At ON1, we give you the features you want and use most from the Lightroom® and Photoshop® worlds in a single application. A Lightroom alternative that provides an all-in-one solution to save you time and simplify the way you work with your photos. We’ve seen questions asking how ON1 is different from Lightroom and want to share 5 Things to Know About ON1 Photo RAW for those looking for a Lightroom alternative.

1. Work with Layered Files

Probably the most significant difference between Lightroom and ON1 Photo RAW is a key feature found in ON1 Photo RAW – Layers. ON1 Layers is a big difference maker when you want to do more with your photos. It’s like having the power of Photoshop included in your raw editor, without having to jump outside of your workflow. With Layers, you can combine multiple images, blend exposures, replacing backgrounds and skies, swap heads, add textures, and a lot more. Unlimited creative potential.
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2. Supercharge Creativity with Effects

If you use Lightroom presets you’ll think of ON1 Effects as Lightroom presets on steroids. Effects includes 27 filters and amounts to limitless creativity when it comes to styling photos. Whether you are color grading, looking to style HDR photos, or looking for an elegant black & white look, the Effects tab in ON1 Photo RAW includes it all. Hundreds of built-in photo effects, filters, LUTs, borders, textures, and presets are available from the get-go. Even better is the fact you can stack and configure as many of the filters you need to create your unique look. Each filter has masking and blending options built-in so you can easily target them to just the right area or tonal range. Don’t forget; this is all happening right on your raw data, nondestructively.

3. No Import. No Problem.

In ON1 Photo RAW, you don’t have to import photos before you want to start editing. This is a significant difference between Lightroom and ON1 Photo RAW. In Lightroom, you need to import (or catalog) your photos from the beginning before you can do any editing. Not having to import is an “ah-ha” moment for people learning about ON1 and often makes them want to switch from Lightroom right away. Importing photos can take a long time and time is money. With ON1 Photo RAW, you have a browser-based system. Just navigate to any drive or folder where your photos live, and you can view and edit them instantly, without having to wait on a long import process.
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4. Your Work Isn’t Thrown Away

You don’t need to worry about losing the years of work and edits you made in Lightroom. Introduced in version 2019, ON1 Photo RAW is currently one of the only programs to offer a way for Lightroom customers to migrate editing settings into ON1. It’s also super important to note that this tool will also keep your edits in a nondestructive format. Your photos are also 100% safe during the migration process. Again, your original images and your settings in Lightroom are not modified by using the ON1 Migration Tool. The tool is perfect for a one time transfer of the Lightroom catalog and your Lightroom Edits to ON1 Photo RAW 2019 making it an ideal Lightroom alternative. You won’t lose all those years of work.

5. The Community and You Drive Feature Development

If you are searching for a Lightroom alternative, then choosing one with your best interests in mind is essential. At ON1, we pride ourselves on listening to our customers. Several years ago, we introduced The ON1 Photo RAW Project. The Photo RAW Project is where you the chance to have a say in what and how we develop software. Submissions are regularly reviewed and prioritized into our development schedule. These ideas continue to help us deliver the best available Lightroom alternative.