Capture One has been on the market for more than a decade, however, in recent years it catches up to the functionality of Lightroom has become a favorite photo editor for professional photographers. Its interface is simpler, thanks to its straightforward modules and panels. Capture One is more expensive vs Lightroom, specially if you have cameras from multiple brands. Capture One has tethering features which lets you connect your camera to it. Do you want to use the best RAW image editor and digital asset manager for your images? But you can find those pretty much in all organizational software pieces. You have to switch to different tabs to edit your pictures. This is a really powerful tool, because it gives you the option to copy those adjustments across all images from the same shoot with similar light conditions, regardless if your subject moved or the composition changed! Initially, it was oriented on tethered photography, but later was upgraded with more image processing features. In the brief time I’ve been using it, I’ve become aware that, given time to get used to it, the interface is even more powerful than Lightroom’s.. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 'RealPlayer.RealPlayer(tm) ActiveX Control (32-bit)', Both applications offer gradual filters and with version 12, Capture one introduced radial filter just like the one in Lightroom. Capture One Pro and Lightroom software are both related to image editing and manipulating works but both have their own techniques of working with images. In Capture One, you have your image in the centre. Personally, I agree that Capture One, pound for pound, loses out to Lightroom in a competition of quantity of tools, DAM, and the latter’s bundling with Photoshop. An additional benefit of the export feature is better output sharpening option, outputting to different locations, and even recipe-proofing the output result at 100% before pressing the Process button. Capture One also has a luminance curves adjustmen… Let’s face it. However, they aren’t as popular as Lightroom presets. It saves you a lot of time, of opening an image, zooming into 100% to check its sharpness or details, and then closing it again. The options bar of Capture One has a button directly imported. We all know the HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminosity) tool that Lightroom has for editing colors within your image. So, let’s compare the features of Capture One vs Lightroom. Everything you do is completely nondestructive. $27) or €220 (Approx. Here are 3 of the 10 features we uncover in this 17 minute video: ['rmockx.RealPlayer G2 Control', Lightroom doesn’t have any layer options at all. Lightroom is well known for its cataloguing and organising features. Difference Between Capture One Pro and Lightroom. Wedding photographers use this very often to edit thousands of photos within minutes. $13). It also responds quickly to adjustment changes. Like the clone tool in Photoshop, Capture One’s clone tool also requires a source point. As catch One has increased increasingly more ubiquity, some Lightroom clients have been pushing back, and the contentions between the more vigorous of fans … One of the first big changes compared to Lightroom is the speed. You can import thousands of photos that Lightroom will organise for you. We have taken a closer look at two of the best options. You can adjust your camera settings from Capture One in Live Mode. This saves you a wast amount of time switching between photos to find out which one is the sharpest. Approx. In Lightroom, if I’m browsing through a freshly imported batch of photos, hitting R to switch to the crop tool can take a moment. Moreover, now you can apply styles (equal to presets in Lightroom) to layers and tweak the opacity for lower intensity. While the process feels less intuitive (at f… It would definitely make sense to make layers available in Lightroom as well. Capture One is likely a better choice for advanced and professional users. They’re pretty much only usable for when somebody else is editing your image, so they can see your guides, but what I was impressed by is that when you export an image with annotations in PSD to be used in Photoshop it exports the annotations in a separate layer which you can toggle on and off in PS. If you want to have full control over the colours in your pictures, Capture One could be ideal for you. Building up a collection of Lightroom presets can really speed up your workflow. Within a week, you’re likely to figure out which program you like best. BUT something super useful Capture One has more than Lightroom is the process recipes. Capture One’s interface is generally better than Lightroom for advanced photographers. You need to set them up for the first time and save them as a process recipe, of course, but after that, it is incredibly flexible and time-saving. Both Lightroom and Capture One Pro offer extremely versatile, complex interfaces for a vast range of... 2. However, both Lightroom and Photoshop have tools for creating panorama images. You can also make your own custom presets in Lightroom. Export Tools in Capture One vs. Lightroom. Actually one of the best ways to find out is by downloading a free trial of each and get a little experience of using each. Interface. In any case, both software