the Plug-in Extras menu item. Using Plug-in Extras opens the file using the format chosen in Resize’s Plugins Preferences pane, while Edit In uses Lightroom’s export facility to send a single image to Resize.

If you use Resize as a plugin from Lightroom, we recommend using the Photoshop format (.PSD) as the exchange file format for maximum compatibility. If your saved file will be larger than 2GB, or more than 30,000 pixels on a side, your image will automatically be saved in the .PSB (or Large Document) format. This is a newer version of the PSD format designed for larger file sizes, and is fully compatible with Resize.

Using Plug-In Extras from Within Lightroom

When you access ON1 through the Plug-in Extras menu, the file handling is controlled via the Lightroom section in the Plug-Ins tab of the ON1 Preferences window. These options can be configured in advance, based on your workflow, and, depending upon how you set it up, can be changed as desired when working inside Lightroom.

The file export options include the following settings:

• File Type: This determines what type of file will be created. The default is DNG for NoNoise AI or PSD for Effects—but you can also select JPG or TIFF.
• Color Space: The color space menu determines which working color space is used; Adobe RGB 1998, sRGB or ProPhoto RGB.
• Bit Depth: Sets the exported file’s bit depth to either 8 or 16 bits per pixel.
• Resolution: Determines the resolution of the newly created file.
• Stack with Original: When enabled, the new image is stacked with the original image upon return to Lightroom from ON1.
• Use Original for Single PSDs: When enabled, if you select a single image in PSD format, the original file will be edited, rather than a copy.
• Ask Every Time: When checked, Lightroom will present these export copy options whenever you chose an item from Plug-In Extras. Turning this off will bypass the export window inside Lightroom, using the options set in the Plug-In Preferences window.

NOTE: The Color Space, Bit Depth, and Resolution options are not applicable when the export file type is set to DNG.

If you have the Ask Every Time option checked, you’ll be presented with the Export Options window (shown on the right) inside Lightroom whenever you send an image to NoNoise. The Export Options window lets you adjust the file format, color space, and bit depth as needed. If you find that you use the same options every time, then you can set those parameters in ON1’s Preferences window by unchecking the Ask Every Time option.

Exporting Single Images to ON1

To send a single photo to ON1 for processing, select it in Lightroom and choose Edit in from the Plug-In Extras submenu. The Export Options includes three choices for sending the photo:

• Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments, which makes a copy of the file that includes any edits you have made in the photo;
• Edit a Copy, which copies the original photo without any changes made in Lightroom; or
• Edit Original, which is unavailable as an option.

NOTE: The What to Edit options are only applicable when sending PSD, TIFF or JPG files to NoNoise from Lightroom. When sending DNGs to NoNoise, no Lightroom edits are incorporated, regardless of the options selected.

Clicking OK will send the image to ON1 in the chosen format. When you have finished with your processing, click Done. ON1 will then apply all of the edits, save the file in the format you’ve chosen, and return you to Lightroom. For NoNoise AI, if you have added settings in Lightroom to the original photos, those edits will not appear automatically in the new DNG file. You can use Lightroom’s Copy and Paste Settings options or Sync settings to apply the edited image’s settings to the NoNoise-processed DNG. 

Processing Bracketed Photos in ON1 HDR from Lightroom

To send a set of bracketed files to Lightroom for HDR processing, select two or more photos in Lightroom’s Library module, and choose Merge with HDR 2023 from the File > Plug-in Extras menu. Your bracketed set will be exported to ON1 HDR for processing. When you have completed your editing and click Done, your merged HDR file will be saved in the format chosen in the Export Options dialog box.

Batch-processing Multiple Images from Lightroom in ON1

You can also process multiple images in ON1 via Lightroom. Select the images you wish to work with in Lightroom’s Library module and choose Edit in ON1 from the Plug-In Extras submenu. The Export Options window will open with two batch options:

• Pause on First Photo: Use this option when you wish to apply the exact same editing operations to a group of photos. This option will open the first selected image inside ON1. There, perform any processing options, including Details settings, retouching operations, and cropping. When you have finished with your edits, click Done. ON1 will then apply all of the edits to each image in the group, and return you to Lightroom.
• Pause on All Photos: This option lets you sequentially edit the images in the batch. ON1 will open each image in the destination tab, where you can edit it as desired. When you are finished editing with one photo, click Done, and ON1 will save that photo and open the next one, with the previous photo’s ON1 settings applied. (You can reset any or all of those settings as desired.) When you have finished editing the last photo in the group, clicking Done will save the image, close ON1 and return you to Lightroom.

