The Portland Metro Photographic News

My first encounter with a Photoshop plug-in came in 1995 at the Time-Life Photo and Digital Imaging Lab at Time Inc.  We were asked to produce two, 12 foot tall prints of Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous image of the sailor kissing the nurse on VJ Day in 1945.  The super-sized image was to be used as part of the 50th anniversary of VJ Day to be held in Times Square. In 1995, our greatest technical concern was resolution.  Printing an detailed photographic image this size from a scanned b&w negative on an inkjet printer was unexplored territory.

A software developer approached us, and asked the Time-Life Lab to give his new software a try.  The software was still in development at the time, and didn't even have an official name. But, it's interpolating algorythms for producing over-sized enlargements was based on emerging fractal technology.  Eisenstaedt, who attended the Times Square VJ Day anniversary party, proclaimed the 12 foot prints to be "fantastic".  The Photoshop plug-in that helped make the prints possible became known as Genuine Fractals and eventually the foundation for a family of world renown plug-ins by a Portland-based company, onOne Software.

Like many software products, the component programs that make up today's Plug-In Suite 5 from onOne have gone through several owners.  The original Genuine Fractal program was developed by the Altamira Group and was later acquired by LizardTech (2001).  Eventually the Extensis company bought the LizardTech software to add it to their successful Photo Frame and Mask Pro plug-ins.  The result was family of plug-ins that ehanced the capability of Photoshop and provided the often requested options that Photoshop owners were demanding.

In 2005, Craig Kendell bought the plug-ins from Extensis, and on July 1, 2005 opened the doors of onOne Software in Portland.  The plug-in family has been continually expanded, and can now be purchased as separate components or as an entire suite of innovative plug-ins.

The recently announced Plug-In Suite 5 includes 6 solid, problem-solving software plug-ins that enhance the capabilities and creative possibilities of Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture.

• Focal Point 2 - adds realistic depth of field and selective focus control
• PhotoFrame 4.5 - provides an extensive library of frames, edge effects, backgrounds and design elements that can be applied to any image
• PhotoTools 2.5 - adds over 250 effects as Photoshop Actions -- actions that can be previewed BEFORE they are applied
• PhotoTune 3 - provides the ability to increase apparent dynamic range, produce intuitive black and white conversions as well as an innovative SkinTune feature that accurately color corrects for skin tones
• Genuine Fractals 6 - the industry standard for digital photo enlarging up to 1,000% with minimal image quality loss.  The new edition also includes a wrap feature for producing gallery wrap images automatically
• Mask Pro 4 - creates even the most complex masks - including hard to mask objects like hair smoke and glass.

The success of the company is made possible through the leadership of Craig Kendell and his staff of 35 photographic software gurus who live and work in Portland.  The economic blip has been felt by onOne, but sales remain strong.  And, R&D continues at a pace that maintains a 12 to 14 month update cycle.  Although necessarily secretive about future products, there are new plug-ins on the horizon.

One result of its R&D commitment is onOne's newest application, DSLR Camera Remote.  This app is available for Apple's iPhone or iPod Touch. (Should work with the new iPad as well.)  Using DSLR Camera Remote, a photographer can:

• remotely fire a Canon EOS or Nikon DSLR
• remotely control the camera settings
• view images shot on the camera from the iPhone or iPod Touch
• look through the camera's viewfinder remotely

DSLR Camera Remote can be purchased on the onOne website or in the iTunes Apps store.

And where do these new product ideas come from?  onOne Software has developed a unique strategy for product development.  They listen to their photographic customers.  The company actively solicts customer feedback through its website, surveys, trade shows, the Kelby Training programs that onOne sponsors and a Power User Council that meets quarterly. When you see a new feature added to onOne's Plug-in Suite, it's probably in response to imaging solutions photographers are seeking.

onOne Software is a PMPN-featured local company and another respected photo manufacturer that supports our local economy while contributing to the Pacific Northwest reputation as a leader in "all things photographic".