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PhotoToolsUser Guide

User Guide | PhotoTools

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Contact InformationonOne Software, Inc.15350 SW Sequoia ParkwaySuite 190Portland, OR 97224Tele: 503-968-1468Fax: 503-968-1469www.ononesoftware.com

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ver 1.0 11/9/2007


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© 2007 onOne Software, Inc. All rights reserved. onOne Software and PhotoTools are registered trademarks of onOne Software, Inc. The onOne Software logo is a trademark of onOne Software, Inc. Adobe, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements are trademarks of Adobe Systems, Incorporated. Mac, OS X and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft, Windows and their logos are trademarks or Microsoft, Inc., regis-tered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Contents..............................................................................................................................PhotoTools 5

....................................................................................................................................System Requirements 6....................................................................................................................................................Installation 6....................................................................................................................................................Registration 7

..........................................................................................................................................Technical Support 7

.......................................................................................................................Getting Started 8....................................................................................................................When should I use PhotoTools? 8

.............................................................................................................................What Files are Supported? 8..................................................................................................................................Launching PhotoTools 8

..............................................................................................................................The PhotoTools Interface 9...............................................................................................................................Navigating the Preview 10

...............................................................................................................................................View Options 11.........................................................................................................................................Basic Library Use 12

.............................................................................................................................................Basic Stack Use 12

.................................................................................................................Using PhotoTools 13.............................................................................................................................Using the Effects Library 13

................................................................................................................................Using the Effects Stack 14...............................................................................................................................................Using Presets 15

.........................................................................................................................................Masking Options 16...................................................................................................................................................Preferences 17

.....................................................................................................................Stack Examples 20......................................................................................................................................................Waterfall 20

..............................................................................................................................................Bridal Portrait 21...........................................................................................................................................................Tulips 21

...................................................................................................................Batch Processing 23...................................................................................................................................Menus 29


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...............................................................................................................................Shortcuts 31


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PhotoToolsInstantly give your photos the professional look with the new PhotoTools Professional Edition. Jack Davis (Pho-toshop Hall-of-Fame member and instructor) and Kevin Kubota (renowned professional photographer and Pho-toshop instructor) have teamed up with onOne Software to bring you this indispensable Photoshop Plug-In that includes over 250 photographic effects by Jack Davis and Kevin Kubota. Select, preview and stack multiple effects to get the perfect one-of-a-kind look and then start up the powerful PhotoTools batch processing engine to quickly enhance an entire shoot at once. Get Photo-Tools Professional Edition today and save time, energy and money while getting the creative quality you dream of.


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System RequirementsMacintosh

• Mac OS X 10.4.8 or Higher• 1 GHz or faster G4, G5 or Intel Core Processor(s)• 512 MB RAM (1GB+ recommended)• 100 MB hard disk space for installation• OpenGL Compatible video card with 128MB VRAM at

1024x768 or higher.• Adobe Photoshop CS2 (9.0.2) or CS3• Internet Connection & Flash 9 player• Adobe Acrobat 6 Reader or higher

Windows• Windows XP SP2, Vista or Higher• 1 GHz or faster Pentium 4 processor(s) or equivalent• 512 MB RAM (1GB+ recommended)• 100MB hard disk space for installation• OpenGL Compatible video card with 128MB VRAM at

1024x768 or higher.• Adobe Photoshop CS2 or CS3• Internet Connection & Flash 9 player• Adobe Acrobat 6 Reader or higher• Microsoft dotNET Framework 2.0 or higher

InstallationTo install PhotoTools, follow the installation instructions that come with the CD or download. These can be found in the Read Me file.

Macintosh• The installer installs all necessary files into all supported ver-

sions of Photoshop.• If more than one copy of the same version of Photoshop is found,

PhotoTools will be installed in all of them. • PhotoTools is installed into the “Plug-Ins” folder inside of the

/Applications/Adobe Photoshop/ folder.• The PhotoTools Preferences files on the Macintosh are created in

the installing user’s Library/Preferences/ folder.• Support files will be installed into /Library/Application Support/

onOne Software/• When you save a preset it will be stored in the user’s /Library/

Application Support/onOne Software/PhotoTools/Presets folder.• Any other files will be installed in your /Applications folder.

Windows• If the installer detects multiple versions of Photoshop it will ask

which version it should be installed into. • The installer may be run multiple times to install PhotoTools

into multiple versions of Photoshop.• PhotoTools is installed into the “Plug-Ins” folder inside of the

\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop folder.• Support files will be installed into C:\Program Data\onOne

Software\PhotoTools for Windows Vista and C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\onOne Software\Pho-toTools for Windows XP.

• When you save a preset it will be stored in C:\Documents and Settings\{User}\Application Data\onOne Software\Photo-Tools\Presets folder.


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PhotoTools is an automation plug-in and is only designed to work with the above listed versions of Photoshop. It will not work in other applications designed to work with Photoshop Plug-ins, includ-ing previous versions of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

• Any other required files will be installed in your C:\Program Files\onOne Software folder.

RegistrationIt is important to register your copy of PhotoTools so we can provide you with the best possible service. Registered users of PhotoTools are eligible for technical support, free updates and information regarding new versions and products, discounts and special offers on new products. The Registration application will launch automatically af-ter you install PhotoTools and will guide you through the registration process.Your serial number is located on a sticker inside the Pho-toTools CD case or in your email purchase confirmation. You will need to enter that number to personalize your copy of PhotoTools.

