In the last year of so my post-processing workflow as moved from an assortment of programs, to mainly just one. When Capture One became available as a Fujifilm specific version, and after evaluating the free version I decided the RAW conversion of X-Trans RAW files from my Fujifilm X-T2 cameras was as good if not better than the Silkypix software bundled free with Fujifilm cameras, which in itself seemed to me to produce far better results than Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop or Lightroom.
Before long I had moved to Capture One Pro, and since then I have consolidated my workflow mainly into this tool. Previously I would convert RAW to TIFF in Silkypix, and then work with the latter in Photoshop using Nik Collection plugins, as I had for a number of years right back to my Nikon days. It was also a consideration that I planned to move to Fujifilm GFX medium format as well and keeping a common workflow between this and the X series I already had was a big benefit.
Since moving so Capture One Pro, it seems like the tool has grown with me as Phase One seem to be on a relentless path to improve the product but also provide really useful insights and training via webinars and on-line training.
Today I do almost all of my processing in Capture One. only stepping out of this for specific requirements. I start by creating a session (only available in the Pro version), which effectively is a portable ‘project folder’ that can be moved from SSD where the work is done initially, and then to slower network drives for longer-term storage (see also my post on backups). These days I rarely fill the need to dip into Photoshop, and probably this need will decline even further given the recent updates to Capture One. Similarly, I have stopped using Nik Collection, not because there is anything wrong with it, I just feel that I can do what I need to do quicker and easier now in Capture One.
From Capture One I’ll either create a file tailored for a particular use (i.e. web or Instagram) using a specific process recipe, or I’ll print using Qimage Ultimate. Qimage takes all the hard work out of creating a good quality print, taking care completely of scaling, resolution and sharpening. Once you get the hang of it’s some-what clunky interface, it just works. Output goes to photo paper on a colour laser for quick prints/proofs, or to an Epson SC-P800 loaded (usually) with a roll of 16” paper.
One big change in my workflow in 2020 was getting a Tangent Wave Element Kb. Tangent make high quality controllers for professional photo and video production. The Element series comprises four modules, but I feel the Kb is perhaps the most useful for editing still images. It consists of a small ‘wedge’, about the same depth as a computer keyboard with 12 knobs, 2 buttons and an OLED display. It works seemlessly with Capture One, with the OLED display showing labels. The buttons can be used to cycle through 4 ‘banks’, so there are effectively 48 knobs at your disposal that can be mapped to sliders in Capture One. The OLED display updates as you cycle through the banks, so that the function of each knob is clearly identified.
The Kb comes with a standard out-the-box map for Capture One that works well but you can easily customise this to map each knob to a particular function, using the software downloaded from the Tangent Wave website. You can even decide how fine or coarse the adjustment is, the direction of travel, and choose whether to display a progress bar or percentage that shows in the corresponding part of the OLED display for that knob. All this can be set per control, as well as globally, so you can create a map specific to how you like to work. Each knob also has a push button that resets that particular control.
The only issue I had was that the Tangent Mapper was unreadable on my 4K monitor at full resolution as it doesn’t seem to scale like all my other apps under Windows 10, so every time I wanted to use it I had to drop the resolution to 1920x1080 temporarily. Just an irritation really, as you only need to do this when you want to edit the map.
All this doesn’t come cheap, and even though I picked my unit up used but in mint condition, it was still expensive. That’s reflected in the quality of the overall solution and the hardware though. I’ve tried other solutions, such as adapting a Midi Controller with a custom map, but the Tangent devices are in a different league in terms of usability and function, which is reflected in the high price. Beware that if you try the Kb, you will not want to go back to using a mouse to drag a slider….the ability to look at the image as you make fine adjustments through an ‘analogue’ and tactile control is just so much quicker, intuitive and satisfying.
There are a few specific uses not mentioned already that I do use other software for, so here’s a quick summary:
Stitching Panoramas is done using PTGui. I’ve used this for years, works fabulously well.
Focus Stacking is done using Helicon Focus. Again, works very well, and I particularly like the ability to select images based on time taken. So, if you shoot a stack of images and then re-compose and shoot another stack, Helicon can automatically distinguish between the two sets of images if you specify an interval i.e. 30 seconds between the last image in the first stack and the first image in the second stack.
Merging bracketed images to HDR is something not currently available in Capture One, but is also something I find myself doing less and less, given the excellent HDR exposure tools in the application now. Previously I would have used Nik Collection HDR Efex Pro, but I’ve also started using Photomatix Pro which I run directly from inside Capture One, as explained by Thomas Fitzgerald here.
Goodsync is not a photo-processing app at all, it’s a backup/file synchronisation utility. I use it to backup my Capture One sessions from a local SSD to network storage. I talk about this in a bit more detail here.
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