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How does Capture One compare to Lightroom?
I recently downloaded the free, Fuji-oriented express version of Capture One to try but have not yet had the opportunity to use it but was curious as to how it compares to Lightroom and for those who use/have used C1, was there any sort of sharp learning curve involved going from LR to C1 or was it fairly easy? My MO for downloading this express, Fuji-only version was to try with Fuji RAW files and compare it to how LR handles them as I'm currently transitioning to the Fuji X-series mirrorless system (got an X-T3 that included an 18-55mm f/2.8-4 lens and purchased the first prime for it recently separately in the form of the 50mm XF f/2), and I've read that C1 tends to do a better job than LR of bringing out the potential of the Fuji RAW files but until I try it for myself that's essentially subjective and hearsay. One thing I did notice w/LR, and especially on shots taken with the XF 50mm f/2 lens is the default sharpening settings are a bit too much, causing the dreaded "worms" effect that I've read others complain about online. Thankfully backing off some of the sharpening parameters is all it takes to get rid of the "worms" which is a minor annoyance but it seems like the default sharpening settings Adobe uses are calibrated around conventional, Bayer-type sensors and apparently are too much for Fuji's X-trans sensors which causes the "worms" to appear. From what I hear the "worms" are a non-issue w/C1. If anyone has used C1 and can enlighten me on how easy or difficult it is to learn, plus similarities/differences between C1 and LR definitely chime in. It's my understanding that C1 allows for layer-based editing much like PS and catalogues like LR does, complete with ability to copy settings from one edit and past them to others. Dec 08 19 07:46 pm Link DED Photoworks wrote: I use the full version of C1 after transitioning from LR some time ago. I didn't find the transition particularly difficult but I have known others to say they struggled. Dec 16 19 10:16 am Link K I M I L Y wrote: Couldn't have said it better myself. Dec 18 19 05:58 pm Link For editing, C1 is the far superior product. Adobe would not want LR to cut into Photoshop licenses after all. For tethering it is unparalleled For catalog management C1 sucks big hairy donkey balls. If you are managing thousands of images, LR is a slightly better product and it integrates well with most online labs. For C1, go to a session based workflow because the database for managing libraries can be more than a little fragile if it is populated with a lot of images (10,000s or more). If you just manage a session based workflow and use a dedicated directory for each session you’ll sidestep the whole library management issue. That’s what we do now, having tried it the other way and found it really less than awesome. And then we use whatever Labs ROES app when we need custom printing that we can’t do in house. Since you can get the dedicated version for zero cost, no reason not to try it out, and the online video tutorials are enough to get you started. I could get away with the dedicated free version for the Phase One but I use it with the Canon and Leica systems as well and really like it so have t(3 licensed version. For a bit more than the license you can do a two day class for the POCP certification that will give you a license plus one upgrade cycle and a good training in using the tool, whether you sit for the test or not. Dec 21 19 08:23 pm Link Capture One is the industry standard for shooting tethered on commercial sets. Lightroom is an excellent catalog. It is very smooth and easy to use. Easy to add in keywords for future searching. Great for batch processing a bunch of party pictures. Capture One was not so intuitive for me. I find it a bit more work to use. Give yourself plenty of time to learn it and experiment with it a lot before you try to use it on a job. As NSFW said, use a session based workflow, not a catalog based. I like the look C1 gives to skin. I find Lightroom makes skin very red/pink. One hangup I have, at least with my earlier version of C1, there was no easy way to use a standard color chart to make automatic color correction. Not a huge drawback. The camera profiles supplied by Phase One are quite good. But if you wanted a really precise color profile for a given lighting setup, you would be down in the weeds. The good news is that X-Rite finally has some software to make icc profiles automatically for C1. (I can't use it because my computer is too old; so I can't tell you how well it works.) Dec 21 19 10:09 pm Link Studio NSFW wrote: That might been true in 2015 but not today. Dec 22 19 03:09 am Link Being philosophically opposed to the subscription model with regard to software, I've lost my enthusiasm for Lightroom, and I find myself disappointed that Capture One seems to have caught the bug. Dec 22 19 06:46 am Link Michael DBA Expressions wrote: I do wonder what is the real reason. Dec 22 19 07:19 am Link PHP-Photography wrote: Do you really believe that people don't complain about paying "for cable, netflix, spotify, phone etc..."? Must be nirvana in Finland because they do complain about it here. They pay, but still complain. Dec 22 19 12:32 pm Link PHP-Photography wrote: I am 72 years young, retired, and minding my pennies. I no longer have to have the latest greatest stuff. My computers date from 2001, 2008, and 2019. They and the software on them are tools and I do not like having to pay continuously for use of my tools. Netflix and the like are not tools. I agree that internet and phone are tools, and I continue to pay for them because there is no alternative. But I don’t like it. There are alternatives to the subscription model for Photoshop and Capture One. I choose to pay once and be done with that. I am still doing my accounting with Quickbooks 2007 on the 2001 computer. And as long as that still works, will continue doing so. Does that explain my position sufficiently? Dec 23 19 05:23 am Link Michael DBA Expressions wrote: So "philosophically opposed" is actually code for "minding my pennies" ? Dec 23 19 06:45 am Link And so last night I was FINALLY able to try out C1. The express, Fuji-only version I downloaded previously and so far I'm pretty impressed. I got a few shots of some scenery in a local park this past weekend and edited them as a test and I do like how C1 has handled them. Being that the express version does have a number of missing features (layer-based editing, no spot removal tool, etc.) I do now believe I will be downloading the 30-day trial of it for Fuji so I can get a better feel as to how it is with the currently unavailable features and either buy outright at the end of that 30-day trial or at least temporarily subscribe while I keep learning it (only $9.99 a month for the Fuji-only version which is exactly the same as an Adobe CC subscription, plus the option to buy outright which Adobe has moved away from). No "worms" whatsoever to contend with which makes for one less minor annoyance in editing due to default sharpness settings in LR being too much. Dec 31 19 04:04 pm Link Has anyone tried Raw Photo Processor? Jan 01 20 11:02 am Link |