Technical SupportTechnical Support is available directly through the onOne Software web site. Please fill out an online support form at www.onOnesoftware.com/support.php for the quickest re-sponse. See the contact page at the beginning of the guide for additional contact information.

Before contacting support please check the onOne website for frequently asked questions, how-to videos and trouble-shooting tips.

When contacting technical support, please be at your computer and have the following information available:

• Your PhotoTools serial number• Your computer configuration• Your question or a description of the difficulty you’re experienc-

ing - what specifically occurs and when

Take note of any displayed error numbers or messages and any other information you think may be relevant.


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Getting StartedWhen should I use PhotoTools?The broad range of effects in PhotoTools makes it useful at many steps in the digital workflow. For example the effects in the Image Fix category may be used early in the work-flow for correcting the color and tone of an image. While effects in many categories are designed for more artistic effect may be used in the middle of the process. Finally PhotoTools has several effects designed for sharpening that should be applied as the last step before printing. Photo-Tools also contains a powerful batch processing engine that can be used at several stages in the workflow from preparing smaller versions of your images for a website, to preparing files for final delivery to a printer.

What Files are Supported?PhotoTools supports any 8 or 16 bit RGB file that can be opened by Adobe® Photoshop®. This includes Jpeg, PSD and TIF as well as Raw files from digital cameras and many other formats. If you routinely work in Grayscale or CMYK, simply convert your image RGB before using Pho-toTools.

Launching PhotoToolsPhotoTools is an automation plug-in that you use inside of the host application, Adobe® Photoshop®. It is not a standalone application. To launch PhotoTools you need to open your image in Photoshop and do any of the follow-ing:

• Select PhotoTools from the onOne menu

• Select PhotoTools from the File > Automate menuIf you have stack presets saved and you wish to use them on a batch of images you may also select:

• Select PhotoTools Batch from the onOne menu• Select PhotoTools Batch from the File > Automate menu

If you have a stack preset saved and you wish to simply apply it to your current image without opening the main PhotoTools interface you can select the preset from the onOne Menu.

By default, PhotoTools will create a merged duplicate layer and apply it’s effects to that. You can also have it create a copy of the current layer or a merged visible duplicate docu-ment instead. You can control this via the preferences or change it on the fly by holding down the Shift key and/or Control keys when launching.


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The PhotoTools Interface


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A: Image preview area. Features side-by-side and split-screen preview options.

B: Navigator: Displays an overview of the entire image along with a red box marking the area dis-played in the preview area.

C: Stack: Lists the Effects applied to the image. Contains the Fade slider to control effect intensity. Effects can be removed, hidden or re-ordered as well.

D: Library: List the categories and effects available. A search box makes it easy to find the right effect.

E: (not shown) Presets: Lists the categories and presets. Allows the creation and loading of stack presets.

F: Masking Options: Adds a layer mask to the results in Photoshop allowing the selective applica-tion of effects.

G: Effects Options: Some effects have options and variations. These are selected with the Options dialog which will appear automatically when add-ing an effect that has options.

H: Description Inspector: The description inspector is a floating window that contains of description of the current effect or preset. The description inspec-tor contains the title, category, author and brief description of an effect or preset.

J: Toolbar: Contains the Zoom and Pan tool for navigating the image. Also contains the view mode selector for toggling through view modes like side-by-side compare and split-screen compare. Also contains the “i” button for opening or closing the description inspector

AB

C

D

E

G

H

JF

Navigating the PreviewPhotoTools provides several tools to help you navigate your image in the preview area. You can zoom and pan your image to scrutinize your settings and judge the qual-ity of your results at your final output size.

Using the Zoom ToolZooming changes the magnification of view of your image onscreen only. There are two ways to zoom in on an im-age:

• Zoom tool• Zoom presets in the Navigation pane

Using the Zoom tool and the Navigation pane are the same operation except that the Zoom tool centers the new view where you clicked in the image.

To zoom on an image using the Zoom tool:1. Select the Zoom tool by clicking on the Zoom tool

icon, located on the PhotoTools toolbar at the lower right side of the Work Area.

2. Click on the image in the Preview window. A new, zoomed in view appears centered at the point where you clicked.

Using the Pan ToolPanning allows you to reposition the image inside the pre-view area. There are two methods for panning an image:

• Clicking and dragging in the Navigation pane• Pan tool

To pan an image with the Pan tool:

1. Click the Pan tool icon on the PhotoTools toolbar at the lower right side on the Work Area.

2. Click and hold anywhere on the image in the Pre-view window, then move the cursor to view areas outside the window. The red outline in the Naviga-tion pane shows you what portion of the image the Preview window is displaying.

Using the NavigatorThe Navigator pane gives you a complete birds-eye view of your image. The red region of interest indicator marks the area of your image that is visible in the preview pane. You can pan your image by clicking and dragging inside the red region of interest indi-cator. At the top of the Navigator pane are sev-eral Zoom presets. To activate a Zoom preset simply click on it.


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Double-Clicking on the Zoom tool icon will set your zoom setting to 1:1 (100% or actual pixels). This is the best set-ting for judging settings like film grain and sharpening.

Double-Clicking on the Pan Tool will set the zoom to fit to screen, allowing you to see the entire image in the preview area. You can always use the Pan Tool temporary by hold-ing down the space bar.

