Capture 1 v4 - I am beginning to like it

[delander †]

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After getting over the 'it is too different to v 3.77' attitude I decided to spend some hours learning the new version.

 

I like the variants, the hdr control. No develops folder but instead a global default folder for all developed images, I can live with that. The distributed cache files, not as tidy as a single file but I will watch the impact it has on my HD capacity. Output is great, slightly more accurate I think than v3.77 (just an opinion).

 

No setting of monitor profile but it must be using the default?

 

I read the help pdf file rather thoroughly. Having spent time delving into the product I am beginning to like it.

 

Jeff

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[andybarton]

Me too. I shall continue to play with it for my 27 remaining days and decide in January whether to pay for the upgrade.

[archi4]

Jeff,

I agree, so am I.

For me it's the RAW converter of choice - but the rest of my workflow is with Lightroom and CS3 because that also handles my tif files from scanned work right through the print.

Color management is perfect through both with perfect match from screen to prints with all three programs, so obviously C4 uses the same profile.

 

Maurice

[stephengilbert]

Pay for upgrade? Andy, my understanding is that the version just issued is free to LE owners.

[andybarton]

That's not the way I read it. I went to the Phase One website and I didn't see a free-upgrade option. This one definitely asks for a Serial Number. The website says that it is free to Capture One v3.x PRO customers, not LE ones.

 

Maybe I am wrong - if you know differently, I would be grateful if you could point me in the right direction.

[andybarton]

Update:

 

The serial number in 3.x LE is not valid for v4, as there are too many fields.

 

However, if you log into the Phase One website, go to Licence Management and check there, you will find a valid code to activate v4.

 

Talk about convoluted - why they can't just go through a normal upgrade install, I don't know.

 

Thanks for the tip, Stephen.

[delander †]

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The update is free for M8 LE users and I think for other LE users (even Sandisk). The license code on the CD that came with my M8 (4 x 4 numbers) worked OK but you still have to log in to activate and my password did not work. They immediately emailed a working password.

 

As you say it is all rather convoluted but you get there in the end and it needs this MS 3.net thingy (for windows users) to work.

 

Also initially when you start C1 v4 something called imagecoreprocessor.exe? tries to access the trusted zone. If your firewall does not allow this it grinds to a halt, but is still there, so I had to 'end process'.

 

Jeff

[andybarton]

 

As you say it is all rather convoluted but you get there in the end and it needs this MS 3.net thingy (for windows users) to work.

 

Also initially when you start C1 v4 something called imagecoreprocessor.exe? tries to access the trusted zone. If your firewall does not allow this it grinds to a halt, but is still there, so I had to 'end process'.

 

Thank goodness none of this nonsense inflicts itself on us Mac users

[sorenbh]

I just downloaded new v4 then :go to help licence information and use code from CD Leica M8 LE but you have to already have registered at web site

with e-mail adress

you can acitivate and deacitvate

I now have 0 free upgrde 0 acitvation left

 

Søren

from Denmark

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

 

 

Update

 

 

 

 

 

 

The serial number in 3.x LE is not valid for v4, as there are too many fields.

 

However, if you log into the Phase One website, go to Licence Management and check there, you will find a valid code to activate v4.

 

Talk about convoluted - why they can't just go through a normal upgrade install, I don't know.

 

Thanks for the tip, Stephen.

[sorenbh]

I just downloaded new v4 then :go to help licence information and use code from CD Leica M8 LE but you have to already have registered at web site

with e-mail adress

you can acitivate and deacitvate

I now have 0 free upgrde 0 acitvation left

 

Søren

from Denmark

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

 

 

Me too. I shall continue to play with it for my 27 remaining days and decide in January whether to pay for the upgrade.

[andybarton]

I paid money for my copy, so don't have a CD to refer to.

 

All sorted now, though.

[scott kirkpatrick]

I had similar time getting the shipped v4 installed and authorized. My old 3.7.7. Pro has two keys at least (maybe more in its history). The one I got from the "help/about" pulldown had 24 characters, and didn't work. I found an old email with a 16 character key and that worked. Then I realized that I have at least two SanDisk keys and an M8 LE key around somewhere. Too late.

 

Phase One seems to be doing their development on the Mac and then a subset of their programmers port it to the brain-damaging Windows and .NET environment. This is the reverse of the way it used to be. Their .pdf manual describes the Mac interface.

