ON1 2026 Tutorial

[Robert Schoner]

Hi,

This is somewhat of a rant so please excuse my frustration. New user to On1 so I am working with their Getting Started tutorial. When I open Photo Raw it does not look like the Tutorial. First, the left panel had Presets and I could not see anything else. Twenty minutes of searching led me to a small icon in the bottom left corner. Clicking on it and the presets disappeared. Now I am working on the right panel, Layers and effects. I have a panel on top labeled "Target Mask". It's not in the tutorial and I cannot find "Target Mask" in the User Guide. Does anybody know what this is? Can it be hidden?

Sorry for the rant but I get frustrated when tutorials don't match the product.

Thanks,

Bob Schoner

 

[ishwanu]

New user to On1 so I am working with their Getting Started tutorial.

Which one exactly? Post a link.

I have a panel on top labeled "Target Mask". It's not in the tutorial and I cannot find "Target Mask" in the User Guide.

It's mentioned several l times on pages 126-128 of the v2026 user guide.

ON1 Photo RAW 2026 User Guide - ON1

www.on1.com

Sorry for the rant but I get frustrated when tutorials don't match the product.

The app has undergone changes. Make sure you're not looking at mismatched references.

 

[Morgenstond]

Anthony Morganti has a free mini-course on it that might help you out: https://www.anthonymorganti.com/quick-start-on1-photo-raw-2026

Three videos that go over the basics, masking and presets I think.

 

[JumpLXXIV]

There are many tutorials on YT, I recommend this one for masking

 

[Dave Symington]

I have been using ON1 Photo Raw 2025 for a few months and I too found that tutorial confusing. I was almost going to return 2026 for a refund. However, I persevered and looked at several other online videos and the user manual. I found you can auto collapse some of the panels and move them between left and right sidebars. Eventually I got it to work in a way I understood.

I’m still annoyed by the masking layers panel. I have it set to auto collapse so it takes up less room, but getting it to open when I want and stay open is a bit hit or miss.

Keep going with 2026. I think it’s a worthwhile upgrade over 2025.

 

[GammyKnee]

Yep, in an ideal world the tutorials would be updated with each new release to match the out-of-box configuration, but they aren't, and it is frustrating. I think ON1 may be particularly bad for this, as they tweak the interface with each major release.

That said, I would say it's worth perservering. I find it to be really good software once you learn it's foibles and rough edges.

 

[IanYorke]

Hi,

This is somewhat of a rant so please excuse my frustration. New user to On1 so I am working with their Getting Started tutorial. When I open Photo Raw it does not look like the Tutorial. First, the left panel had Presets and I could not see anything else. Twenty minutes of searching led me to a small icon in the bottom left corner. Clicking on it and the presets disappeared. Now I am working on the right panel, Layers and effects. I have a panel on top labeled "Target Mask". It's not in the tutorial and I cannot find "Target Mask" in the User Guide. Does anybody know what this is? Can it be hidden?

Sorry for the rant but I get frustrated when tutorials don't match the product.

Thanks,

Bob Schoner

Adapting to new software is always challenging, particularly as similar named sliders won't necessarily do the same thing.
ON1 PhotRaw 2026 increases the learning difficulty as it combines the raw editor with pixel editing (Photoshop) capabilities.

A few comments that I hope will help.

Edit Module:

View Menu:
Preset Browser - set to "one column" and "List". This gives you a simple text list and takes away visual clutter.

Preview Background : I use white as I like to have a reference "Pure White" when editing.

Window Menu:
Enable "Solo" mode to minimise open menus.

The Properties panel (Masking/Blending Mode/Text) can be nested Right (default), Left or "Floated". I float the properties panel in the upper right next to the right hand menus. The Properties panel is set "Auto Collapse" which just leaves a simple, relatively unobtrusive, Menu bar. Mousing over the menu bar displays the full menu.
In the Properties panel you can change the colour and opacity of the colour mask from its default red. I match C1 and use a luminous green colour .

Preferences menu:
General:
Small item but you can change the colour of the Menu accents. Again I match C1 and use Orange which I find more noticeable than the default blue.

Set "Double Click" in Browse to enable "Edit" mode.

I change the default Browse Cache to an SSD.

System:
I allocate the "Scratch Folder" to a SSD.

Key Word AI:
I turn off all options.

Brilliance AI:
I have Fine tuned the settings to my own preferences by applying Brilliance AI to a wide range of images.Purely personal:
Amount: 70
Temperature: -3
Midtones: +3
Vibrance: -3
Contrast: +3

Keyboard Shortcuts:
There are keyboard shortcuts for most actions in ON1 PhotoRaw. I have a Stream Deck and find this very helpful as it allows you to easily use this functionality providing one key access and, more importantly, labelled keys . For example, I mimic C1's Speed Edit functionality so that I just press and hold a Strean Deck key and use the Scroll Wheel to adjust exposure, contrast, highlights etc. without having to have focus on the relevant sliders.