products are the best at what they do and at the end of the day, the best one is the one you feel more comfortable using. All Rights Reserved. It often lags when browsing images, which is not the case with Capture One. Capture One Pro lets you edit files from all major camera brands. An alternative to buying a Photoshop subscription is to use Affinity Photo for this instead. Heal Tool. RAW files … It is also much easier to tone down the adjustments by changing the opacity of the layer or toggling it on/off. Annual monthly plan for €24 (Approx. Lightroom is more beginner-friendly, according to many users. On a side-by-side comparison, Capture One's images will show better saturation. Lightroom's algorithm does not. Lightroom is the only one of the three programs here that offers cloud synchronisation and a mobile editing/capture app that works seamlessly with your desktop software. There’s a steep learning curve for photographers who want to start with Capture One. Capture One and Lightroom are similar when it comes to photo organization. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Occasionally photographers want to add a bit of text overlay on their images. This tool really saves you a lot of time, since it allows you to limit your masks to certain luminosity ranges in your image and only work on them. RAW files are different from JPEGs because they preserve more image data. You can apply one preset to thousands of photos with one click. With the Loupe tool, you can just hover over the area you want to see at 100%. Experiment with as many pictures as possible. Just select a color range using the color picker tool and click on the action menu (…). then , capture one actually shifts color way more than Lightroom To make it more pleasing I guess. Capture One Color vs Lightroom Capture One Pro users are delighted with its color management capabilities. Now, when we start talking about exporting from the catalog things get more interesting. Capture One divides your photographs into sessions, which means you can organise them into individual collections, by occasion, time, or even person. In this article, we'll give you the rundown of the current…. Lastly, Lightroom does have a few more special-case features that ON1 does not. However, this might not be your preferred starting point for editing your photos. If you’re not happy with a certain adjustment, there’s a chance that you might find an extension to fix the problem. Both can help you edit very specific parts of your photos. We only look at the features relevant for photographers and not graphic designers in this comparison. The other is the Lightroom CC based on creative cloud storage. And those are all pretty good prices for what you get, especially when it comes with Photoshop attached. I think it’s safe to say that perhaps it is the best competitor of the popular software. And here you can feel the difference already. It allows you to see your image before and after your enhancements. You can do this in the Color Editor (Advanced Tab). Every upgrade seems to be slower than the last. Capture One lets you undo edits, of course, but you cannot see a list of the latest edits so that you can go back to a specific point. Nik Collection 3 Review: For the Film Lovers. And which features are covered by Capture One? You can also download external extensions made by other companies. I’d say sessions are pretty neat when shooting tethered, working on a single project or actually working first in a session and then simply importing it in your catalog. 'RealPlayer.RealPlayer(tm) ActiveX Control (32-bit)', Lightroom became too slow on my laptop. Different programs translate this data in different ways. This is another feature that can make it easy to look for photos. This is particularly handy for studio photographers who work with teams. What is the best photo editing software for your RAW files? Lightroom and Capture One translate RAW data in different ways because each program has its own algorithm for RAW images. Lightroom and Capture One process RAW images in different ways. With Capture One 20 (May update), some new tools were introduced. Meaning you can get the Pro version with support for all the camera profiles they have. This can be very frustrating for photographers who have thousands of images that they need to edit quickly. Nowadays, the Capture One photo editing software includes features and tools for RAW photos processing, picture cataloging, local adjustments, layers, keystone settings and the support for more than 500 cameras. They are both very much alike and very much different, but that could be a whole article in itself. They are a camera manufacturer company and one that produces top of the range medium format cameras. You won’t sit waiting in front of your computer waiting for Capture One to load the next image (if you chose the right preview size under preferences). It works in a similar fashion as a layer, but just for presets. All you have to do is drag the slider to the left or to the right. When comparing Lightroom vs Capture One Pro, we found a few areas where Capture One Pro is a clear winner. But it can limit photographers who use cameras that aren’t Canon or Nikon. This really helps with removing some colored skin spots and differences in hue on the skin. One