Each full-version release of Capture One software from Phase One offers at least one major new feature as well as a few minor ones, and Capture One 12 is no exception. Where version 11 added somewhat improved masking tools, version 12 takes a giant step forward by introducing straightforward luminosity masking along with a new radial gradient masking tool and an improved linear gradient masking tool.
Luminosity masks are simply masks that affect certain tonal values in an image. They are incredibly versatile, convenient, and offer a precise way to target tonal values in an image. They allow a new level of selecting, adjusting, and compositing images in Capture One.
Landscape photographers have struggled for years to create luminosity masks in Adobe Photoshop as a way to adjust the dynamic range of their captures and blend images together. Capture One 12 has simplified this process and extends it for use by portrait and wedding photographers. You can not only create luminosity masks of subjects but can also easily apply the masks to multiple captures.
© Stan SholikThis Capture One Pro 12 review shows you the new features and improvements. The Linear and Radial Gradient Mask tools and the ability of masking by Luminance are great new features. The user interface and menu structure got a make-over. Capture One Pro is also available for subscription at a cost that is approximately 60% more expensive than Adobe’s creative Cloud. For a working Pro this is probably an insignificant amount of capital investment in their ‘tools of the trade’, but for a keen amateur on a budget this is possibly a factor to be taken into consideration. Capture One photo editing software.
Capture One 12 Pro
By adjusting the sliders in the Luma Range dialog box, you confine the mask to the area of interest.HOW IT’S DONE
Luminosity masking is found in the Color, Exposure, and Details tool tabs. After creating a luminosity mask, you can use virtually all of the tools in the appropriate tool tab to adjust the masked area.
As with all the tools in Capture One, luminosity masking is a visual experience designed for photographers. After opening an image and navigating to the appropriate tool tab, you apply a new filled layer mask and select the Luma Range button above the layer. A new window appears with the Luma Range controls. By dragging the upper knobs, you control the range of tonal values for the mask. The mask overlay adjusts dynamically with the changes. The lower knobs control the feather of the mask. Fine-tune the mask with Radius and sensitivity sliders. Once you’ve masked the tonal values you want, click Apply and make whatever adjustments you had in mind.
Luminosity masks are on individual layers so they travel from tool tab to tool tab. Additional luminosity masks can be added, and existing ones are non-destructive so they can be readjusted at any time.
© Stan Sholik© Stan SholikI achieved the smoothing I wanted (top) then copied and pasted the changes, along with the luma mask, into others without worrying about differences in composition (bottom).
FOR PORTRAITS
© Stan SholikThe final output after adjusting skin uniformity with a luminosity mask.
This is the stuff that landscape photographers live for, but the coolest ability of Capture One’s luminosity masking is designed for portraits, especially those made under controlled lighting. In Capture One 12, luminosity masks can be copied and pasted into other images to target the same tonal areas as the original. Effectively, this gives a different mask to adjust the same tonal range in other images, even if the composition is different.
For example, imagine you want to mask and adjust the skin tone in a series of portraits from a session. Create a luminosity mask and adjust one of the images using the Uniformity tools found in the Skin Tone tool of the Color Editor. Then select the other images, open the layers palette, and shift-click the double-headed arrow. The luminosity mask and skin tone adjustments are immediately applied to the rest of the images. Very slick.
Capture One Pro 20
MORE FEATURES
While luminosity masking is the most significant new feature in Capture One 12, others are noteworthy as well.
A new radial gradient masking tool and improved linear gradient masking tool are found with a click-hold of the Brush tool. Click and drag the radial gradient (formerly a brush function), and the ellipse forms from the center. Once the tool overlay is visible, dragging the handles adjusts the shape. Both tools have additional options for control by holding down shift + cmd/ctrl or ctrl/alt keys. The new radial gradient tool is ideal for creating fast, precise vignettes, among other uses.
The mask visibility is controlled by the M key, which brings up another feature that will appeal to keyboard shortcut users—a new keyboard shortcut manager under the Edit menu. There are more than 500 possibilities. Create a new set that copies all of the default shortcuts, then modify existing shortcuts or add new ones. A complete list of shortcuts is visible by clicking the Summarize tab.