View Options PhotoTools offers several view modes for comparing your original image to the results. You can select the view mode from the view mode toggle icon in the Toolbar or from the View menu.

Single Image This is the default view, showing a single preview with the effect stack applied.

Left/Right This view shows two pre-views, the left image is the original, the right image has the effect stack applied. Best for vertical images.

Left/Right Split Shows a single preview im-age, divided in two verti-cally. The left half is the original and the right half has the effect stack applied. Best for vertical images.

Top/Bottom This view shows two pre-views, the top image is the original, the bottom image has the effect stack applied. Best for horizontal images.

Top/Bottom Split Shows a single preview im-age, divided horizontally. The top half is the original and the bottom half has the effect stack applied. Best for horizontal images.


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Basic Library UseAt the heart of PhotoTools is the Effects Library which houses the many effects available for use. The Library is divided into categories to make it easy to find an effect. Inside of each category are the individual effects. To add an effect to your image follow these instructions:

1. Open your image in PhotoTools

2. Click on the open triangle on the category that con-tains the effect

3. Double-click on the effect title

When you double-click on an effect, it will be added to the stack, on top of your original and you will be able to see the results of the effect on the preview image.

Some effects have options, you can identify them by the el-lipse (...) at the end of their name. Effects with options will open an options dialog when you double click on them. Sim-ply select the option you like and press Apply to add the ef-fect.

If you are having a hard time finding the effect you are looking for, try the search field at the top of the Library. simply type in the the name or part of the name of the effect you are looking for. Any effects that match your search will appear in a special category called Search Re-sults at the top of the category list.

There is also a description inspector that you can open by pressing the icon from the tool bar. This inspector will show you a brief description of the effect you have se-lected.

Basic Stack UsePhotoTools allows you to stack multiple effects on your image, just like adding multiple filters over the lens on your camera. When you add effects from the Library they will appear in the Stack. The Stack is organized from the bottom up, with your original image at the bottom. As you add effects from the Library they will stack on top of the original. It is easy to understand the Stack if you think about it like the layers palette in Photoshop.

You can control how each effect blends with the effect be-low it by using the Fade slider. In many cases the Fade slider will act like a strength slider, controlling how power-ful the effect appears. For example if you add a soft focus filter, the Fade slider controls how soft the effect is. At a Fade setting of zero the effect is not seen at all, as the Fade slider is increased the intensity of the soft focus effect in-creases. Adjusting the Fade slider gives you great control over each effect.

Once you have added the effects you desire to the stack and have a preview image you like, simply press the Apply button in the bottom right corner to apply your results to your image and return back to Photoshop.

You can learn much more about the Library and Stack panes in the next section, Using PhotoTools.


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Using PhotoToolsUsing the Effects Library The Library contains all of the effects that you access to in PhotoTools. The effects are divided into categories to make it easier to find the effect you are looking for. Each cate-gory has a disclosure triangle next to its name. To open a category simply click on this triangle. The triangle will roll down and open the category, revealing the individual ef-fects in it. You can close a category by clicking on the dis-closure triangle a second time.

Depending on the version of PhotoTools you have you may have more or less effects and categories than your friend with PhotoTools. The Professional Edition of PhotoTools contains an additional 50 Wow effects from Jack Davis & 50 effects from Kevin Kubota.

Searching for EffectsYou can also find effects by using the search field located at the top of the Library. Simply start typing in a word to narrow your search. Your search results will appear in a special category labeled “Search Results” that will appear at the top of the category list. As you type each letter the re-sults are filtered down, providing a live list of effects that match your search criteria. The search field examines the effect name, category name and creator. For example if I’m looking for an effect for black and white conversion all I need to do is start typing black and the search results will narrow as I type each letter. To clear a search you can back-space your search term or press the reset button at the right of the search field. When no search is active the Search Results category will disappear.

The Description Inspector The Description Inspector can also be a useful way to learn more about an effect before you add it to your image. The De-scription Inspector displays the Effect name, Category name, Creator and a brief description of the selected effect. It also shows thumbnail before and after rep-resentations of the effect on two sample images. You can open the Description Inspector by pressing the icon from the Toolbar. The Description Inspector will stay open until you close it by either pressing the close button in it’s title bar or pressing the icon again. The Description In-spector will show information not only for effects in the Library but also effects in the Stack or presets in the Preset pane.

Adding an EffectTo add a effect to your image, simply double-click on it. It will appear in the stack and your preview image will change to show the results of the effect. Some effects have options. These options may include color, strength or posi-tion options. You can identify effects with options by their name, which will be followed by an ellipse (...). When you


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The before and after examples are representative of the effect only. If the effect has options only one example will be shown. For some effects, it may be difficult to see a difference between the before and after images due to their small size.

add an effect that has options, an options dialog will ap-pear. Simply choose the option that you desire and press the Apply button to dismiss the options dialog. Keep in mind that there is no preview of an option until you press the Apply button. When an Options dialog is open you must choose and option and press Apply or Cancel to con-tinue. You can always change your option selection by double-clicking the effect option icon next to the effect in the stack.

