When I set out to write the three-part series about the ON1 past, present, and future, my goal was to paint a picture of a company that listens to photographers and outlines all the cool stuff we have in the works. I’ve read every one of your comments and emails; some good and some bad. Both are great and thank you for all the comments, feedback, and requests. The ON1 team considers all customer feedback invaluable, and I want to take the opportunity to address the most common themes. In the spirit of complete transparency, let’s dig in!

1) Improving ON1 Photo RAW

We are reaching out to individual customers who have had problems with 2020.5 slowness, brushing issues, or other related performance issues. Many of you have already been contacted by our team, and rest assured, we will be addressing them as soon as possible. With software, we need to make sure we understand the problem first, determine the severity and specific system, and then come up with a plan to address it. In the spirit of the last 15 years, we will do our best to make it right with every customer.

2) The Future of ON1 Photo RAW

The release of ON1 360 and ON1 Photo Mobile has many of you asking about the future of our flagship product, ON1 Photo RAW. There are many ways we are experiencing photography today, and computers are still the center of many photographers’ workflows. Rest assured, ON1 Photo RAW, as a stand-alone product, is very much still in development and will be FOREVER. We know Photo RAW will be the center of many customer’s workflows for a very long time. Our team is tirelessly working on improving performance and stability and inventing significant feature enhancements and technologies for ON1 Photo RAW. Stay tuned. Cool stuff is coming very soon, hint, hint. 🙂

3) Subscription or no subscriptions?

Believe it or not, there are many people out there that prefer subscriptions. That said, there are just as many people who despise subscriptions when it comes to photo editing software. We hear both of you! Years ago, we promised ON1 Photo RAW customers that we would NEVER FORCE THEM INTO A SUBSCRIPTION when it comes to their desktop computer software. This is still and will always be the case with ON1, period. We know it’s a popular choice for many customers to “own” their desktop computer software. You can keep asking about subscriptions, but the answer will always be the same. 🙂

4) Why is ON1 360 only available as a subscription?

As mentioned above, some customers love subscriptions and the peace of mind knowing they are always up-to-date with the latest and greatest from ON1. Unlike desktop software that once you develop it, technically, you can stop working on it. Meaning, if you stop supporting, improving, or fixing bugs, there are no additional costs to a company. An ongoing service comes with ongoing monthly costs to the company, regardless of additional support or improvements. Meaning, we have no other choice but to offer this “service” as a subscription because we incur ongoing costs to store and manage your photos in the cloud every month. ON1 is not a large company that can subsidize service costs through advertising, selling you hardware products, or by disregarding and monetizing your privacy, as some of the larger providers do. I’m not judging other company’s business models. I’m just saying that it is not ON1’s model. We value your privacy, and we stand by the commitment we made years ago: we will NEVER force you into a subscription for our desktop software or sell your privacy. See #3 above.

5) Adobe®, Affinity®, and Capture One® workflow customers, you’re in luck!

We’ve always been inventing cool, time-saving technologies in the form of plug-in products. Soon we will start offering ON1 plug-in compatibility for those who use Adobe, Capture One, or Affinity products as their hub for their photography workflow. You will soon see some new, exciting plug-ins from ON1 that will again put ON1 at the top of your list of goto photography plug-ins. Any new plug-ins we release will benefit ON1 Photo RAW owners as well. This means the new plug-ins, with the latest technologies, will be incorporated as new features inside ON1 Photo RAW.

6) ON1 Plus is still and will always be the #1 education resource for all things ON1 and Photography related.

As we release new products and provide new features and technologies, ON1 Plus will expand and grow its stable of industry educators to meet your needs as continuing to be that trusted resource. ON1 Plus will remain separate from ON1 360. We have big plans for the future of ON1 Plus, and I hope to see you there.

Feel free to drop me an email at any time. Just send it to this address. I will do my best to reply and make sure ON1 continues to meet your photography needs for many more years.

Best,
Craig Keudell
President & Founder
Take Photography Further