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Replicating a Lightroom importing workflow by Jan Gonzales

I was “captured” not long ago, on September 25, 2018 to precise! That was the day when Fujifilm and Capture One announced their collaboration. Two months have passed, and I must say I have remained equally thrilled as in the beginning.

Background

I have been a Fujifilm X Photographer since 2013 and until now, I had been using what was regarded the most widely used software for raw file management, which was Lightroom (LR). Specifically, I have regularly used LR’s organic automated cataloging protocol to back up my files straight from a shoot. It has adequately served my purpose but I always had the feeling that something could be more suited to my needs.

When I was introduced to Capture One Pro, I immediately thought that I had finally found my match. Let me demonstrate my recent experience in working with it before I tell you why I think it may be my most important discovery of the year.

The Process

After a shoot, I usually get my card from the camera, load it in the card reader, open my raw processor and have it copy all the files to a certain folder in a drive to my computer automatically. Here is the folder structure that I currently have from importing through Lightroom.

When migrating into a new system, I would like to keep doing my automated backup routine that works for me. So, I specifically set my Capture One Pro to do just that.

Importing images

Here are the steps on how I setup and import my images from a card or disk based on my current folder structure.

Open Capture One and click on the Import Tool.

On the pop-up import dialogue box, you will find Import From which is where you will choose your source file (ie: SD card, hard drive, etc…), checking include subfolders will check on a subfolder on that particular drive while you chose the parent folder.

On the Import To, choose where you would like the files to be saved. In my case, I have it on a separate drive which has a folder named on a per year basis (ie. 2018).

On the Sub Folder, click on the … to open the Sub Folder dialog box where you will need to pick the tokens and arrange them based on how you would name the folders. In my case, it’s Image Year (yyyy), Image Month (MM), Image Day of Month (DD) with a hyphen (-) between them. Sample Path should show 2018-12-05 if your date is December 5, 2018.

I would leave the naming to Image Name as default so when imported, it uses the camera recorded file names. You can add your name in the Metadata for copyright purposes if needed.

You can save your import setup as a preset. You are now all set with the automation on the folder naming when you import your images.

Now we are ready to Import all images.

Importing images from existing folders

You might come across situations where you already have those existing folders that you just want to add to your catalog. In this case, there is no need to re-import the images from these folders. All you have to do is add the actual folders to your catalog. Here is how I do it.

Select the Library Tab, then navigate to Folders. These are the physical folders the images in your Catalog are located in. You can click the + sign to add a specific drive/folder which holds your images. In cases where you already have the parent folder added, simply right click on the folder and click Add folder.

When you see the folder added, you will need to right click on that folder and click Synchronize to add the content of that folder to the catalog.

A sync box appears with an image count under that folder. Wait for the spinning wheel on the lower left to finish before pressing the Sync button.

If you ticked ‘Show Importer’ an Import New Images dialog box appears, and you can click Import all to finish.

In summary, here is the flow that I have just shown:

  1. Insert card into card reader.
  2. In Capture One Pro, open The Import Tool.
  3. Select source.
  4. Set Destination folder.
  5. Set proper tokens to fit folder naming.
  6. Set Metadata (optional).
  7. Import all.

Just remember, you only have to set this once as settings are remembered and kept for the next Import.

Given my experience so far, I can already tell you some of my favorite things about Capture One Pro.

  • It is relatively easy to use and has allowed me to effortlessly transfer and manage my files, spending less amount of time.
  • Its flexible interface allows me to customize my flow process, improving my productivity and supporting my archiving needs.

 

If you don’t already have Capture One, you can download a 30-day free trial and try it out!

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Linear and Radial Gradients

With the addition of Linear and Radial Gradient Masks in Capture One, the possibilities for efficient layered workflows have expanded. Let’s go through two examples of how they can be used!

I’m not going to explain in detail how to use the tools, as I will focus more on the examples. In the end of this post, I’ll link to the tutorial to cover the tools themselves.

Example 1: Wedding Portrait

 

Capture One 12 - Gradient Masks

This image has three Layers with Gradient Masks applied to them. Let’s go through them one by one.

 

Radial Gradient #1

Capture One 12 - Radial Gradient Mask

The first Radial Gradient is made very big with most of the top and left part left out of the image. It works like a vignette, but is off-center and focuses more on the foreground than the sky. I pulled down the exposure, contrast and clarity to enhance focus on the couple.

 

Radial Gradient #2

Capture One 12 - Radial Gradient

The second Radial Gradient is made to lift the shadows from the couple’s faces. A fair amount of shadow recovery with some negative contrast help eliminating dark shadows and soften up.

 

Linear Gradient

Capture One 12 - Linear Gradient Mask

The Linear Gradient is created to enhance the misty feeling of the background. I made it asymmetrical to make sure the fall-off into the field and on the couple wasn’t too harsh. The only adjustment here is a lift in curves, in particular the end point.

 

Before/after

Capture One 12 - Gradient MasksCapture One 12 - Gradient Masks

The difference here is the three layers described above. This could of course have been accomplished with manual brushing as well, but the parametric functionality (allowing transforming and moving the gradients) adds to the flexibility of the workflow.

 

Example 2: Linear Gradient + Luma Range

 

Capture One 12 - Linear Gradient Luma Range

This image has a single Linear Gradient Mask with a specific Luma Range applied. Let’s see how it’s made.

 

Linear Gradient limited by a Luma Range

Capture One 12 - Linear Gradient Luma Range

The mask above is limited by the Luma Range shown in the tool. Notice that dark areas are left out to exclude the mountain top, while the brightest areas are left out to exclude the clouds. The bright fall-off is soft to avoid weird transitions in the clouds. Additionally, Radius and Sensitivity make sure the edge of the mask is not too funky.

I decreased exposure and saturation to give the sky the look I wanted.

 

Before/after

Before imageCapture One 12 - Linear Gradient Luma Range

The difference on this image is quite dramatic, but still easy and flexible. Both the Linear Gradient and the Luma Range are dynamic, and can be adjusted and transformed if needed.

The sky might be a bit too dark for some of you, but I want to show the power of adding a Luma Range to a Gradient Mask with a visual example.

 

Tutorials

 

Want to learn exactly how to use these tools? Watch below!

If you don’t already have Capture One, download a free 30 day trial and try it out.

Are you an Express user? Discover all you can do when you upgrade to Capture One Pro.

Sign up for the webinar