Using the Effects StackWhen you add an effect to your image it will appear in the Stack pane. The Stack works similar to the Layers and His-tory palettes in Photoshop. At the bottom of the Stack is your original image. As you add an effect it will layer on top of the original. The Stack allows you to add up to six-teen effects to your image. You can move forward and backward in time by selecting different effects in the Stack. For example if you had a Stack with the original and three effects applied you could go back to the first effect by se-lecting it in the Stack. The second and third effects will appear disabled and your preview will show only the re-sults of the original with the first effect applied. You can then click on the third effect, the most recently applied, and the second and third effects will appear active again and the preview will show the results of all three effects. The results of each effect in PhotoTools are cumulative, so the results of the first effect are passed to the second effect and so forth. It is best to work with PhotoTools in a step-by-step process, knowing that the results from each step are the starting point for the next Effect. This mean when selecting the Effects to apply, think about the workflow processes you would use in Photoshop. It is best to make color and tonal adjustments first, followed by special ef-fects and finish with final touches such as vignettes and

sharpening. Thinking of the proper steps to add Effects in PhotoTools will make your results better and faster.

Effects OptionsMany of the effects in Photo-Tools have options associated with them. You can tell if an ef-fect has options by the ellipse (...) at the end of its name. When you add an effect with options the Options dialog will appear. You will need to select the op-tion you prefer and press the Apply button to add the effect to the stack. The effect options can be presented as color swatches for color treatment effects for radio buttons for other options. Once you have added an effect with an option, you can change the option selected by double-clicking on the options icon next to the effect name in the stack.

Hiding an EffectAn effect may be temporarily hidden by pressing the icon next to the effect in the Stack. You can reveal a hidden ef-fect by pressing the icon a second time. When you

hide an effect you are not removing from the Stack and you can reactivate it at anytime. Keep in mind that hiding an effect in the middle of the Stack may take a moment to re-render and update your preview.


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Reordering EffectsEffects may be reordered in the Stack by simply clicking and dragging them into the desired position. Reordering Effects can have a huge difference on the results of the im-age. Re-ordering Effects will cause the Stack to re-render, which may take a few moments.

Removing EffectsAt any time you can remove an effect from the Stack by pressing the minus icon. If the effect you remove is in the middle of the Stack it may take a minute for the preview to update as the Stack re-renders.

Adjusting Fade The Fade slider controls how the selected Effect blends with the previous Effect or the original image. You can ad-just the Fade for any Effect in the Stack by selecting it and then adjusting the Fade slider. In many cases adjusting the Fade slider effectively adjusts the strength of an effect. For example if add a black and white conversion Effect, adjust-ing the Fade down will reveal some of the color from the previous state. In most cases the Fade slider will be set to 100% when you add an Effect, however with some Effects like vignettes and soft focus Effects it may be set at 50%. Adjusting the Fade slider to greater than 50% will make the effect stronger, while decreasing it make the effect weaker. The Fade slider is the key to achieving a great deal of control and variability with PhotoTools.

Resetting OptionsYou can reselect Effect options for an Effect after it has been added to the stack by double-clicking on the Options icon next to the Effect name. Depending on the loca-

tion of the Effect in the Stack this may cause the Stack to re-render, which may take a moment.

Using PresetsBy stacking multiple Effects together and controlling how they blend you can create your own unique look that you may want to use again in the future. By saving your Stack as a preset you can easily reproduce the same results again and again. You can even share presets with other users of PhotoTools. Presets store the entire Stack including Effects, their options and Fade settings as well as Masking Options.

Saving PresetsTo create a preset of your current stack, press the plus “+” icon at the bottom of the Preset pane. You will be pre-sented with New Preset dialog. In this dialog you can name your preset, choose which preset category as well as put in a creator and description that will appear in the Descrip-tion Inspector.

Using PresetsYou can load a preset by double-clicking it’s name in the Preset pane. When you load a preset, it will clear the cur-rent Stack. Presets may also be used from the onOne menu, allowing you to apply a preset to the currently se-lected image in Photoshop without loading the main Pho-toTools interface, a great productivity booster.

Presets can also be used with PhotoTools batch processing feature. You learn more about this in the batch processing section later in this user guide.


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Stack Presets can be accessed inside of Photoshop from the onOne Menu. This makes it easy to apply a preset to the current image in Photoshop without having to open Photo-Tools and manually load effects.

Sharing PresetsPresets can be shared with other users of PhotoTools. To share a preset, open the Preset folder by going to File-> Open Presets Folder. Inside the Presets folder are individual preset files for each preset. Simply copy the desired preset to a new location or email message that you can send to your friend.

To install a preset, just drop the preset file from your friend into the Presets Folder of PhotoTools. Place it into a cate-gory folder that you prefer for easy finding. Be sure to re-launch PhotoTools to use the new preset.

Masking OptionsThe Masking Options, located in the tool bar, gives you the ability to add a layer mask to the resulting layer that Pho-toTools creates when it returns its results to Photoshop. By painting with black on the layer mask you can selectively blend PhotoTools results with the layer underneath it. For example if you applied a soft-focus effect, you could paint on a layer mask to reveal or protect areas such as a persons eyes or other important details from the soft focus effect. By adding an empty layer mask and painting with black you reveal information from the underlying layer. Masking Options also allows you to fill the layer mask with black, which effectively hides the results of PhotoTools. Then by painting with white on the layer mask you can reveal, or un-hide the results, allowing you to selectively paint in the results. Below are instructions on using the Masking Op-tions:

Step 1. Open your image in PhotoTools

Step 2. Add an Effect to your stack that you wish to apply selectively. In this case we added a sharpening effect that we wish to paint in.

