ON1 Portrait AI 2023 is an intelligent portrait retouching software designed specifically for macOS. It integrates advanced artificial intelligence technology to automatically recognize facial features and provide one-click optimization and fine adjustments for skin, facial features, makeup, and more. This guide will take a deep dive into its interface, complete workflow, and practical tips.

I. Detailed Explanation of the Core Interface and Workspace

After launching the software, the main interface is primarily divided into the following core areas:

Top Menu Bar and Toolbar: Includes file operations, editing tools (such as the healing brush and liquify), view controls, and application settings.
Left Panel – “Portrait AI” Module Panel: This is the core of the software. The panel is organized in vertical tabs, including:
- Face Detection: Displays each detected face and the options that can be selected individually.
- Skin: Controls smoothness, texture, shine, and more.
- Eyes: Adjusts brightness, size, contrast, shadows, and more.
- Mouth: Controls brightness, saturation, teeth whitening, and more.
- Hair: Adjusts brightness, darken, lighten, and more.
- Face Shape: Includes liquify tools for adjusting face shape, nose, chin, and more.
- Makeup: Provides digital makeup features such as adding eyeshadow, blush, lip color, and more.
- Lighting: Simulates added fill light, rim light, and other lighting effects.
Central Workspace (Viewing Area): Displays the currently edited image. Offers multiple viewing modes, such as a “before/after” comparison view.
Right Panel – Global Adjustments & Presets Panel:
- Presets: Provides various one-click portrait retouching presets.
- Effects: Stackable global filters not specific to portraits (e.g., color balance, dynamic contrast).
- Adjust: Basic brightness and color adjustment tools.
Bottom Filmstrip: When multiple images are open, they are displayed here as thumbnails, making it easy to switch between multiple portraits for editing.

II. Complete Workflow: From Opening to Export

Step 1: Create/Open a Project

Method: After launching the software, click the menu bar “File” > “Open”, or use the shortcut Command + O to select one or more portrait photos from Finder. The software also supports being called directly as a plugin from external editors (such as Lightroom).

Step 2: AI Automatic Analysis and Initial Adjustment

After the image loads, the software will automatically scan for faces in the picture. Once processing is complete:

At the top of the “Portrait AI” panel on the left, confirm that all faces have been correctly detected (each face has a checkbox).
The software has already applied default basic optimizations such as skin smoothing and eye enhancement based on the AI model. You can see the automatically adjusted slider positions in each sub-panel on the left.
At this point, the central view area is usually set to “Split View” (horizontal or vertical) by default, making it easy to compare the original image with the AI-optimized result. You can switch views using the view buttons in the toolbar.

Step 3: Fine-Tune Facial Parameters

This is the core editing stage. In the left panel, adjust each setting from top to bottom:

Select a specific face: If there are multiple people in the photo, click in the “Face Detection” area to select the face you want to adjust individually.
Skin adjustment: In the “Skin” tab, adjust the “Smoothness,” “Texture,” “Radiance,” and other sliders. It is generally recommended to moderately lower the “Smoothness” value to preserve a natural skin texture.
Facial feature enhancement: Go to the “Eyes,” “Mouth,” and other tabs. For example, slightly increasing “Eye Brightness” and “Eye Size” can make the eyes look more expressive. Use the “Teeth Whitening” slider to quickly improve the smile.
Face shape refinement: In the “Facial Contours” tab, enable the “Liquify” tool. You can use the “Zoom” tool (shortcut Z) to enlarge the face, then use the “Forward Warp” tool (usually activated automatically) to gently push the cheek edges inward or adjust the chin shape. Operate with caution and aim for a natural look.
Add digital makeup and lighting: In the “Makeup” and “Lighting” tabs, click the corresponding items (such as “Blush” and “Eyeshadow”) to add them, and use the sliders to control intensity, color, and position.

Tip: Each adjustment slider comes with an “Auto” checkbox. You can let AI handle it automatically first, then fine-tune based on the result.

