Capture One workflow with Leica M240

[mirekti]

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After some time I have finally decided to try out this software.I've been struggling with the LR raw converter that didn't give me what I expected. Based on some posts read here on the forum, Capture One could have a better raw converter.

 

I would highly appreciate if some of you Capture One users could share your workflow in few simple steps. I understand there are many tutorials on Capture One, but here I could get the specifics which work best with Leica M240 files.

 

Thanks and cheers!!

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[sanyasi]

I got Capture One with a medium format camera I bought. I use it to create Lens Calibration Casts (LCC) files when I shoot with a wide angle lens on the medium format camera. Otherwise I don't use it that much.

 

If you want to learn how to use it, I recommend with some hesitation the Luminous Landscape video tutorial--I think around $75. You get somewhere around 5 to 7 hours of instruction. There is a lot of water in those videos, but they do walk you through a workflow if you have the patience. I watched the videos twice. You will be hard pressed to find a book that explains it, at least I haven't.

 

You can have a LR-like catalogue or use a session workflow. I found the Levels and Curves implementation kludgy. The layers/masking implementation is limited and kludgy.

 

Files don't always open, buttons don't always work. And this is not just my experience. Lots of people report trouble using the software. For me, the raw converter would have to be pretty incredible to put up with all the nonsense.

 

In fairness, there are some interesting features, which Adobe should consider. I liked the tool that shows what part of the photo is in focus, although many people complain that it doesn't work. I found it useful. There is also a loupe tool that allows you to magnify parts of the thumbnails, meaning you don't have to open them. I also like the keystone tool, but you can get something similar from DxO. I also liked the color correction tool--it is more intuitive than the hue/saturation adjustment layer implementation in Photoshop when it comes to custom color.

 

If you are doing panoramas, Capture One is a pain. In theory, you have a script that you can run to do the stitching in Photoshop and then process the result in CaptureOne. It doesn't work for me.

 

In short, there are some interesting features, but the software is not well though out. I would spend more time learning it if there was good documentation. But there isn't.

 

Let me add: Many people seem to want to avoid Photoshop--maybe because they just resent the big dog or because it admittedly takes a commitment to learn. However, one thing is clear. It is extremely well documented in terms of videos, books, and blogs. If you want to do something, all you have to do is type "How do I do X in Photoshop" into Google and you will get a dozen helpful videos and blog posts. There is a lot to be said for that level of available knowledge.

[mirekti]

Thanks for all the effort put in the post above. I've just downloaded a free two months trial, and will try to use it for a while.

 

I've only tried it out on few photos, and I must admit it renders reds much better than LR.

There are also webinars on their youtube channel so I'll look into that as well.

 

There is a lot of "missing" compared to LR, but on the other hand, the files look much better than in LR, at least to my taste. Still, too early to make a final conclusion.

 

I actually wondered if there was someone using this software for some time, and who could share his tips&tricks in tweeking the files. It would speed up my process of getting into it.

[gsgary]

I use it for my Sony A7 and Canons before that and love the colours it produces been using it for about 5 years but not the pro version