Professional RAW Converter
Capture One 8
It was by no means a slow application, but version 8 of Capture One Pro has been updated with a new processing engine. I got my hands on a fresh copy and found several improvements that make it the choice of the professional, starting with its pristine, neutral demosaicing algorithm.
Capture One Pro is the world’s best raw converter, rendering precise colors and incredible detail with support for leading high-end cameras. It contains all the essential adjustment tools and fast, responsive performance in one customizable and integrated solution.
In this Capture One Pro 8.2 review we look at the revisions and refinements in the second point update of Capture One Pro 8. When I looked into these changes for the first time, I would say it is a ‘pro’ update, meaning that it will mostly attract the professional user. Capture One Pro 8 not only processes top-quality digital photos but also helps professional photographers and advanced amateurs manage their workflow. Version 8 is a major upgrade, featuring a faster processing engine, improved HDR tool, and better suppression of image noise and distortion. Capture One Pro lets you edit files from all major camera brands. Or save with a Capture One version that's just for Fujifilm, Sony or Nikon cameras. Plus, get solutions for business and multi-user teams. Capture One is a Raw Developer package, squarely aimed at professionals who need to combine excellent results with a robust workflow and the ability to manage large numbers of big files swiftly. Now it comes with the Pro Version 8. Get to know the new too.
Capture One Pro 8's new processing engine makes for an even faster processing speed than its predecessor, even on somewhat older machines like my three-year-old iMac. But speed isn't everything: the Capture One engineers tried harder and improved a lot of Capture One's already impressive functionality.
Improvements that caught my eye include better image quality when using the High Dynamic Range (HDR) tool, which lets you restore detail in highlights and shadows without introducing noise. Another impressive improvement is much better image quality when working with high ISO images. I tested the new Luminance Noise Reduction with an image shot at ISO 3200 and compared the results with a DxO PRIME reduction. Much to my surprise, there was hardly any difference. The improved luminance noise-reduction algorithm is one of the main reasons why you'll want to check out version 8.
The addition of a Natural Clarity method is good, but there's only a subtle difference between that and the Neutral setting. Not so subtle, and absolutely a winner, is the expansion of the number of corrections, edits, and effects you can apply to local areas using the Layers feature. There are now three types of layers: adjustment (the one we know from previous versions), healing, and cloning. You can freely switch between the three. The two new layer types offer the same sort of functionality as the Clone Stamp and Healing Brush tools in Photoshop, but they seemed easier to use for someone who has never worked with these types of brushes before. You can also apply more local adjustments, including White Balance, HDR, Noise Reduction, and Purple Fringing.
Film Grain is new, too, but that's the one feature I wasn't so sure about. Capture One Pro 8 doesn't try to emulate specific films (e.g., Kodak TRI-X 400), but only draws inspiration from them. Phase One argues that there are simply too many variables. For example, a film from the '50s will look different than the same product in the '70s. There are questions of how old it was before it was used, how it was developed, etc.; hence, the more generic approach of adding Cubic Grain, Smooth Grain, Silver Rich, and others. For a full film stock emulation, users should create a creative style and fiddle with the Black & White conversion sliders, the Curve panel, and Film Grain.
Finally, the digital asset management (DAM) part of Capture One Pro 8 is slowly maturing. Steamworld heist ign. You can now import your Apple Aperture Library straight into a Capture One catalog. Catalogs can have hierarchical keywords, catalog folders can be synchronized, etc. Sessions, which are especially useful for tethered shooting, are still available and the import functionality has been differentiated between catalogs and sessions. Metadata editing has improved and metadata can be edited in the Filters panel.
For Capture One Pro 8, Phase One has expanded tethered functionality. Support for many cameras has been added—tethered support for select Sony cameras, for example—but obviously the most sophisticated support is still to be had with Phase One cameras.
Company: Phase One
Price: $299; Upgrade: $99; Subscription: $10/month
Web:www.phaseone.com
Rating: 5
Hot: Noise reduction; local adjustments; tethered shooting
Not:
Price: $299; Upgrade: $99; Subscription: $10/month
Web:www.phaseone.com
Rating: 5
Hot: Noise reduction; local adjustments; tethered shooting
Not:
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Capture One has a High Dynamic Range tool designed to optimize images with a large dynamic range normally leading to loss of detail and colors in highlights and shadows.
In Capture One Pro 8 the High Dynamic Range tool has been improved in such a way that it is easier to recover detail in both shadows and highlights in a natural way.
