The ON1 community has gained some new users, and one of the most common questions I get is "Which button should I click at the bottom of the ON1 Edit Module?"
Before we cover the buttons, I want to be clear that ON1 is a Non-Destructive editor. This means even if you happen to commit effects to your image, you will not change the original file that came out of your camera. This is one of the many things that makes working in ON1 such an amazing tool. Now that we have that basic understanding out of the way, lets talk about the individual buttons located at the bottom right of the edit module.
The Blue Checkmark
In short, the blue checkmark is the primary button I would suggest everyone strives to click at the end of an editing session. This will ensure all of your hard work is saved by ON1 and keep you from being disappointed later down the line when you come back to your image and find that none of your detailed masks and adjustments were saved.
With that being said, I understand sometimes you may not want to save your edits. In that case, it's important that you DO NOT, click the browse button or the blue check mark. Instead, you should consider one of the other options.
Remember the changes you make to the image are not committed permanently. Clicking the blue checkmark just ensures all of your hard work on the file is saved. This comes in handy when you are working on a multi-layer file that will be converted to a ".onphoto" file type.
The Grey "X"
This button is really helpful if you would like to close your current editing session without saving any of the updates you made in the edit module. This is not a common button that I press or would recommend pressing, but it could be helpful to select this button when you DO NOT want to commit your edits to the image.
I truly only use the button when I open an image that I have made edits to previously and don't want to save the changes I made to the image during the editing session. When I click this button, I am telling ON1 and myself, revert the image to the last known saved point. This could be the out-of-camera settings or it could be the last time I checked the blue checkmark.
The Rest Arrow
In ON1, the Reset Arrow always means the same thing, "take this adjustment, mask, or image to the default parameters before anything was changed." In regards to the reset button at the bottom of the edit module, this tells ON1 to make a global reset to all editing adjustments on the layer you have selected. This means if you are working on a multi-layer project, you are not reset all of the layers at once.
I recommend pressing this button when you have made many edits and would like to start over from square one without having to close the image. This is also really helpful when you want to make a comparison to the out-of-camera version of the file to a completely edited file. I do suggest creating a version before you click the reset all button if you are making this to create a comparison (before/after) file.
If you are not familiar with layers, click here to learn all about them: Layers Video
I will note, this button does not impact your Metadata edits only your adjustments in the settings. You can also rest the settings through the "Right-Click" menu as well.
Conclusion
These buttons are mostly simple to understand, but you as the editor have to choose which is the right button at the right time in your workflow. I do recommend hitting the blue checkmark most often, but the other two buttons could be of assistance from time to time.
With that, stay inspired and keep creating!
Chris
Komen