3 Things You Didn’t Know about Capture One January 12, 2016 – Posted in: Photography – Tags: Capture One Pro, Post Processing, RAW, workflow

Those who don’t use Capture One Pro for their RAW/Jpeg workflow probably don’t realize how much it’s evolved over the last few generations. With version 9 just released, I thought this would be a good time to share a few of my favorite features. (I have plenty more but will start with these.)

Robust Library Management

I came to Capture One from Aperture. And I didn’t think I would ever find a replacement app with the type of organizational tools that I had become accustomed to. But the library tab in my new home is just outstanding.

There are projects, albums, and groups (which are called folders in Aperture). I can organize an entire year’s worth of shooting into a handsomely structured catalog that’s easy to use. And speaking of catalogs, I have the choice of using referenced or managed, just like with Aperture.

And to make things even easier, I can import my Aperture or Lightroom libraries directly into Capture One Pro. I’m writing a free eBook that covers this very topic. Stay tuned for the opportunity to download it.

Output to Multiple Formats Simultaneously

When it’s time to export my work, I can do so any way that I want. I’ve created a number of custom process recipes for my various needs, and Capture One Pro takes care of all the outputs at the same time. It even tucks them neatly in their own folders on my desktop.

So I can take a group of edited RAW files, send them to one folder as high resolution Tiffs with Adobe RGB Color Space for printing, and at the same time, send another batch of sRGB Jpegs to a separate folder for Web work – all from the same master files. This is a huge time saver.

Yes, There Are Lens Profiles Too

One thing that I didn’t have in Aperture, and loved about Lightroom, was built-in lens corrections. With Capture One I finally have lens profiles for my everyday photo management app. Along with the extensive list of RAW profiles, I can shoot with all of my camera and lens combinations, and have the application get the most out of those files.

Which leads me to one final noteworthy point… The RAW processing in Capture One Pro is beautiful. The best way for me to describe it is that my digital images look very “photographic.”

Thinking About It?

You can download a free 30-day trial to see for yourself. To get the most from your exploration, I also recommend our excellent guide: Capture One Pro 9 by Sascha Erni. It’s available for purchase in eBook format now.

Derrick Story is the photography evangelist for Rocky Nook Publishing