Step 3. In the toolbar, check on the Layer Mask and Fill with Black check-boxes and press Apply.

Keep in mind that the layer mask applies to all of the stack and its results. Often times if you wish to us a layer mask you should use only one effect, the one you wish to selec-tively apply in your stack. Remember you can run PhotoTools again and again to add a new layer for each effect.


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Step 4. Back in Photoshop you will see the new layer, named PhotoTools #1 and you will see a black layer mask associated with it. PhotoTools will automatically select your brush tool, white paint and the layer mask so you can start to paint the effect in right away.

For best results paint with a brush that has a soft edge and an opacity of around 50%. If you make a mistake you can switch your color to black and paint over your mistake. You can view the mask by itself by holding down option (alt) and clicking on the mask icon in the layers palette.

PreferencesThe PhotoTools preferences control many important as-pects of the softwares function. Preferences are persistent, like a switch and maintain their settings until you change them. You can access the Preferences from the Photoshop menu on a Mac OS X system or the Edit menu on a Win-dows system.

Apply PhotoTools toThe Apply PhotoTools to options controls what layer in-formation is sent to PhotoTools for processing. The options are copy of the current layer, new merged visible layer and duplicate merged document. Note that PhotoTools always

Preferences will take effect until the next time you open PhotoTools.

creates a new layer for its results so that it is never destructive.

Option Why to useCopy of Current Layer:Creates a copy of the cur-rent layer and returns the results of PhotoTools to that layer, placed above the original target layer. This option will duplicate an existing layer mask.

Shortcut: Hold Control when launching.

Use this option if your im-age has only a singe layer or if you wish to only ef-fect a single layer, includ-ing objects like text on a transparent background. An existing layer mask is maintained to the results of PhotoTools will only appear to effect the un-masked area.


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Option Why to useStamped Duplicate Layer: Creates a new layer at the top of your layers palette and merges (stamps) all visible layers beneath it to this new layer. This creates a single layer composite of your image and protects all the original layers for future editing. Any layer masks, text layers, adjust-ment layers and layer styles will be rendered. Hidden layers will not be seen.

This is the default setting.

Shortcut: Hold Shift when launching.

Use this option if you have a complex image and you want the results of Photo-Tools to effect the entire image, rather than a selec-tion. This is a great way to simplify your work on a complex file or to create multiple looks in a single file for client review. You can do this by simply turn-ing off each PhotoTools layer and then running PhotoTools again to create multiple layers, each with a different look that can be turned on or off at any-time while still maintain-ing the original layers.

Merged Duplicate File: Creates a duplicate docu-ment of your image and reduces it down to a single layer. Any layer masks, text layers, adjustment layers and layer styles will be rendered. Hidden layers will not be seen.

Shortcut: Hold Control-Shift when launching.

Use this option if you pre-fer to keep your original layered file separate from PhotoTools. Each time you launch you PhotoTools it will create a new docu-ment, keeping the original file as is.

Preview ModePhotoTools offers several preview modes that can be ad-justed based on your preference. The preview mode op-tions include Fastest Preview, Balanced and Full Image.

Option Why to UseFastest Preview: Creates a smaller proxy preview of your image, approximately 1024 pixels on a side if your original image is larger than the proxy.

Best for low-end systems with limited amounts of RAM or 128MB VRAM.

This option will make pre-viewing and adjusting ef-fects in the PhotoTools interface faster. This is great if you are learning how to use PhotoTools. Because the preview is smaller than your original file the quality of the pre-view image will not be as high when you zoom in. PhotoTools attempts to adjust its results to differ-ent sized images however you may see slight differ-ences when you compare the preview image to your final image. When you press Apply PhotoTools will take a few moments to apply the Stack of effects to your original image.


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Option Why to UseBalanced Preview: Creates a medium sized proxy pre-view of your image, ap-proximately 2048 pixels on a side if your original image is larger than the proxy size.

This is the default setting

This option balances pre-view speed with zoom quality and accuracy. Pre-viewing most effects will still be fast and the quality of the image when zoom-ing in will still be good. Occasional discrepancies between the preview and final image will be less fre-quent than with fastest preview. When you press Apply PhotoTools will take a few moments to apply the Stack of effects to your original image.

Option Why to UseLarge Preview: Creates a large sized proxy preview of your image, approxi-mately 4096 pixels on a side if your original image is larger than the proxy size. For most images, the original file will be used instead.

This is recommended only for high-end systems with over 2GB of RAM and 256MB VRAM.

Using this setting with low-end systems will cause PhotoTools to run slowly or become unstable.

This option is best for ad-vanced users or users who work with smaller files. In most cases, this uses the full sized original image which means the preview zooming quality and the results will match exactly with the original file. Pre-viewing complex effects can be slow with large files so this mode is best for users who know what ef-fects they plan on using. In most cases, when press-ing the Apply button their is no processing time as PhotoTools has been proc-essing the full image dur-ing preview.


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Stack ExamplesThe real power of PhotoTools is the ability to stack multi-ple effects on top of each other and control how they blend together to create your own unique look or work-flow for your images. The following examples will give you an idea of how stacking effects can create unique looks and automate frequently used and repetitive tasks in Pho-toshop.

WaterfallIn this first example we will talk about image optimization with PhotoTools. We will start with this raw landscape image which is a little flat (lacks con-trast) and has a cool color cast. Using PhotoTools we will correct these prob-lems as well as improve the sharpness and color.

