Tech Tuesday: Get More RAW with Capture One Pro Version 8
September 16, 2014
Photokina news has been flying fast and furious with a long list of new cameras and lenses—see Senior Tech Editor Greg Scoblete’s posts on PhotoFoward and PDN for the latest news.
But in between hardware announcements, you’ll find interesting updates to Capture One software. Yes, most people refer to Capture One Pro as a RAW processing application, and while it does an excellent job processing RAW files from more than 200 different cameras of all sizes, shapes and brands, each update of this powerful software expands its capabilities as an all-around image-editing solution.
Just introduced at Photokina, Capture One Pro version 8 expands its capabilities even further with new features and improved performance.
Among Capture One Pro 8’s new features is the ability to export and import Catalogs (or even parts of Catalogs), which is ideal for sharing images and their settings with retouchers or other project collaborators. Clone and Heal layers have been added for cloning or eliminating objects from an image and seem similar to tools found in Adobe Photoshop. I haven’t had any hands-on time with the software yet, but theses new features will be very effective during retouching of raw files. Other updates include an improved processing engine and HDR processing as well as a new Clarity adjustment slider. Local non-destructive adjustments can be applied directly to RAW files, too.
On the more creative side, Capture One now offers sophisticated black and white conversion. Although there’s a long list of presets to get started, users can customize each look with multipole adjustments: color channels, setting hue and saturation for highlights and shadows, clarity and curves, to name some of the tools available. Split toning is possible as well, using customizable presets. Also new to version 8 is a film grain tool.
If you haven’t tried tethering with Capture One and its apps—Capture Pilot and Capture Control (iOS only), you really should. It’s well-implemented and easy to set up. If you’re shooting with Phase One IQ or Leaf Credo digital backs, the new multi-point focus metering Live View feature will help fine tune focus. For more details on Capture One Pro 8, visit the Phase One site.
Capture One offers one of the more generous free trials at 60-days. The software can be purchased for $299 ($99 upgrade and A free 60-day trial is available or you can purchase the full version for $299). Upgrades are $99 but if you purchased Capture One Pro 7 on or after August 16, 2014, the upgrade is free. Phase One now also offers a subscription model at an introductory monthly price of $10 with a year-long subscription. For purchase, upgrade and subscription details, visit the Phase One store.
But, wait, there’s more! Sony camera owners can download a free special version of Capture One Express designed specifically for Sony models including the a7/R/S as well as the a6000 (and many others). A special upgrade from Capture One Express for Sony to the Sony version of Capture One Pro is available for $30; upgrading to Capture One Pro version 8 is $269. For more details about the differences between the various options, click here.