of the really awesome things in Capture One is its focus mask feature. Next, choose Create Layer Mask From Selection. There, you can scroll through all the settings without changing tabs. Choosing the Right Option. Also, during preview generation after importing photos, you will likely notice that Capture One is considerably faster. On the right-hand side, you can select your imported photos. RAW Image Processing. If you’re a seasoned landscape photographer, this is an important feature to keep in mind. Lightroom and Capture One both store the files in the form of a catalogue aka a library. It’s also an easy way to undo certain changes if you’re unhappy with your final results. For example, you can make a simple photo look like a vintage picture with one click. Capture One vs Lightroom is an important comparison because many photographers need to know which software to use for their image management and editing workflow. Lightroom also offers bulk editing. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Capture One feels more modern in a way. Lightroom is compatible with all kinds of advanced programs. 60 Powerful Photoshop Actions for Photographers + 8 Bonus PS Actions. Since Lightroom bundles with Photoshop and you likely want to avoid paying for both subscriptions, it makes sense also to take a look at Capture One vs. Photoshop when you consider switching from Lightroom to Capture One. In Lightroom, the closest tool you can get to that is Clarity. For example, at the time of publishing this comparison, ON1 doesn’t have geotagging, slideshows, or online album compatibility (SmugMug, Flickr, Facebook, and so on), while Lightroom does. PhaseOne offers perpetual licenses, subscriptions, and different versions with support for Sony or Fuji cameras only. All you need is a compatible camera. If you want to automatically upload client images to an online portfolio or client photo galleries as the final step of your image editing workflow, you are limited to using Format. Import photos. It’s expensive, but its workflow is flexible, its tools are powerful and its output quality is second to none. But this is rarely a deal-breaker. So when it comes to Capture One vs Lightroom, which one is better? In Lightroom, you can go to the Library module and click on Import and import the images. You can use layers to place adjustment settings on top of each other. It has layers, selections, colour grading and many other things that Lightroom simply can't match. You can name Capture One as Capture One Pro, which works with different types of raw files with the help of digital cameras. Another cool feature is the Loupe tool, which allows you to magnify the area you hover over to 100%. In short, YES. Photo editing has been a natural extension to the photography process since the dawn of photography itself. Your clone work will automatically end up on a separate layer. I'm also an author and contributor to the ever-growing Photography-RAW website here. The best thing to do is get a free trial for Capture One and Lightroom at the same time. You can switch between those ICC profiles and the different Curves they offer or choose the Linear Response which is your true RAW file, without any adjustments added by the camera what so ever. 'RealPlayer'], The Lightroom radial filter is one of the simplest ways to apply local effects to only a part of the image. Definitely, a perk if, for example, you share your computer with someone else, as everything will always look the same. Without these tools, you have to use other programs, like Photoshop, which you will lose, if you cancel your LR/PS subscription. 'RealVideo.RealVideo(tm) ActiveX Control (32-bit)', By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. This might make the editing process very challenging for beginners. The older versions of Lightroom seem to be much more robust. Here things get more confusing, however. Capture One licenses can be even more confusing. Lightroom is a fantastic tool for organising and editing photos in a few neat modules. Spot healing works better in Capture One. Lightroom has the adjustment points for its gradient, radial masks, and the adjustment brush, but it’s not quite the same. Therefore it is also a bit more difficult to learn from scratch, but not by much. Also, Lightroom beats out Capture One when it comes … A prime example of that is the curves tool. You can find monthly paid plans specifically for Nikon/Sony/Fuji as well at €11 per month if you prepay yearly (approx. I'm a commercial photographer based in Bulgaria. Capture One is indeed available as a perpetual license, and there has been a lot of discussion about the relative values of purchasing Capture One outright vs a Lightroom subscription. In Capture One you can duplicate the curves tool twice and have a Red, Green and Blue curve at the same time showing each color separate and with their individual values. Funnily enough, one of the most popular RAW converters out there is Adobe’s Lightroom. I heard Lightroom works well on PC. I used the new “Embedded & Sidecar” setting. As soon as you download the program, you’ll have access to its HDR and panorama tools. If you often work with thousands of pictures, you’re likely to find this tool very handy. I think since lasts Lightroom updates the results are very