Step 1. Open the image in PhotoTools.

Step 2. Always start off by correcting color and tone first. let’s use the Auto Color & Tone effect, which can be found in the Image Optimize category. This will correct the tone, or contrast range in the image as well as remove any global color casts.

Step 3. There appears to still be a bit of a cool color cast in the shadow tones only. This can be easily re-moved by using the Purify effect, also found in the Image Op-timize category.

Step 4. Now the image is cor-rected and resembles what the scene would look like naturally. However accurate is not always pleasing in photography, that is one of the reasons photographers select certain films, because the alter the color and tone in a pleasing way and this is why will add the Velvia® effect which simulates the increased color and contrast of Fuji® Velvia® film, which is popular with landscape photographers.

Step 5. The next step is to add some sharpness to the image using the Global Sharpening effect in the Land-scape Enhance cate-gory. Be sure to zoom into 100% when you adjust any sharpen-ing effect.

Step 6. Finally we add a sub-tle vignette to burn down the edges and focus the viewers eye.


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Bridal PortraitPhotoTools also has a wide range of effects that can be used to enhance portrait images. In this case we will start with this studio bridal portrait and add a professional touch with effects from the Professional Edition.

Step 1. Open the image in Photo-Tools.

Step 2. We will start out the same as we did with the Waterfall image, us-ing the Auto Tone & Color effect. Notice the Fade is set lower than 100%. Often with portrait images color and tone correction will be more subtle than with landscape or general images.

Step 3. Now we added the Auto Portrait Fixer effect from the Portrait Enhance category. This effect adds a sub-tle skin smooth-ing effect as well as a boost in col-ors other than skin. Be sure to zoom to 100% and adjust the Fade slider for the best results.Step 4. Now to spice things up bit, lets add the

Hollywood Glow effect from the Kubota Professional Edition category (you need PhotoTools Professional Edition to use this effect). This adds a contrast boost and glow reminis-cent of old Hollywood movie star-lets.

Step 5. Last step. Lets add a soft, se-lective focus edge to the image. This will blur the edges of the image, much like a selective focus lens or filter. I selected the Radial option to add a little more motion to the out-of-focus area. Like most effects, I used the Fade slider to control the strength of the effect.

TulipsThese tulips represent a general im-age that we will optimize and con-vert to black and white.

Step 1. Open the image in Photo-Tools.


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Step 2. A great place to start with most images is the Auto Tone & Color effect from the Image Optimi-zation category. It will correct the tone (contrast range) as well as re-move any global color cast. You can see the dramatic effect it had on this image in a single effect.

Step 3. Next lets convert the image to black and white. I used the Red filter option keep the flower light in tone and push the greens darker. If I change my mind at any step I can roll-back through my stack or double-click on the options icon to reselect an effect option.

Step 4. Often with black and white images I like a little more contrast than with color, so lets us the Global Contrast Boost effect to add a little more punch to the im-age. Using the fade slider I can con-trol how much contrast is added.

Step 5. Things are looking pretty good so far, I think I want to make this a warm-

ing tone black and white so lets add the Tint with Clean Whites effect from the Tinting Treatments cate-gory and select a warm brown tint. Using the fade slider I can control the amount of warmth.

Step 6. Last step, lets add a frame to the image. I like the inset frame, located in the Framing Treatments category. It creates a ghosted copy of the original image as a frame for a contemporary look.

Remember, if you find a stack of effects that works well to-gether you can always save it as a preset so you can use it again easily in the future. You can even share presets with your friends.


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Batch ProcessingPhotoTools is much more than just an effects program, it also adds a powerful batch processor to your workflow. With the PhotoTools batch engine you can apply an entire stack of effects to a group of images at the same time and even create new child documents from them in different sizes and formats. This can be a huge time saver in your workflow while at the same time allowing you to be crea-tive in the look you apply to your images. The following will explain the options within the batch engine and give you several ideas how you can use it in your studio.

Opening the Batch EngineThe PhotoTools batch engine can be accessed from either the onOne menu directly or from inside of PhotoTools from the File menu. The only difference between these op-tions are which effect stacks you have access to. When you open Batch directly from the onOne menu you have access to any of your saved stack presets. You can also use the batch engine with a stack option of “none” which will al-low you to use the batch engine features such as resizing and renaming without applying any effects. If you open the batch engine from within PhotoTools you are limited to the stack you have created at that time in the main Pho-toTools interface.

Stack TabThe stack tab is the first (far left) tab of the batch dialog. Note that each tab is numbered in the order that they should be com-pleted. The stack tab al-lows you to select which stack preset you wish to process your files with. If you opened Batch di-rectly from the onOne menu (or the automate menu) you have access to

all of your saved stack presets as well as the none option. The None option allows you to use the features of the batch engine without adding any effects from PhotoTools to your images.

If you opened Batch from inside of PhotoTools you will only see the Current Stack option available. If you open Batch from inside of PhotoTools and you wish to use a stack preset, simply load it from the preset pane before opening the batch dialog.


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SourceThe source tab helps you define which files to process. It has the option of the files currently open in Photoshop or a folder of images. If you select the files currently open in Photoshop, Pho-toTools will apply the selected stack to all im-ages open in Photoshop and leave them open upon completion. Please

note that when using this option that the destination, file naming and file type tabs are disabled.

