Official Capture One Pro Post Processing thread (phase one C1)

I'm guessing there will be more folks like me looking into alternatives to the monthly wallet raid Adobe is pushing and finding Phase One's software Capture One as a good, probably better alternative.

I've enjoyed using it here and there the last couple of months and have recently started using it for pretty much everything I do. It's much better at recovering shadows and highlights, it's RAW color rendering is much better than ACR, and the cataloging and variants seem to be doing the trick.

I have some things I'll add later, including some gripes, but wanted to get a thread going so folks could post some best practices, online resources, or just talk about what you love and hate with the program.

For anyone that has not been following what's going on with the software, they have been offering discounts pretty regularly. Most get posted on POTN's Market Watch sub forum.

EDIT:

Going to be adding some things to this first post in hopes of helping others get up and running quicker than it has taken me. Don't get me wrong, processing a few images is as easy as any other raw converter (except maybe for the Output option box) but i've had a bit of a hard time putting together a workflow that is capable of tracking and organizing thousands of images.


I had watched plenty of videos here:
http://www.phaseone.co​m …-One-Pro-7/Tutorials.aspx
but somehow had not come across this resource:
http://www.captureonec​omplete.com
I'm going through it now, sometimes reading is better than listening.

I am set up with a single Catalog residing on the same disk as my images, but with the images in individual folders with my job names ex: "2014_05_17_Client Name, Number etc". I have used this naming convention for a long time and like it because they stay in chronological order, and I can back them up as necessary. I also expect to use ACR for certain jobs where I turn over RAW files to ad agencies or creative groups so this will help me keep all files in one place even if they aren't part of the Capture One Catalog. I'm using Mac OS 10.8.5, Capture One v 7.2.2 Build 2

Going to try the trial when I get back home next month.

It handles Phase One IIQ files better than anything else. Great color from the start. Love the skin tone tab. Wrings more sharpness out of files from all cameras. Amazing B&W conversion. Freezes up infrequently.

I've used LR for years and while I enjoy it, I'm willing to try out Capture One if the end results are better.

No question in my mind whether the results are better. Capture One just has a clunkier workflow.

I've gotten so used to Capture One colors and sharpness, when I open a file in Lightroom, it just looks wrong. I had to use Lightroom for EOS-M files before Phase One issued an update to recognize those raws.

I have added some info to the original post about Organizing (digital asset management) with Capture One. I'd love to hear some other user's praise and problems with the way things work. I've avoided Sessions altogether as it seems they are a thing of the past, but if there is a reason to look into it i certainly will.

chris_holtmeier wrote in post #17008372
No question in my mind whether the results are better. Capture One just has a clunkier workflow.

I had already processed plenty of images where pushing shadows was necessary. Today I recovered one that simply amazed me. My first thought was, "that one's a gonner." It was indoors and heavily backlit by an open door to the outside. I was using AV mode and the camera was fooled into underexposing the subjects (but with perfect exposure on the trees outside!). The peoples faces were almost without detail. I clicked over to the HDR tab and maxed out the shadows, my mind was blown. With some WB correction, .6 on the exposure scale, and a bit of tweaking the noise reduction settings, I have a VERY useable image that will really help tie together the evening's festivities.

I just received a promotional email from Phase One this morning (10 July)- Capture One Pro 7 is on sale for half price ($150 USD):

http://www.phaseone.co​m …_Prod&utm_campa​ign=SW_w28

in case anyone was interested. I know software seems always to be on sale, but I thought I'd just give this thread a heads up.

kirk

i like it, but I do not like the brush size selection its clunky, also I cannot figure out how to show several image tweaks at once so i can compare several images

would like to see a few more tools for it to make it more of a photoshop with brilliant colour tricks

overall good value at reduced price

markpvegas wrote in post #17025391
i like it, but I do not like the brush size selection its clunky, also I cannot figure out how to show several image tweaks at once so i can compare several images

would like to see a few more tools for it to make it more of a photoshop with brilliant colour tricks

overall good value at reduced price

you have to have the two windows split (catalog and viewer) then in the catalog window it's shift click or command click, just like in the mac finder. The selected images will appear in the viewer. You can even make adjustments to all of them at once.

agreed on the spot/local adjustment tools. I am so comfortable with PS that I just export out to make those adjustments.

i'm kind of expecting a new version that will improve on that area. Everything else does such a good job, i don't know what else they could improve on other than the retouching tools.

i'm continuing to be amazed by this software. Just discovered the Advanced tab in the color editor tool. wow. Its PS color range on steroids. Not sure why you'd even want to mess with the Basic tab.

I think I'm going to have to try out Capture One Pro. I've been hearing a lot of good things lately...

Bryan

I wish there were a book on CaptureOne: finding info on the web is a pain, not so much because it's scanty (it can be) but because it's disjointed: it's like having an amorphous pizza and not knowing where to start slicing it.

I played a bit with it, but I think I'm sticking with LR. It did seem to render things a bit nicer, but not do anything I could not quickly replicate in LR. I'm not a pro, so saving a couple sec here or there really is not an issue for me. And at least at full price it's too expensive. Also does not play with any of my plugins from Nik, Alienskin, Topaz, etc. If it would play nicely with those and PS (have not tried how or if they work well together) I'd think more about it, but for now I let my trial expire.

filters are for noobs.

having a strong background in color correction really helps with C1

Alveric wrote in post #17244130
I wish there were a book on CaptureOne: finding info on the web is a pain, not so much because it's scanty (it can be) but because it's disjointed: it's like having an amorphous pizza and not knowing where to start slicing it.

i know what you mean. It doesn't help that most of the Phase One reps on the forum generally talk down to people or flat out deny that there could be a problem with the software.

Guy i know out in CA actually took a short course to get certified, probably worth it, but you can't find anything like that around here. I started this thread in hopes we could all help each other out, but it hasn't gotten much action.

Anything I can help with?

I have finally become real comfortable with the Output options and Process Recipe. The Output Folder option is a life saver for anyone processing many images in different resolutions or formats.

Right now, I'm having one hell of a time making C1P 7 play nice with Photo Mechanic.

See here

One thing I could use guidance with is sessions. Considering that the library 'module' is the weak point of C1, maybe I should stop using catalogs altogether. Thoughts?

i don't know the first thing about Photo Mechanic, and i do not use Sessions. I tried it once during my trial period and dropped it for Catalogs.

I have one folder that houses all my images then each job gets another folder with a consistent naming format: 2014_06_30_Job Name

Sometimes I cull out bad shots while they are still on the card and copy the remainder to the folder, sometimes i just import them all and go from there.

You have the option of storing the images in the Catalog or having a separate Catalog, having it separate is the key to making it work. As for kewording, I have set up some standards for how i edit using the star and color coding. It is far from a great solution, and i am not fully happy with my system, but it is getting there. Anything worth looking at gets a star, I edit further from there and add stars depending on how much i like the image. If i need to pull another set from an imported set, i start in with colors. I just need to work on what the colors truly mean.

luckily you can't really search across different imported folders, at least that i know of, so searching and sorting lots of images isn't too bad.

you can also nest folders inside of folders in your OS and have them show up nicely in C1