Struggling for inspiration? Check out ON1’s online Creative Library for a huge array of presets and LUTs
There is a reason I don’t create and share ON1 presets – there are just so many of them already available for download from ON1! I do complain about some software publishers not having a lot of imagination when it comes to effects and ideas, but that’s definitely not the case with ON1, and especially the extra preset packs on the ON1 website. For some downloads you need an ON1 Plus subscription, but many are completely free.
The place to start is the ON1 Creative Library, where you can view assets by type, e.g. presets or LUTs, and download the ones you want to use. You’ll need to sign in to your ON1 account, and some assets will require an ON1 Plus account, but there are plenty that don’t.
The main image (above) uses one of ON1’s Tintype Presets, only available to Plus subscribers (though you can buy this preset pack separately). I think it’s a really nice vintage look, and if you check the Effects settings in the right sidebar you can see just which filters were used and the settings applied. I have to take my hat off to ON1’s preset designers here because you really do have to know how to choose and combine filters to get these effects.
This particular preset is created using ON1 Effects’ Antique Filter and Vintage filter, and two instances of its Textures filter, one applying a Wet Plate texture and another applying a Grunge Vignette texture. (Some preset packs include custom textures which are installed with the presets.) This ability to use a filter more than once is really useful.
What you can see from this is that there is no magic bullet or special trick in creating these looks. Combining filters in the right way requires judgement, skill and experience – which is oddly comforting in an increasingly AI-dominated environment.
Don’t have a Plus subscription? There are lots of other preset packs that don’t require it. This is an image treated with one of the Perfect Portrait presets, another preset pack available for download from the ON1 Creative Library. These preset packs are really easy to install, by the way, and instructions are provided alongside the download.
If you get ON1 Photo RAW, it includes the Effects module and a library of effects presets you can add to from the ON1 website. Alternatively you can get ON1 Effects on its own and use it as a plug-in for Lightroom Classic and Photoshop or as an external editor for Capture One, for example, and any downloaded presets can be installed to ON1 Effects too.
I rate ON1 Effects highly, right alongside the DxO Nik Collection. These two products go about things quite differently but achieve the same effect, with presets and ideas that go far beyond anything you can do in regular photo editors like Lightroom or Photoshop.