Step 4: Apply global adjustments and effects (optional)

After completing the portrait-specific adjustments, you can switch to the right-side panel:

In the “Presets” panel, browse and click other portrait style presets to quickly change the overall color tone and atmosphere.
In the “Effects” panel, you can add global filters such as “Glow” and “Color Enhancement” to give the portrait an artistic touch.
In the “Adjust” panel, make final basic corrections such as exposure and color balance.

Step 5: Export the final image

Once editing is complete, click the menu bar “File” > “Export” or use the shortcut Command + Shift + E to open the export dialog.

Set the file location, name, and format: Choose the folder in “Export To”; customize the name in “File Name”; for “File Format,” usually choose JPEG (set quality) or TIFF.
Adjust image size (optional): In the “Resize” section, you can set a specific width and height or resolution for the output image.
Apply sharpening and metadata: Choose the amount of sharpening based on the intended use of the output (such as web sharing), and decide whether to include EXIF data.
Click the “Export” button to complete the process.

III. Advanced Tips for Common Features

Local AI strength control: Use the “Brush” tool (shortcut B) and select “Portrait AI Mask” to paint on the image to erase or restore the AI effect in specific areas, for example, to preserve the original texture of eyebrows and hair.
Batch processing: Select multiple photos in the browser or filmstrip, enter the “Portrait AI” panel, and then click the panel menu (three dots) and choose “Sync to Selected Photos” to efficiently edit images in batches.
Create and use custom presets: When you have dialed in a set of parameters you are satisfied with, in the menu at the upper right of the “Portrait AI” panel on the left, choose “Save Preset” and give it a name. Later, you can access it under the “User Presets” category in the “Presets” panel for any photo.
Non-destructive editing: All adjustments are non-destructive. You can return to any panel at any time, reset the sliders to zero, or make further adjustments, and the original image data will not be changed.

IV. Common Issues and Solutions

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
The software fails to detect faces or detects them incorrectly	The face angle is too large, the lighting is too dark, or the face is obstructed.	1. Try manually clicking “Find Faces” in the “Face Detection” area. 2. Use the “Brush” tool to manually add a mask over the face area.
The skin retouching effect looks too “plastic”	The “Smoothness” value in the “Skin” panel is too high, and the “Texture” value is too low.	Lower the “Smoothness” slider (e.g., down to 30-50) and moderately increase the “Texture” slider to restore skin detail. Use the “Shine” slider to add a more natural-looking highlight.
Liquify adjustments are imprecise	The brush size is inappropriate, or the image zoom level is not suitable.	1. Use the shortcuts `[` and `]` to quickly adjust the liquify brush size. 2. Zoom in on the image to 100% or above before making fine adjustments.
Colors look unnatural after applying makeup	The makeup color or intensity does not harmonize with the skin tone.	After selecting a makeup item, not only adjust the “Intensity” but also click the color box and use the eyedropper to choose a hue and saturation that better matches natural makeup.
The software runs slowly or lags	Processing high-resolution images, editing multiple photos simultaneously, or insufficient Mac system resources.	1. In “ON1 Portrait AI” > “Preferences,” check and ensure GPU acceleration (Metal) is enabled. 2. Try closing other large applications to free up memory.

V. Mac Shortcuts Summary Table

Function	Shortcut	Description
Open File	`Command + O`	Open an image for editing
Save/Export File	`Command + S` / `Command + Shift + E`	Save project / Export final image
Copy and Paste Adjustments	`Command + C` / `Command + V`	When the “Portrait AI” panel is active, copy the current settings and paste them to other photos
Zoom Tool	`Z`	Switch to the zoom tool, click to zoom in, `Option`+click to zoom out
Hand Tool	`H`	Used to pan the view when the image is zoomed in
Brush Tool	`B`	Switch to the brush tool, used for painting masks
Toggle Original/Edited Image	(backslash)	Quickly toggle between the before and after views
Reset Slider	Double-click any slider	Reset that slider’s value to its default state
Increase/Decrease Brush Size	`[` or `]`	Used when the brush, liquify, or similar tools are active
Toggle Fullscreen Mode	`F`	Toggle the application window’s fullscreen display

Note: This guide is based on the typical operating mode of ON1 Portrait AI 2023 for Mac. Interface and features may vary slightly between minor versions; please refer to the software version you are actually using.