© Professional Photographers of America
As a longtime user of Capture One, I noticed that the interface looked a little different. Sure enough, the silver type on a deep black background is replaced by white type on a warm charcoal gray background. The icons are larger and a few are redesigned, the cursors are larger, as are the fonts and the thumbnails in the batch queue. These make the interface seem cleaner and more legible, particularly on large, high-pixel-count monitors.
The interface remains extremely customizable. You can drag tool palettes from their docked position anywhere on the monitor or onto another monitor or hide them until needed. The toolbar, other than the default toolset, is also customizable.
Users moving to Capture One from other applications have the benefit of a superb set of tutorials, available from the Help menu, to get started with the program. I encourage new and existing users to make use of the extensive video tutorials on the Phase One website to get up to speed on the program and the latest features in version 12.
The pricing of Capture One Pro 12 remains $299 for new users, which includes a perpetual license to all upgrades to this version. Upgrade pricing from previous versions has increased to $149. Capture One Pro subscribers can download the new version at no cost.
Stan Sholik is a photographer and writer in Santa Clemente, California.
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This Capture One Pro 12 review shows you the new features and improvements. The Linear and Radial Gradient Mask tools and the ability of masking by Luminance are great new features. The user interface and menu structure got a make-over. Third party developers can add features through Plugins. You can upgrade from all previous versions. Download the latest release here.
Capture One Pro 12 Review
What is new in Capture One Pro 12? Discover the new and improved features:
- two gradient mask tools
- mask by luminance
- plugins architecture
- new and reshuffled menus
- redesigned user interface/user experience
- camera, lens correction, macOS 10.14 support
- Fujifilm Film Simulations
- additional built-in Styles
- expanded AppleScript support
- upgrade from all previous versions
Please read on for more information in the sections below.
Better Masking
Capture One Pro 12 adds three new ways of masking:
- Linear Gradient Mask tool
- Radial Gradient Mask tool
- Luma Range feature
Both Gradient Mask tools are ways to create a new mask, in addition to the existing Brush and Eraser tools.
The Gradient Mask tools introduce a new type of mask, the Parametric Mask, which I also explain below.
The Luma Range feature changes an existing mask.
Linear Gradient Mask Tool
The new Linear Gradient Mask tool replaces the Gradient in previous versions. The advantage of the new tool is that you can change its parameters after your initial draw. Having to draw your Gradient repeatedly until you are satisfied is now a thing of the past.
You control where the gradient starts, where it ends, and how the transition flows. Rotation is also possible and you can move the rotation point. Obviously, you use the mouse to control all the parameters.
In combination with the key modifiers Shift and Alt, you get more options to modify. You can invert the mask by dragging one of the outer lines over the opposite line.
Radial Gradient Mask tool
The Radial Gradient Mask tool creates a circular or elliptic mask. Your control of the parameters of the mask after its initial creation is very similar to the Linear Gradient, with some differences because it is Radial, not Linear.
You can use the mouse without or with key-modifiers Shift, Alt and Command (Shift, Alt, Control for Windows).
In the before/after comparison, you see the effect of the Radial Gradient Mask on the image.
Why Rasterize A Parametric Mask?
Although both Gradient Mask tools are very flexible, you sometimes want to add an area to the mask or remove a part. However, when you attempt to change a Gradient Mask you get the warning below.
Because both Gradient Mask tools create a mask based on parameters you can edit them endlessly. These tools create a Parametric Mask.
Both Brush and Erase tools work on a raster or Rasterized Mask. Fortunately, you can convert a Parametric Mask into a Rasterized Mask. Please note that this is an irreversible step.
Luma Range Masking
Users asked for a tool to create a mask by luminosity. Enter the Luma Range feature. Luma Range masking takes a user-defined range of luminance levels to edit an existing mask.
You can create a mask with the Brush and Eraser tools first, create a Filled Layer or use one of the Gradient Mask tools.
Next, apply the Luma Range to that mask. After applying a Luma Range, you can change the mask with the Eraser. In case you like to add areas with the Brush, rasterize the mask first.
Note: Hopefully, a future update will smoothen this workflow and eliminate the step to rasterize.
Capture One 12 Promo Code 2019
Plugins
The Plugin feature lets third-party developers add features to Capture One Pro. This is great news for the user. Hopefully, a healthy ecosystem of Plugins will surround Capture One in the near future.