Avoid the “HDR look”
The design goals have been to achieve a more natural and realistic look when doing strong correction. With the new High Dynamic Range tool in version 8 you are now able to do strong corrections without getting the artificial HDR look.
The High Dynamic Range tool is now also available in Local Adjustments Layers. So if you need super strong corrections you can now simply add an extra layer and apply more Shadow or Highlight recovery from the High Dynamic Range tool.
Before After
The image to the left is straight out of the camera. The image has been exposed with just a bit of clipping in the brightest part of the sky.
The image to the right is after it has been optimized in Capture One Pro 8 primarily by using the improved High Dynamic Range tool.
The improvements in Capture One Pro 8
![Download Download](/uploads/1/3/4/6/134649069/301784412.jpg)
To show how the HDR tool has been improved I will use the image from above.
In order to compare version 7 against version 8 I will start by looking at the image in Capture One Pro 7. By first using version 7 the image will get image settings from this version, which will be maintained when you look at the image in version 8. If you look at the Base Characteristics tool you will see that the processing engine “Capture One 7” is used for the image. If I make a new variant of the image (F2 on Mac/F7 on Windows) the new image will, by default, be using the new engine “Capture One 8”.
Two variants of the same image. The variant to the left is using Capture One 7 engine as it has been opened in Capture One 7. The variant to the right is using the Capture One 8 engine.
If I now apply maximum values for the Highlight and Shadow sliders in the High Dynamic Range tool, which is something that I would hardly ever do, then it becomes much easier to see what I mean by saying that the new version looks more natural and realistic.
Capture One Pro 7 Capture One Pro 8
For both variants maximum values for Highlight and Shadow corrections have been applied in the High Dynamic Range tool. When looking at the version 7 variant it is easy to see that the image has become unrealistic with a grayish low contrast look. The tone transitions in the sky also break up a little bit.
When looking at the Capture One 8 variant the overall appearance is a much more natural and realistic look. The sky is also showing a nice and smooth tone transition from the orange highlights to the darker corners.
Applying High Dynamic Range tool in an Adjustments Layer
When comparing the two versions of the software, it is obvious that version 8 gives a more realistic look. But what if you like the deeper orange sky from the version 7? In Capture One Pro 8 you have the ability to apply the High Dynamic Range tool in a Local Adjustments Layer. So if you need even more highlight recovery you can simply add more in a Local adjustments Layer.
In this case I simply added another Local Adjustments Layer and used the Fill Mask feature to apply the extra Highlight recovery on the whole image.
A deeper orange sky has been achieved by adding more highlight recovery in a Local Adjustments Layer covering the whole image. I have also reduced the Shadow correction to around 55, which I find works better for this image.
Capture One 8 Supported Cameras
To finish up the image I would typically add some Clarity and Structure with the Clarity tool. This brings back more local contrast to the image, which I often find pleasing when very strong corrections have been made in the High Dynamic Range tool.
Final image after applying Shadow and highlight recovery with the High Dynamic Range tool as well as adding some Clarity and Structure in the Clarity tool.
Will settings in Capture One 7 give same results as in Capture One Pro 8?
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In the process of enhancing the High Dynamic Range tool we have made some changes around how we split shadows, mid-tones and highlights and how we weigh the different colors in an image. This is all part of why the improved tool works in a more realistic and natural way.
These changes will have an effect and the slider settings for the High Dynamic Range tool made in Capture One 7 will not give the same look as in version 8. Capture One Pro 8 respects all settings made in version 7 and an image adjusted in version 7 will look exactly the same in version 8, as long as you don’t upgrade the engine for the image.
If you want to see how the image will look using the Capture One Pro 8 engine without loosing your version 7 variant, the safest way is to create a new variant, which by default will be using engine “Capture One 8”, and then simply make a Copy and Paste of all settings from the first variant. This way you can compare the engine 7 and 8 and do whatever tweaking you need with the Capture One 8 variant to make it look as good or better than the version 7 variant.
Use the copy and paste icons to move settings from a variant using Capture One Pro 7 engine to a variant using Capture One Pro 8 engine.
All the best,
Niels
Capture One 8 Pro
The Image Quality Professor
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The digital pioneer, Niels V. Knudsen, is Phase One’s Image Quality Professor and founder of the IQP blog. Moreover, he is responsible for breakthrough advancements in image quality both in Phase One’s medium format camera systems and in Capture One Pro.