If you use the folder option you can define a folder on your computer, attached drive or network drive that con-tains the images you which to process. Press the Choose... button to select the folder you wish to use. The path line confirms the location visually. There is a checkbox labeled include subfolders, which will look inside the source folder for subfolders and files that they may contain.

DestinationThe destination tab helps you define where to put the files that are batch processed. It is similar to the source tab and has two options. The first is save and close. When this option is selected each file that is processed will be saved with the same name and file type as the original.

Using the save and close option may overwrite your original files. If your source files are camera raw files they will be saved as PSD files.

If you use the folder option you can create new child documents from your original files. You can control the names and file types in the File Names and File Types tabs. Use the Choose... button to select the folder where you would like the new files to live.

Using the same source and destination paths without changing the file names or file types can result in overwrit-ing your original files. PhotoTools will detect overwriting and ask you to confirm.

Like the source tab there is also an option to create match-ing subfolders if the source folder has subfolders. For ex-ample if your source folder has subfolders named cere-mony, formals and reception the PhotoTools will create matching subfolders in the destination folder and place the new files in the matching folder structure as the origi-nals.


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File NamingThe file naming tab al-lows you to determine the name of new files created through batch processing. You are al-lowed to add up to six naming articles, or seg-ments, consisting of the original file name, the date, serial number or custom text.

Article What is it?Current Name The original filename without the

extension. PhotoTools will always add the proper extension to the end of the filename.Example: DSC007

Current Name and Extension

The original filename and exten-sion. PhotoTools will always add the proper extension to the end of the filename. Use this option if would like to add the original ex-tension to the file name as well as the current extension.Example: DSC007.jpg

Text A line of text of your choice up to 32 characters long. This could be a job or client name or anything you like.Example: whateverIwant

Article What is it?Serial Number A numerical serial number. It may

be up to eight digits long and sup-ports leading zeros. You can spec-ify any number to start with. Each file will be numbered sequentially starting with your first number.Example: 0001

Date Todays date in YYMMDD format.Example: 070926

Here are some examples of ways you can name your batch processed files.

Articles ExampleText+Serial Number myfile_001.jpg

Original Name+Text+Se-rial Number

DSC007_Johnson_001.jpg

Text+Date+Serial Num-ber

myfile_070926_001.jpg

Original Name with Ex-tension+Text

DSC007.CR2_Converted.jpg


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File TypeThe File Type tab allows you to determine the file type of the new files to be created as well as their size, resolution and color profile. You can also have PhotoTools create an ad-ditional JPEG as well as the new files.

The first option is File Type. You can select from Same as Source, PSD

(Photoshop native file), TIFF or JPEG. If you use the same as source option, Photo-Tools will save the new files in the same format as the original file. For camera raw files, this option will create PSD files instead. Selecting one of the other formats will create that type of file.

For each format selected their may be additional options to select. For example if you select JPEG you can determine the Quality (compression ratio) of the file. For TIFF and PSD files you have the option of flattening layers and for TIFF you can also enable LZW compression.

You can also select to resize to resize the new files. Simply turn on the resize to fit option and enter the maximum width and height. These dimensions can be in pixels, inches, centimeters or percentage. The proportions of the image will always be maintained. The image will be resized to fit within the dimensions entered. When resizing files PhotoTools will use the default interpolation algorithm selected in your Photoshop preferences. You can also ad-just the resolution of your files as well. If you enter no resolution, the current files resolution will be used.

You can also convert the new files to a destination color space. From the Convert to Profile pop-up select the ICC profile you wish to use. In most cases be sure to select em-bed profile option as well to embed the profile so that oth-ers that open the new files will be able to view them prop-erly color managed.

Saving Additional JPEGYou can also save an additional JPEG file from your new batch processed files. When saving an additional JPEG you have the same options for resizing and color space as you do when creating new the primary file. Your additional JPEG files will be saved in a folder labeled JPEG inside your destination folder.

WatermarkingThe batch engine also allows you to add a visual watermark file to your batch processed files. This watermark is created from a source file of your choosing. You have the option to enable water-marking as well as limit the watermarking func-tion to just the addi-tional JPEG files.

Start by turning the watermarking option on by checking the enable watermarking check box. This will add your watermark to all the files created in the batch. If you wish to only add the watermark to the additional JPEG files, be sure to enable the check box labeled “Only Watermark Ad-ditional JPEG.” You can choose where on the image the watermark will appear by selecting the position from the


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position pop-up. To select the file to be used for the wa-termark, press the Choose... button.

It is important to properly prepare the file you wish to use for your watermark. PhotoTools simply pastes the water-mark file into your new file. It does not resize or alter the watermark. Below are some guidelines for creating your watermark file.

• Watermark files should be sized to fit the intended destination file. For example if you are creating 640x480 pixel output files your watermark file needs to be smaller than that.

• If you want your watermark to have a transparent background, prepare your watermark as such and save it has a PSD or PNG file to maintain the transparency.

• If you want your watermark to have a reduced opacity, prepare your watermark file as such and be sure to save it as a PNG file to maintain the opacity.

Follow these steps to prepare a watermark file with reduced opacity and transparency sized for use on web sized im-ages. In this case our sample is the onOne logo, but you can use these instructions for your logo instead.

1.Open your logo file. In this case our logo is a single color black on a white back-ground.

2.If your image consists of only a background, convert it to a layer by double-clicking on it in the layers palette.

3.Use the magic wand tool in Photoshop and click on the white background. As-suming your logo is a crisp black on a clean white this should only select the white background.

