I got a sneak peek at Photo RAW 2019 a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been itching to talk about some of the new features. The 3 features I’m most excited about:

1. New Layers Workflow: Layers folds inside of Develop and Effects and is totally non-destructive. This opens up a much more fluid workflow with more powerful texture blending, preset stacking, and exposure blending, all within the Develop/Effects module. Check out the video for more.

2. Focus Stacking & Align Layers: I’m lumping these two together. I’ve been waiting for layer alignment for a long time - and it’s finally here!! Focus stacking is an even bigger bonus. That’s one less reason I have to pop into Photoshop now.

3. Improved Local Adjustments: My processing style usually calls for several local adjustments. In Photo RAW 2019, the local adjustments work directly with the data from your RAW photo. In prior versions, local adjustments are applied last, after the RAW photo is filtered through Develop and Effects filters. Translation - better highlight and shadow results.

I know a lot of folks are going to appreciate the Lightroom Migration Tool as well. And I’m also eager for the AI Masking Tool. Remember the Quick Mask in the Layers module? It worked a good portion of the time, although it would glitch from time to time. The AI Masking Tool is an vast overhaul of that feature. I’m glad to see that technology poised to make a strong comeback.

So what’s it cost?? For owners of any previous ON1 product, the upgrade price is $79.99 (limited time). New users can pre-order for $99.99. You could also opt for an ON1 Plus membership, which includes the Photo RAW 2019 and a year’s worth of photography training, for $129.99/year.

Note: Photo RAW is a perpetual license - you buy it once, you own it forever.

Here is the full list of new features in Photo RAW 2019. From the press release:

The ON1 community continues to drive the development of ON1 Photo RAW based on what’s most important for their photo editing needs. Every new feature and improvement made in version 2019 is a direct result of community input through the ON1 Photo RAW Project.

A New Workflow for Layers – ON1 Layers will no longer be a separate module. Instead, the power of layers will be accessible within the non­destructive workflow inside of Develop and Effects. This will allow for creating or editing multi­layered files, including raw files, and keep the non­destructive settings for each photo layer. Customers will also be able to move, size, and mask each layer. More importantly, and a new concept, each layer has its non­destructive settings, all the way back to the original file. What’s most exciting is if you are working with raw files, powerful adjustments like exposure, highlights, shadows, and camera profiles can now be processed using the raw data in a layered photo workflow. All without having to change modules or applications.

New Lightroom Photo Settings Migration – New AI­powered algorithms will give customers the ability to transfer Lightroom edited photos, keep the non­destructive settings, and move them into ON1 Photo RAW. The updated Lightroom Migration Tool in version 2019 will transfer almost every edit you can make in Lightroom including raw processing, crop, retouching and local adjustments along with folders, photos, albums, and metadata.

New Focus Stacking – Automatically blend a series of photos at different focus distances to increase depth­of­field. It’s so fast, you can adjust the focus in real­time, just like changing the focus on your lenses. Think of it like HDR, but for focus instead of exposure.

New Auto­Align Layers – Easily combine multiple photos as layers, then automatically align them based on image content, making it easy to mask and blend them together.

New AI Masking Tool (coming in December) – This new tool, powered by AI, will allow customers to easily identify areas of your photo to create a selection or mask and the AI technology detects your subject matter and automatically creates a beautiful mask.

New Portrait Module – The new Portrait module will automatically detect faces in your photo allowing you to easily retouch, smooth skin, brighten and sharpen eyes, and whiten teeth.

New Text Tool – The new text tool will be perfect for creating posters, adding your byline or adding editing annotations. Easily control font size, color, position, and more and then save a preset to add the same text overlay to a batch of photos quickly.

New Master Keyword List – Now you can see every keyword you use in a single, searchable list. You can quickly apply, clear, edit, or delete keywords.

Improved Local Adjustments – Local adjustments will be updated to use the raw processing data. This allows for more highlight and shadow details with more tonal range.

New Layered HDR Workflow – With the powerful new non­destructive live layers you can combine other photos, text or alternate exposures with your HDR photos. Use the powerful masking tools to combine multiple HDR renditions even.

New Filter Options in Effects We have added dedicated film grain, curves, color adjustment filters to Effects. This lets you add film grain to color photos and make advanced, targeted color and tone adjustments faster. There’s even a new filter selector that allows you to search for filters, learn what they do and even view a sample before you add them.

New User Interface – The new user interface will have a fresh and modern feel. Overall contrast has been reduced to make photos stand out along with a new font to help increase readability. Updated, icons, tabs, and sliders will also take up less visual space.

New Cameras and Lenses – Added support for the latest cameras and lenses.

Price and Availability

ON1 Photo RAW 2019 is available to pre­order now at an introductory special of $99.99 for a limited time. Previous owners of any ON1 product can pre­order at a special introductory upgrade price of $79.99 for a limited time. ON1 Photo RAW 2019 is also available as part of an ON1 Plus Pro membership for a limited time for $129.99/year (Reg: $149.99/year). ON1 Plus Pro includes a perpetual license of ON1 Photo RAW along with in ­depth post­ processing and photography education from the industries best trainers such as Matt Kloskowski, Hudson Henry, Tamara Lackey and many more. All of it is easy to follow along and fun.

A 30­day free trial of ON1 Photo RAW 2019 will be available when the product officially arrives this November.

A single purchase of ON1 Photo RAW 2019 includes both macOS and Windows installers and activation for up to five computers. It comes with a 30­day money­back guarantee, world­class customer support, hundreds of free video tutorials, and free ON1 Loyalty Rewards every month.