 

scott

[stuny]

When I bought LE 3.73 I criticised them for their 15 years behind usability. They claimed it was much better with 3.74. It was not. Your difficulty getting going with V.4 tells me they still do not know the terms "usability", "human factors engineering" and "ergonomics".

[delander †]

Hi Stuart,

 

V4 is different to the 3.7 versions, so having got used to 3.77 LE it has taken some time to learn V4.

 

The only other universal RAW converter I have is ACR with PSCS3 which seems to have an over abundance of sliders. If you see a slider you feel you should be using it, so you can spend excessive amounts of time just tweaking them all.

 

Jeff

[andybarton]

When I bought LE 3.73 I criticised them for their 15 years behind usability. They claimed it was much better with 3.74. It was not. Your difficulty getting going with V.4 tells me they still do not know the terms "usability", "human factors engineering" and "ergonomics".

 

Stuart

 

It's worth downloading v4 and having a play (even if you don't register, you get 30 days gratis). Don't let the registration hiccough that I had put you off.

 

There is a complete paradigm shift between v3.x and 4, and while there are some issues with regards to file management within the 4.0 release, it's streets ahead of v3.x in terms of usability.

 

Capture One has always been the best DMR processor out there, and this version just makes it all much easier to use.

[dhsimmonds]

I have used the C4 Beta2 version which was a lot better than the B1. I downloaded the B4 production version and was able to use my LE 3.7 key code to activate C4, no problem.

 

However you do need to have registered in advance and logged in with your personal data.

 

My personal account with Phase One tells me that I now have no further activations left so I guess I will have to pay for the next upgrade!

 

I like C4 development and processing but preferred the file handling of LE3.7 but will stick with it for the time being. My platform is AMD Athlon PC, Windows XP. if this helps anyone.

[ptomsu]

Stuart

 

It's worth downloading v4 and having a play (even if you don't register, you get 30 days gratis). Don't let the registration hiccough that I had put you off.

 

There is a complete paradigm shift between v3.x and 4, and while there are some issues with regards to file management within the 4.0 release, it's streets ahead of v3.x in terms of usability.

 

Capture One has always been the best DMR processor out there, and this version just makes it all much easier to use.

 

From what I saw playing around with it it has now a similar easy way of use compared to LR, although I am stll missing the Print engine, which I assume comes with the aditional iView module.

 

I do not like this strategy and clearly prefer a good All In One product. Also the RAW module for DMR is excellent in LR already, had some issues a year ago, but now works perfect. I at least o not see any differences between C14 and LR1.3 in terms of RAW modules, also not or M8, E-3 and several NEFs.

[delander †]

An update, a few random jottings.

 

I have spent a few more hours with Capture One 4 and still find it an overall improvement.

 

It differs from ver 3.7 LE that came with the M8 which included some workflow features which were very useful to those wishing to bulk process lots of RAWS. Largely that can be done in ver 4 but it is a bit more longwinded.

 

I am also reading Real World Camera Raw for Photoshop CS3 by Bruce Fraser and Jeff Schewe. From what they write RAW processors have now improved to such a point that as much as possible should be done in RAW and as little as possible in PS. Capture One ver 4 seems to be following those ideas as well. Ver 4 seems to be aimed at those who like to spend time on individual images to get the best from them before export to Photoshop. That perhaps is mainly amateurs like myself.

 

In hindsight it might have been better if Phase One had released the pro version of 4 before the standard version.

 

What in particular do I like about ver 4? Well the output, sharpening, the speed, HDR (auto setting too extreme), variants, rotating crop (brilliant), conversions to B&W and the look and handling of the new interface.

 

What dont I like, the help pdf manual. Perhaps better than previously but a lot of what is written is unclear and lacking in detail, some bits are for the Mac only (but you discover that, they don't tell you) and some programme features are not even mentioned. EG what use exactly is a 'prime variant' - not one mention of it in the help file.

 

But with so many 'free version upgrades' out there it is difficult to see how Phase One is making any money out of ver 4.

 

Jeff

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[delander †]

Oops error in previous post. There is no 'prime variant' I meant 'compare variant'

 

Jeff

[pat308]

Did Capture One LE come on a disk with the M8? Was the disk in the back of the manual or in the box? I can't find my disk or my manual.. I found the box.. but that is empty.. Hmmm...