Plea from newbie C1Pro v.5 user

[kit laughlin]

Hello all,

I am a loooooog-time user of ACR (and a bunch of other converters), but recently decided to upgrade my old version (3.x) of C1.

Given that my processing mindset is Adobe-driven, what is the fastest/best way to learn how C1 "thinks"? I have worked my way through the first ten C1Pro 5 tutorials (boy: no great imagination at work there) and still do not have a bird's eye view of how the program thinks.

I need a meta-perspective, from an expert ACR user's point of view. Can anyone help? TIA, kl

 

[Jack]

Kit,

A simplistic answer but, IME C1 can be formatted to "think" as you do...

My approach to using both programs is surprisingly similar (I still turn to ACR for raw files not yet supported by C1). I edit in the following basic order after making my image selections:

1) global WB
2) Exposure/contrast/brightness/levels/curves
3) Saturation
4) Sharpening/Noise

An advantage to C1 is I can re-arrange the adjustment menu items to suit my workflow and also create a complete set of values and save them as a "Style." I can then apply that style to a selected group of images, getting them all to the same state (usually based on their specific capture parameters) then edit each image individually from there as needed.

C1 allows for a lot of individual customization, so you can perform a lot of your desired processes more efficiently -- as you think -- and this applies to capture and browsing/sorting as well as with global and individual output adjustments.

 

[thomas]

Capture One at the first stage is a capture software. This is where it comes from and it is refined today.
V4 was a step back in this regard compared to V3 however editing tools were improved in V4.
V5 is V4 improved by V3-options... quasi.
You'll notice that regarding a lot of little details. For instances the browser options are part of that underlying concept. The focus tool comes from there as well.

C1 deals with color in a completely different way than most of the other RAW softwares.
There's nothing better out there than Capture One's (pro) Color Editor.
C1 provides ICC input profiles and enables you to go through a consistent colormanagement workflow.
You can, if you want to, embed the camera profile when you are processing the files and can convert to your preferred working space in Photoshop - here with all the mature options Photoshop offers such as gamut warning.
Or you can skip any working space at all and edit in the camera profile (that's what I prefer).
Too, C1 pro offers full access to the ICC profiles on your computer and provides proofing options.

It's relatively easy to achieve a certain look or "style" to a set of captures even if they were shot under different conditions.
My feeling is that this is not so easy to achive in ACR. Beginning with the strange white balance settings in ACR (often with a strong correction of green/magenta shift) and how WB adjustments affect dark, middle and bright tonal values.
In C1 this is straight and logical. Quite often I set common numeric Kelvin settings for WB and it works. I.e. it looks like such a color temperature actually should look like.

As to the "how to" I agree with Jack that C1 offers sophisticated workflow options - actually you can create your own workflow with C1.
As to the order of the steps basically I do it pretty much like Jack but would just add at the first position: select + tag captures.

Very strong in C1 V5 are the options to copy/apply adjustments. You can't compare ACR to that. ACR actually has always been a RAW-plugin... C1 is a full blown capture and editing software.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Personally as my primary camera i will not buy one unless it is supported by C1. As it is today I bought a little GF1 and i can't stand processing it in ACR. Hopefully next update C1 will support it but for my main workhorse if c1 won't see it than i am not buying that system. To me the processing equals just as much as the system itself. I also agree on every point Jack and Thomas made. Honestly I almost don't care if I shot Phase/Hassy/Nikon/Canon/Leica or Sony as long as i can use C1 than I'm happy. Workflow is king

 

[Clawery]

Kit,

If you would like a personally guided tour on how Capture One functions, we offer on-line training. Doug Peterson, our tech at Capture Integration, can help you with customizing exactly what you want. Please feel free to e-mail or call our Miami office to see if it is something you may be interested in.
(305)350-9900 / [email protected]

Chris Lawery (e-mail Me)
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[kit laughlin]

Thanks to everyone who posted here. I have been working my way through the tutorials (up to #13 already) as I mentioned above, plus read the manual, so am getting a clearer idea.

For future posts, I have the full C1 Pro version.

One aspect I am really interested in is shooting tethered for my interiors and products work, and I do a lot of the latter at my studio, too. Even though the D700s I use have those decent LCDs, nothing beats a big screen for focussing/composition.

@ Jack and Guy: I will come to one of your workshops for C1Pro workflow tips alone!

Thanks to all, and I will keep an eye on this thread. kl

 

[kit laughlin]

While I play in the Caymans with the S90 and C1Pro, as a way of learning it, I would welcome feedback from fellow Nikon FX users who process in C1Pro rather than Nikon NX (or ACR, for that matter).

If I am to make the move from ACR for all my 'work' work as well as for my toys, I would like to know that I can get at least as good results in C1 as in NX—better would be, well—better!

Nikon users?