Using ‘Edit In’ from Lightroom

When you use the Photo > Edit In submenu, Lightroom will ask you each time how you wish to edit the selected image. You have three editing options:

• Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments, which makes a copy of the file that includes any edits you have made in the photo;
• Edit a Copy, which copies the original photo without any changes made in Lightroom; or
• Edit Original, which sends the original version of the photo to ON1, unless the photo is a raw file, in which case the option will be unavailable.

In the Copy File Options, you set the file type (TIFF, Photoshop PSD or JPEG), the color space and bit depth for the resultant file.

When you have set your options and click the Edit button, Lightroom will create a new file (or send the original) and launch ON1. When you’re finished, click the Done button to save your changes, close Effects, and return the file to Lightroom. To return to Lightroom without saving your edits, click Cancel.

NOTE: While you cannot create a Smart Photo PSD via Edit In, you can open an existing Smart Photo with Edit In. Select the Smart Photo, choose Edit In and the Edit module tab you wish to start in (Develop, Effects, or Portrait AI), and choose Edit Original in the window. Effects will open the image in the chosen tab, with your previous edits intact. Any subsequent edits you make will be saved with the Smart Photo when you return to Lightroom.

ON1 Effects 2023

If you wish to make quick edits on a single image in Effects, and don’t need to preserve your edits or work with multiple photos, use the Edit In submenu from Lightroom’s Photo menu, This is the easiest way to send a photo from Lightroom to Effects. With this option, you are using Lightroom’s plugin export system to control the characteristics of the edited file.

 

ON1 NoNoise AI 2023

When using the Edit In > ON1 NoNoise AI 2023 submenu from Lightroom’s Photo menu, you are using Lightroom’s external editor system to control the characteristics of the edited file, and, as such are limited to PSD, JPG and TIFF.

NOTE: For optimal results when working with raw images, it is best to process the raw files in NoNoise AI as DNGs via the Plug-In Extras menu option, as described above. This option gives you better color and tonal fidelity, as well as the capability of processing multiple images at a time. See ON1 NoNoise AI — How To Launch the App and Plugins for more information.

Working With Smart Photos

ON1’s Smart Photo technology is a variation of the Photoshop file format that has been engineered to preserve all editing and retouching operations made within ON1: filter operations, masks, local adjustments, retouching, and so forth. Smart Photos can only be created via the Plug-In Extras export method, although you can re-edit them via either the Plug-In Extras or the Edit In menu options in Lightroom.

When you choose Smart Photo PSD as an option in the Plug-In Extras submenu from within Lightroom, ON1 creates a standard Photoshop file with “Smart Photo” at the end of the original file’s name. As you work in ON1, all of your editing operations are saved in a ‘sidecar’ file that sits alongside the PSD on disk inside the same folder as your original image. When you are done editing and return to Lightroom, your edited photo will look as it did in ON1, but is completely re-editable.

To re-edit a Smart Photo from within Lightroom, select the image, and choose ON1 from either the Plug-In Extras from the File menu or Edit In from the Photo menu. Depending upon the method chosen and your ON1 Preferences, the Smart Photo will open automatically, or you will need to select Edit Original from the Lightroom export window.

There are a few things to know about with regards to Smart Photos and re-editability:

• Smart Photos have been specifically designed to work as a conduit between Lightroom and ON1 to preserve re-editability. If you use Effects/HDR as a standalone app, you can open and view a Smart Photo from within ON1, and can re-edit the photo in the Edit module, and, as long as your sidecar file is present, all of your edits will be present. However, when you complete your edits, ON1 will create a new file in any of the available file formats (PSD, PSB, TIFF, JPEG, and PNG), but the file will be flattened, and your edits will not be preserved.
• If you open a Smart Photo in Adobe Photoshop, the layers will be merged into a single, composite layer. If you make any edits to the photo and save it, re-editability in ON1 will no longer be available.

Accessing ON1 Plugins through Adobe Lightroom – Video Instructions: