Capture One Pro 9

1 review for Capture One Pro 9

1. 

   wepsphoto February 6, 2019

   Adobe’s Creative Suite for photographer’s has certainly become a standard for many- for about $10 per month, you can have a subscription to both Photoshop and Lightroom and enjoy the lastest version of the software without further investment. Of course, there are options available- GIMP, Pixelmator, Capture One, etc. The primary disadvantage of these alternatives is the lack of educational support- while Amazon lists six books on Lightroom 6 (and more than seventeen for Photoshop CC), there is only one for Pixelmator, and it’s nearly three years old. Online training sites have a similar bias, making the learning curve far more challenging for programs from anyone but Adobe.

   This is where Sascha Erni’s Capture One Pro 9: Mastering Raw Development, Image Processing and Asset Management comes in. For the photographer considering the switch to Capture One, this is a superb book that will outline pros and cons and then give a quick view of the program and its workflow.

   Erni does a superb job in measuring the pros and cons of the software. One thoughtful warning from the start is to recognize one major limitation of Capture One- it cannot read DNG files unless they are native. For those who have converted their libraries of raw images to DNG, this could easily be a deal-breaker, making the book a great bargain before even investing in the program.

   Why consider Capture One? Erni makes a strong case for the software’s excellent tethering abilities, standardize color management and intuitive interface. Each chapter considers the various tabs and how to best utilize the software, but only after a thoughtful look at hardware requirements, software differences with other programs and a thorough examination of the Capture One workflow.

   Unlike Adobe’s Classroom in a Book series and many other Photoshop/Lightroom texts, Capture One 9 is less a how-to tutorial than it is an examination of an excellent option to the Adobe suite. It’s probably not going to prepare a complete novice to establish an effective workflow- the author assumes a certain amount of knowledge and experience with photographic software. This book is ideal for anyone considering a switch- it’s a must-read before a software purchase and then a well written and illustrated guide to introduce the program’s interface, workflow and capture, post-processing and output features.