Product Reviews

Ask any photographer to name several popular raw converters and the chances are they'll mention Lightroom, Camera Raw or Aperture. That's odd considering Capture One was one of the first to market with an effective workflow solution, and boasts an enviable reputation for first class Raw conversions. But while the move from version 3 to 4 was positive, we felt Capture One Pro was lagging behind the competition in certain areas.

Nevertheless, regular updates to version 4 saw the addition of some much-needed features including the non-destructive editing of Jpegs and Tiff files, as well as basic lens correction tools such as chromatic aberration and fringing removal. A powerful new feature, the Colour Editor, wasn't particularly intuitive, but welcome all the same. The move to version 5 has seen the addition of spot erasing, geometric lens correction and intriguing new features such as Focus Mask and Skin Tone Enhancer.

Focus mask is a real attention-grabber and a great time-saver. With a single mouse click, it shows all the sharp areas in a file without you having to zoom in. What's more, the adjustable mask is applied to the thumbnails in the browser, making it a speedy way of assessing sharpness across a large volume of files. We found it works better with less detailed subjects, such as portraits rather than landscapes, but it's an outstanding feature nonetheless.

We also liked the new Focus tool. Separate

ADVERTISEMENT

to the viewer, this tool acts much like the Sharpen pane in Photoshop. Free floating or attached to any tab, you can zoom in to any point from 100%, and it's automatically updated for the same area in each shot, making it easy to check sharpness, or use for localised contrast enhancements or spot removal. It's just one more example of the workflow enhancements but 5 Pro has more customisable UI options, too.

Tethered operation is slick, with a streamlined interface and the addition of live previewing, if the camera supports it. That means Nikon and Canon DSLRs in terms of mainstream models, plus Phase's own digital backs. What's more, with a stake in both Mamiya and Leaf, recent models from those are also supported. Unfortunately, the coveted live previewing feature is restricted to a number of medium format backs and technical cameras.

If portraiture is one of your disciplines, the new Skin Tone enhancer is certainly worth a look. Although it is a derivative of the slightly clunky Colour Editor tool, it's remarkably easy to use. It works by lessening localised skin discoloration, rosy cheeks or more unsightly blemishes can be tamed with the click of a pipette and inching of a slider. We found it works well, and there's a skin smoothness slider for those with large pores or other delicate imperfections. It's all quite subtle, but effective nonetheless.

We've really only just scratched the surface of Capture One 5 Pro, but it's clear that this is a major upgrade to version 4. Many of the improvements are workflow related, and if fashion or people photography is your thing, then Capture One 5 Pro is a real must-have application. It's not quite as compelling as an all-in-one workflow solution though. For example, there are no print options, like rivals from Apple or Adobe, but with Raw file support for close to 150 models of camera, some very powerful colour control features and with raw conversion quality at least on a par with the very best, there's not very much here to complain about.