4.Press the delete button to remove the white back-ground leaving your logo on a transparent checker-board.

5.If you would like your logo to be white, invert your image by going to Image->Adjust->Invert. You should now have your logo in white.

6.To reduce the opacity, change the opacity slider in the layers palette to ap-proximately 50%.

7.Resize your file to fit com-fortably within your output files. In this case lets assume you are creating small JPEG files for your website which

are a maximum of 600 pixels. We don’t want our logo to cover the entire image, but the center area,


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so use the Image Size dialog to resize the file to about 100 pixels.

8.Finally save your file as a .PNG file. To the left is an example of the final water-mark on an image using this technique.

Batch LogWhen the batch operation is completed you will see a dia-log summarizing the results. In this dialog you have the option of displaying the batch log file by pressing the view log button. This will open the batch log for the last batch in your default web browser. The log file will display your selected options as well as the name, path and results for each file. If you received any error messages when running your batch you can see more information of which file(s) where effected by viewing the log.

If you encounter errors and can not determine their cause visit the Knowledge Base at the onOne website for trouble-shooting tips.


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MenusPhotoshop (Mac OS X Only)About PhotoTools: Opens the PhotoTools about box, displaying your serial number as well as le-gal information and version numbers. This is the information you will need when contacting support.

Check for Updates: Checks with the onOne update server to see if you are running the current version. If you are not you will be notified that an update or upgrade is available and the dialog will help you download or purchase the update or upgrade. PhotoTools will automatically check for updates on a periodic basis in the background.

PhotoTools Preferences: Opens the PhotoTools preference dialog where you can control how PhotoTools is applied as well as preview size and warning options.

FileClose: Closes PhotoTools with-out applying it. Equivalent to canceling.

Apply: Applies the current set-tings to your image and returns it to Photoshop.

Batch...: Opens the PhotoTools Batch dialog where you can set-up a batch process.

Save Preset...: Saves the contents of the current stack as a preset.

Show Presets Folder...: Opens (reveals) the operating sys-tem folder where the presets are saved.

Edit Undo: Steps back through the last change you made in any of the control panes.

Cut: Cuts the currently selected text to the clipboard.

Copy: Copies the currently se-lected text to the clipboard.

Paste: Pastes the text from the clipboard into the current text field.

Reset All: Resets all controls back to their default state.

ViewZoom-In: Zooms in on the pre-view image.

Zoom-Out: Zooms out on the preview image.

Fit to Screen: Zooms the preview image so that it fits completely in the preview area. This view is best for judging framing and edge effects.


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Actual Pixels: Zooms the preview to 1:1 (100%) so you can see every pixel in the image. Use this setting when adjust-ing sharpening, glows and blurs.

Single Image: Sets the preview window mode to single im-age, showing only a single “after” image.

Left/Right: Sets the preview window mode to Left/Right compare.

Left/Right Split: Sets the preview window mode to Left/Right split-screen compare.

Top/Bottom: Sets the preview window mode to Top/Bottom compare.

Top/Bottom Split: Sets the preview window mode to Top/Bottom split-screen compare.

Preview: Toggles the preview on and off.

WindowNavigator: Opens or closes the Navigator pane.

Stack: Opens or closes the Stack pane.

Effects Library: Opens or closes the Effects Library pane.

Presets: Opens or closes the Presets pane.

Description Inspector: Shows or hides the Description In-spector.

Show Welcome...: Opens the Welcome Screen that appears when you launch PhotoTools. This provides basic step-by-step instructions for resizing your image.

Show Me HowGetting Started...: Launches a movie player and plays the Get-ting Started tutorial movie.

Advanced Techniques...: Launches a movie player and plays the Advanced Tech-niques tutorial movie.

View All Tutorials...: Launches a web browser and navigates to the tutorials section of the onOne website.

HelpPhotoTools Help: Opens this user guide in the Acrobat reader.


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ShortcutsFunction Macintosh

ShortcutWindows Shortcut

Close (Cancel) Cmd-WescCmd-.

Ctrl-Wesc

Apply EnterReturn

EnterReturn

Open Preferences Cmd-,

Undo Cmd-z Ctrl-z

Reset All Cmd-opt-z Ctrl-alt-z

Zoom-In Cmd-+ Ctrl-+

Zoom-Out Cmd-- Ctrl--

Fit to Screen Cmd-0double-click pan tool

Ctrl-0double-click pan tool

Actual Pixels Cmd-opt-0double-click zoom tool

Ctrl-alt-0double-click zoom tool

Open/Close Navigator Cmd-1 Ctrl-1

Open/Close Stack Cmd-2 Ctrl-2

Open/Close Library Cmd-3 Ctrl-3

Function Macintosh Shortcut

Windows Shortcut

Open/Close Presets Cmd-4 Ctrl-4

Toggle Preview On/Off Cmd-P Ctrl-P

Single Image Preview Cmd-Y Ctrl-Y

Left/Right Preview Cmd-L Ctrl-L

L/R Split Preview Cmd-Opt-L Ctrl-Alt-L

Top/Bottom Preview Cmd-T Ctrl-T

T/B Split Preview Cmd-Opt-T Ctrl-Alt-T

Open Help Cmd-? Ctrl-F1

Open Batch Dialog Cmd-B Ctrl-B

Save as Preset Cmd-S Ctrl-S


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