Workflow question -- Does anyone use Capture One for RAW conversion and then LR/PS?

[woorob]

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My digital workflow is as follows:

 

1. Shoot all images in RAW format, sometimes with a backup JPEG if I need to e-mail or upload something quickly.

 

2. Copy images from SD card to primary external hard drive.

 

3. Import images from primary external hard drive into Lightroom 5.2.

 

4. Keyword images in Lightroom and then begin post-processing in Lightroom's develop module.

 

5. For special images (high-quality images suitable for production or publication usage) or difficult images (those requiring considerable post-processing work due to difficult lighting conditions, etc.), import into Photoshop CC for additional post-processing work consisting primarily of adjustment and luminosity masks. Save these files as PSD or TIFF files.

 

6. Files to be printed require separate work in Photoshop to render them better suited for high-quality printing on my Epson R2000 (additional sharpening, generally some brightness added).

 

7. Weekly backups of the primary external hard drive to on-site RAID and monthly back-ups to off-site HDDs.

 

This workflow works great for me and I now have a Lightroom catalog of approximately 50,000 images.

 

My brother recently a long conversation with a very knowledgeable and experienced professional photographer in Chicago, however, who believes that Capture One Pro 7 is typically better at RAW conversion. His workflow is to initially process all images in Capture One Pro 7, using that as the engine for RAW conversion, and then import the images into Lightroom using a workflow very similar to that described above.

 

I'm intrigued by this approach -- especially if the RAW conversion provided by Capture One Pro 7 is better -- but am concerned about how this type of workflow might introduce significant delays with only marginal benefits,

 

Does anyone have personal experience with this type of a workflow and, if so, what are your thoughts about it?

 

Thanks in advance!

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[Luke_Miller]

I've used both Lightroom and Capture One for some time. My opinion is that Capture One has a slight edge in color accuracy, especially skin tones, as long as we are talking about the camera profiles that are applied by default. I have created my own Lightroom profiles that I believe improve on the Adobe ones. Using my profiles in Lightroom I find little to choose from between the two programs.

 

Regarding workflow. Since both programs do non-destructive editing and neither can read the others edit data, the only way to move between them is by exporting a jpeg or tiff. Much like the Lightroom to Photoshop transfer. So if you wished to use Capture One for RAW conversion you would import into C1, edit, export as a tiff, and then import into Lightroom for cataloging and further processing in Photoshop.

 

If you are not into creating Lightroom profiles and very picky regarding skin tones this might be worthwhile. I have not found it so.

[woorob]

Thank you, Luke.

 

I've generated a fairly comprehensive set of profiles for my M using the ColorChecker Passport system and am very happy with them. I get excellent coloration with all types of subjects and exquisite detail, especially when using my R-APO lenses.

 

Some of my legacy images (particularly HDR sets) exhibit chromatic aberration, which I find difficult to remove using the chromatic aberration removal tools in Lightroom 5.2 and Photoshop CC. I've developed a "remove halo" technique based on a technique from one of the original engineers for Photoshop that works really well, it's just time consuming and I was hoping for a "silver bullet" fix. Sadly, I guess there is no such thing. :-)