ON1 and others provide copious YouTube tutorials and the latest ones explain the changes to the UI. Hopefully they will help.

Any other questions come back to this thread, these forums are for helping each other out.

Ian

 

[s_grins]

New version just came up!

It is time to update

 

[jfk]

New version just came up!

It is time to update

Won't update for me.

jfk

 

[ishwanu]

It is time to update

Won't update for me.

Do you have Win10? I do, and probably will for another year. Since v2026 requires Win11 *, there's no updating from v2025 for me even if I wanted it.

* And why is that required? Other current photo apps being released run on Win10, and Microsoft has granted another year of security updates to Win10 users.

 

[Robert Schoner]

Hi,

Thanks for the help. I did not identify the tutorial I was referring to. It is "Getting started in Photo Raw 2026". The link is long and does not copy over very well. It is part of their Video Library.

I'm trying to digest the masking pages 126-128 of the User Guide (Thanks Ishwanu). I think I see some differences between the tutorial and the version I am running. If I click on the Blending tab (Tutorial has Masking highlighted) I get blend normal and opacity that the video shows as well as Brilliance AI etc.. Clicking on the Masking tab brings up the Target Mask and shows the Brilliance AI etc that the video has. Looks like they changed the panels in 2026 but used an earlier version for the tutorial

Bob Schoner

 

[Hustle76]

Hi,

This is somewhat of a rant so please excuse my frustration. New user to On1 so I am working with their Getting Started tutorial. When I open Photo Raw it does not look like the Tutorial. First, the left panel had Presets and I could not see anything else. Twenty minutes of searching led me to a small icon in the bottom left corner. Clicking on it and the presets disappeared. Now I am working on the right panel, Layers and effects. I have a panel on top labeled "Target Mask". It's not in the tutorial and I cannot find "Target Mask" in the User Guide. Does anybody know what this is? Can it be hidden?

Sorry for the rant but I get frustrated when tutorials don't match the product.

Thanks,

Bob Schoner

Adapting to new software is always challenging, particularly as similar named sliders won't necessarily do the same thing.
ON1 PhotRaw 2026 increases the learning difficulty as it combines the raw editor with pixel editing (Photoshop) capabilities.

A few comments that I hope will help.

Edit Module:

View Menu:
Preset Browser - set to "one column" and "List". This gives you a simple text list and takes away visual clutter.

Preview Background : I use white as I like to have a reference "Pure White" when editing.

Window Menu:
Enable "Solo" mode to minimise open menus.

The Properties panel (Masking/Blending Mode/Text) can be nested Right (default), Left or "Floated". I float the properties panel in the upper right next to the right hand menus. The Properties panel is set "Auto Collapse" which just leaves a simple, relatively unobtrusive, Menu bar. Mousing over the menu bar displays the full menu.
In the Properties panel you can change the colour and opacity of the colour mask from its default red. I match C1 and use a luminous green colour .

Preferences menu:
General:
Small item but you can change the colour of the Menu accents. Again I match C1 and use Orange which I find more noticeable than the default blue.

Set "Double Click" in Browse to enable "Edit" mode.

I change the default Browse Cache to an SSD.

System:
I allocate the "Scratch Folder" to a SSD.

Key Word AI:
I turn off all options.

Brilliance AI:
I have Fine tuned the settings to my own preferences by applying Brilliance AI to a wide range of images.Purely personal:
Amount: 70
Temperature: -3
Midtones: +3
Vibrance: -3
Contrast: +3

Keyboard Shortcuts:
There are keyboard shortcuts for most actions in ON1 PhotoRaw. I have a Stream Deck and find this very helpful as it allows you to easily use this functionality providing one key access and, more importantly, labelled keys . For example, I mimic C1's Speed Edit functionality so that I just press and hold a Strean Deck key and use the Scroll Wheel to adjust exposure, contrast, highlights etc. without having to have focus on the relevant sliders.

ON1 and others provide copious YouTube tutorials and the latest ones explain the changes to the UI. Hopefully they will help.

Any other questions come back to this thread, these forums are for helping each other out.

Ian

Some great pointers, Ian

With Keyword AI, often there is good advice that if you’re going to use it (and I’m sure Rick LePage, who writes the ON1 manual had this on one of his videos) only do so after you’ve culled so you’re only using it on the files that matter.

