ON1 Perfect Photo Suite 9.5

[WhoDo]

Just invested (only moderately) in Perfect Photo Suite 9.5 from ON1 software. All I can say is "Wow!!"

I've been a Perfect Effects user for quite a while, just because it plugs into Lightroom and Photoshop and has some easy-to-use tools that mean I spend less time behind the monitor and more time behind the camera. Which brings me to my recent purchase...

I can't believe how much time and energy this program is saving me, just in the shortest possible experience period. No, I don't need CC6 for the sort of stuff I do. Most of the time I've been happy with my LR5.7 and PSE9 combo. Not any more! This is only the first software program (after Lightroom) that has actually made it easier to work from the word go! I love it! No I do not work for ON1. Not I do NOT get any commission for gushing like this. I just wanted to share with my AP friends something that may make their lives soooo much easier in post-processing.

Here is a brief video explaining why this program steps it up for Lightroom users. You're welcome.

[ameerat42]

Perfect!?! It sounds "ideal"

You're right, Waz! Who needs CS6 when CS2 is free and eminently useful?

(But I am suspicious of people who name their wares "perfect".)

[WhoDo]

Hahaha... I'm perfectly comfortable with your suspicions, am!

[farmmax]

I took up the offer of their Perfect Effects 8 when it was free a few years ago. It is part of the Perfect Effects Photo Suite. It has some very good tools in it, so many of my photos at some stage end up in there. It is just running as a plug in out of Photoshop. At various times I was offered the full Photosuite for well under $100, but I already have photoshop and Corel Paintshop Pro (a Photoshop substitute but much cheaper), so didn't want to add even more software into the computer.

Recently they offered Perfect Effects 9.5 for free so I upgraded to that. There were a few problems installing it but I sorted that out. The masking tools in there are excellent when you learn how to use them. The only trouble is the masks created are applied to the layer before returning to photoshop. In the full standalone software it is possible to bring the mask in to photoshop or lightroom.

I feel for anyone struggling with layers, the way layers are created in Perfect effects and how you use them, may be an easier introduction to layering than directly in Photoshop.

[WhoDo]

Recently they offered Perfect Effects 9.5 for free so I upgraded to that. There were a few problems installing it but I sorted that out. The masking tools in there are excellent when you learn how to use them. The only trouble is the masks created are applied to the layer before returning to photoshop. In the full standalone software it is possible to bring the mask in to photoshop or lightroom.

I feel for anyone struggling with layers, the way layers are created in Perfect effects and how you use them, may be an easier introduction to layering than directly in Photoshop.

Yes, the full version has the ability to save images as smart objects, preserving layer details etc. That's one of the features I liked, even though I won't be using it in PS/CC directly. I can go back later and tweak individual layers and components as I feel the need.

[farmmax]

Perfect Effects has always saved the effects when I return to photoshop, provided I use a smart object when I come into Photo Effects, except, it will not save the layer masks with each effect I can open that layer back in Perfect Effects, and all the filters I've used can be re-edited, but no masks have been saved. It is so good at doing layer masks easily, it would be great if the layer masks details were also imported.

If I open Perfect Effects as a standalone program, there is the option to save as a layered psd. It then saves the layers and masks, but only if I reopen it in Perfect Effects. If I try open that psd in Photoshop, it says the image has unknown data which will be disgarded, so the image is flattened. Have you tried opening one of your Perfect Photo psd's into photoshop, and if so is it keeping all the information?