similar in terms of. A very big advantage for Lightroom is the popularity of the software. Be that as it may, there are still a lot of things to have in mind when deciding which one can suit your needs the best, with some serious pros and cons for Lightroom and Capture One. We compare Capture One vs. Lightroom on some of the key features that might make a difference to the picky photographer. For example, you might want to darken the sky without affecting any other area of your image. Where Capture One Beats Lightroom Lightroom goes hand in hand with presets. I find the Lightroom Classic import screen to be a little clunky. Organizing Photos. While Lightroom has … If you compare the same RAW file in both programs, you’ll notice that the one in Capture One looks more striking. They can also let you get creative with your work. / Post-processing / By Jim Harmer With photographers around the web showing their disgust for the latest update to Lightroom , and the speed and reliability of the program crashing, many photographers are considering a move to alternatives to Lightroom . All you have to do is click on the crop tool, trim the parts of the…, Adobe Lightroom is a great piece of software for cataloguing and editing your images. The plugin support for Capture One only came with Capture One Pro 12. Lightroom is well known for its cataloguing and organising features. The important thing is that you can now only subscribe to the software. In the Advanced tab, you can use the color picker to select the color you wish to edit and narrow it down with smoothness and then change the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness. Your budget, preferences, and future goals can have a huge impact on your decisions. This is great for making effects look less intense. Essentially, these files are made up of data. If you only use Sony, Fuji, or Nikon – you can save a few dollars with a license only for one of these specific camera brands. One is the same old Lightroom we know but without a perpetual license. You can edit your pictures in Lightroom’s Develop module. Is Capture One better than Lightroom? The monthly fee is average when compared to services like Netflix. You can create separate ‘layers’ for adjustment brushes or gradients, but that’s as far as you can go. The reason is that each program has its own algorithm, or translation, for RAW files. You can use it to edit the hue, saturation, and lightness of specific colours. New and Improved Crop Tool A popular selection tool in Photoshop is the Select Color Range tool. Here Lightroom has the upper hand, even though Capture One is not much behind. Set the same exposure across multiple photos (perfect for bracketing), Accurately select colours for adjustments with the HSL sliders, Edit the same photo twice without losing adjustments, Expert Photography © 2011-2020. You can argue that this is a specialized tool, that doesn’t belong in a RAW processor. Process recipes is another Capture One feature for handling exporting / output processing tasks that wins over Lightroom’s export feature. On the one hand, Lightroom has the hue saturation luminance (HSL) panel with sliders and red, green, blue (RGB) curves adjustments while Capture One has several other options for manipulating that color. After all, if you are like most photographers, you will do 90% of your editing in Lightroom / Capture One and not in Photoshop. However, there are great offers for Capture One styles on the market as well. Testing the speed performance of Capture One vs. Lightroom, Spencer Cox of PhotographyLife found that Capture One was able to generate 45 image previews in 74 seconds—a task it took Lightroom 218 seconds to do. This can be an inconvenience if you want to have everything in one neat tab. I would prefer that Capture One included a way to manually blend exposures rather than an automated HDR tool that guesses which areas you want to blend. Capture One vs Lightroom: the verdict. Something really clever Capture One is the annotations. You can use Lightroom for free for 7 days. For better or for worse, when it comes to customization Lightroom has been known to almost not have any option, with very few things you can move around, show or hide. It is only a tiny bit, but you will feel like a better photographer. The healing tool is also a new addition to Capture One in May 2020. Differences between Lightroom and Capture One. Something else Capture One offers is the creation of masks from selections through the color editor and the use of refine edge tools. If you need it, this tool is incredible in Capture One Pro. You need to pay a monthly fee to use Lightroom. And it has been the leading product on the market for years. Aside all the RAW processing power both products offer, a big part of digital asset management is the ability to catalog, filter, rate and sort all your digital images. You will also appreciate that the spot healing points don’t overlap as they do in Lightroom, where it can be challenging to grab the right healing point if you want to modify it. Both have decent local adjustment options. This is very handy in almost every photography genre, especially studio photography. If you work with landscape or architecture photography, you will miss being able to blend several exposures into a single image.