The new Publish command in the Image menu is an example of where future plugins will enrich the user experience. The Get Plugins menu directs you to the Capture One Plugins webpage. There are several plugins available from different developers.
Note that the Edit With and Open With commands on the same menu is now controlled by the Open With Menu plugin. You configure this and other plugins via the new Preferences > Plugins tab.
Under Allowed applications, you check and uncheck boxes to determine which applications show up in the menu. For more plugins, you click on the Get more plugins button.
Capture One Pro 12 Download
A plugin focus stacking with Helicon Focus is available on the release of Capture One Pro 12.
Menus
The menus are reorganized and expanded. Below you see the main menu of both Capture One Pro 11 and 12.
The main differences are:
- the View menu has moved to the right, and now sits between the Camera and Window menu
- the Image menu has moved to the left, taking the spot of the View menu
- two new menus, Layer and Select are added between the Adjustments and Camera menu
- the Edit menu is much shorter now; many items have moved to the Image and Select menus
The new Layer menu contains all Layer related commands. Now you can easily create shortcuts for these commands.
User Interface
The redesigned user interface is now easier to read and gives less eyestrain and fatigue. The new interface follows the flat user interface style of both macOS and Windows.
Highlights of the new design are:
- larger font type
- lower contrast
- redesigned icons
The Keyboard Shortcut manager has moved to the Edit menu like the Windows version always had.
New is a Search option for either a key or a command.
User Experience
Phase One mentions several changes in the User Experience, or how the program behaves, in the release notes. One interesting change is a new Autoselect setting for how the clipboard behaves: Adjusted except Composition.
When you copy adjustments via the Adjustments Clipboard, the clipboard automatically enables adjustments that will be applied to other images. It is the Autoselect setting of the clipboard that determines that behavior. The default is Adjusted. This means that what is adjusted in the source image will be applied to the target image(s).
There is now a new Autoselect setting: Adjusted except Composition. This effectively means that Crop, Rotation, Flip, and Keystone are not automatically selected and transferred to other images. This is great for a workflow where you first crop and rotate your images and later make adjustments like exposure, white balance and more.
Fujifilm Film Simulations
Selected Fujifilm camera has a built-in simulation for a series for conventional photographic film emulsions. Typical products in that area are Astia, Provia, and Velvia, to name just a few. However, these simulations are applied to the in-camera processed JPEGs.
Photographers had the desire to have these simulations combined with RAW images in Capture One.
Fortunately, Fujifilm and Phase One recently started a strategic relationship. Apart from the branded Capture One Pro Fujifilm, which includes tethering capabilities, there is now a series of 16 film simulations available for selected Fujifilm cameras.
You find the Fujifilm Film Simulations in the Base Characteristics tool as Film Curves. You select your Curve and you have the simulation applied on your RAW file.
Camera, Lens, macOS Support
Capture One 12 is the first version that supports macOS 10.14 Mojave. So if you use this version of macOS or plan to upgrade to it, make sure you upgrade to Capture One 12 as well.
In addition, the following cameras models are now supported in the 12.0 release:
- Canon EOS M50
- Canon EOS R
- Nikon Z6
- Nikon Z7
Miscellaneous
Capture One 12 extends AppleScript support (macOS only).
In the Styles and Presets tool, you find a new group of built-in Styles: IQ Styles. This group supports the Styles feature of the new Phase One IQ4 medium format system and its Infinity Platform.
Fortunately, all the Styles in this group are available for use with other file formats.
Products And Pricing
The Capture One Pro portfolio expands rapidly with branded products like Pro Sony and Pro Fujifilm. In addition, you can choose between both perpetual licenses (version-bound) and subscriptions (time-bound).
Upgrading
There are now more upgrade options for perpetual licenses. The limitation of upgrading from up to 2 versions back (10/11 > 12) is lifted. You now have the option to upgrade from Capture One Pro 9 and older to 12.
Pricing
Upgrade pricing now varies based on the version you upgrade from. Users who upgrade from Capture One Pro 11 pay the lowest fee. Capture One Pro 10 upgraders pay a bit more. Upgrading from version 9 and older is possible now for a slightly higher upgrade price.
I think this policy is fair for both frequent and less frequent upgraders and nobody is out of luck anymore.
Thank you
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Image Alchemist