It’s excellent to flag that users can change the parameters of how Brilliance AI works by default as that seems to get missed by a fair few people. What really gets me (although I shouldn’t be surprised) was seeing reviewers who were clearly unaware of this and giving very uninformed opinions - but who has time to have a quick look through Preferences?

Changing the menu accents to orange is a good tip and something that all good-hearted people will do automatically.

 

[Hustle76]

Hi,

Thanks for the help. I did not identify the tutorial I was referring to. It is "Getting started in Photo Raw 2026". The link is long and does not copy over very well. It is part of their Video Library.

I'm trying to digest the masking pages 126-128 of the User Guide (Thanks Ishwanu). I think I see some differences between the tutorial and the version I am running. If I click on the Blending tab (Tutorial has Masking highlighted) I get blend normal and opacity that the video shows as well as Brilliance AI etc.. Clicking on the Masking tab brings up the Target Mask and shows the Brilliance AI etc that the video has. Looks like they changed the panels in 2026 but used an earlier version for the tutorial

Bob Schoner

With the general advice about video guide, Scott Davenport’s are particularly good. He had uploaded four for this version already, two of which cover masking - one about the Intersect mode and one about the new mask layers.

If he brings out a new guide, I would recommend it highly.

 

[s_grins]

New version just came up!

It is time to update

Won't update for me.

jfk

this is my updated version.







--
If you want to be equal, you have to be better...

 

[IanYorke]

It is time to update

Won't update for me.

Do you have Win10? I do, and probably will for another year. Since v2026 requires Win11 *, there's no updating from v2025 for me even if I wanted it.

* And why is that required? Other current photo apps being released run on Win10, and Microsoft has granted another year of security updates to Win10 users.

I would guess that ON1 2026 runs on Win 10 it's just that ON1 won't officially support it.

Ian

 

[ishwanu]

It is time to update

Won't update for me.

Do you have Win10? I do, and probably will for another year. Since v2026 requires Win11 *, there's no updating from v2025 for me even if I wanted it.

* And why is that required? Other current photo apps being released run on Win10, and Microsoft has granted another year of security updates to Win10 users.

I would guess that ON1 2026 runs on Win 10 it's just that ON1 won't officially support it.

Perhaps that is the only distinction, but I don't know. I contacted support recently and asked this:

'Will I be unable to run Photo RAW 2026 under Windows 10 22H2?'

My wording was very specific. The reply was this:

'Windows 10 will no longer be supported and is being deprecated. You will need Windows 11 going forward with ON1 PHOTO RAW 2026.'

If the only issue is lack of official support from ON1, I would expect a differently phrased reply. The company must know that there are a lot of people who will continue to run Win10 for some time, and it would be silly to lose revenue from them when it would be possible to simply say You can run v2026 on Win10, but we will not support the installation.

In any case, I see that jfk's other recent posts suggest that he's a Mac user.

 

[jfk]

It is time to update

Won't update for me.

Do you have Win10? I do, and probably will for another year. Since v2026 requires Win11 *, there's no updating from v2025 for me even if I wanted it.

* And why is that required? Other current photo apps being released run on Win10, and Microsoft has granted another year of security updates to Win10 users.

IOS 26. ON1 tells me there is an update. I hit continue and while it says it's downloading its just sits there.

 

[jfk]

It is time to update

Won't update for me.

Do you have Win10? I do, and probably will for another year. Since v2026 requires Win11 *, there's no updating from v2025 for me even if I wanted it.

* And why is that required? Other current photo apps being released run on Win10, and Microsoft has granted another year of security updates to Win10 users.

IOS 26. ON1 tells me there is an update. I hit continue and while it says it's downloading its just sits there.

A restart took care of the issue.

 

[ishwanu]

It is time to update

Won't update for me.

Do you have Win10? I do, and probably will for another year. Since v2026 requires Win11 *, there's no updating from v2025 for me even if I wanted it.

* And why is that required? Other current photo apps being released run on Win10, and Microsoft has granted another year of security updates to Win10 users.

IOS 26. ON1 tells me there is an update. I hit continue and while it says it's downloading its just sits there.

A restart took care of the issue.

And what is your operating system?

 

[jfk]

It is time to update

Won't update for me.

Do you have Win10? I do, and probably will for another year. Since v2026 requires Win11 *, there's no updating from v2025 for me even if I wanted it.

* And why is that required? Other current photo apps being released run on Win10, and Microsoft has granted another year of security updates to Win10 users.

IOS 26. ON1 tells me there is an update. I hit continue and while it says it's downloading its just sits there.

A restart took care of the issue.

And what is your operating system?

IOS 26 Tahoe