Digital Lifestyle > All Reviews > Software > Creativity > Consumer creative software > PhotoTools 2 Lite review

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 PhotoTools 2 Lite review

A tasty free treat from onOne that’s definitely worth a download

Nick Spence

Manufacturer: onOne Software
Pros: Quality photo effects; preview, combine, adjust and save effects; selectively apply effects; additional 2.01 update includes HDR (High Dynamic Range) effect; free
Cons: Only 15 effects out of a possible 181 in the Standard Edition and 293 in the Professional Edition, no Lightroom or Aperture support
Price: Free
We rate this 4 out of 5.Star rating:

Bravo for onOne for offering up a free taster that doesn’t leave your Mac bloated with software that won’t work once the trial period ends. PhotoTools 2 Lite offers 15 photo effects for Photoshop that can add a professional sheen to any image. It’s a small selection from the effects found in the Professional and Standard editions (reviewed in our June issue - click here).

While the effects may be significantly reduced in the Lite version, the available options includes all the same features found in the paid versions of PhotoTools 2. These include the ability to preview Photoshop action effects, combine multiple effects together in a layered stack and adjust the strength or opacity for each layer in a stack. Other options include the ability to save layer stacks as presets, batch process effects on multiple photos, apply effects with a layer mask and selectively apply effects with the masking brush.

With several options available to the user, even with a limited number of effects, you can produce some evocative, eye-catching results, including high-contrast, low-saturation looks and making dark areas bleed into neighbouring tones, increasing colour and contrast. Other free effects include black-and-white conversion, colour boost, an attractive Golden Hour enhancer, a painterly impressionist look and a vivid rich-red Kodachrome effect.

When you download it, PhotoTools 2 Lite asks for a valid name and email address so onOne can send you future newsletters and offers. You can, of course, opt out of this. The software is compatible with Adobe CS2, CS3 and CS4. For those looking to upgrade, PhotoTools Professional Edition is also part of onOne’s Plug-In Suite 4.5, a collection of six award-winning plug-ins, which offers the best value for money.

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