Comparing images before and after adjustments

When you want to compare an image while adjusting a variant of that image, you must first create a copy and then select that to be displayed in the Viewer. To make a copy before making adjustments, you can either use the Create New Variant or Clone Variant commands. Note that copying variants does not duplicate your source image file.

If you have already made adjustments and want to make incremental changes, use the Clone Variant command. This creates an exact copy of the image, including any adjustments you have already made. When you have made adjustments but you do not have a copy of the original image, use the Create New Variant option instead. This creates a copy of the original (i.e., without any adjustments) file from the adjusted variant. If you accidentally use the Clone Variant command, you will need to perform a global reset to make comparisons with the original.

1. Select the image in the browser, then choose Image -> New Variant. Alternatively, press F2/F7 (macOS/Windows) or Ctrl-click/Right-click (macOS/Windows) and select New Variant.
   
   
   
   
2. To display both images in the Viewer, press Cmd-click/Ctrl-click (macOS/Windows) and select the image you copied in the Browser. The new variant will become your primary variant (with the thicker border in the browser) and will be displayed on the right-hand side of the viewer.
   
   
   
   
3. Select the image you want to make adjustments to in the Viewer. To prevent certain adjustments from being applied to both images, ensure that the Edit All Selected Variants option is disabled (gray-colored) in the toolbar or from Image -> Edit All Selected Variants and deselect the checkmark.
   
   
   
   
4. If you made adjustments before using the Create New Variant command and want to move the image to the left-hand side, select Image -> Promote Variant or Image -> Set as Compare Variant in the main menu.
   
   

When you want to compare an image against other images or variants of the same image (i.e., a Variant Group), Capture One’s Compare Variant option keeps the selected image on-screen while you select the others using the Left, Right, Up or Down arrow keys. You can also use the Select Next/Previous (i.e., forward/backward) feature available as an option in the tool-bar. The Compare Variant feature is especially useful when rating and color tagging a series of similar images and especially so when making final selections. The Compare Variant option can be combined with visual aids such as the Loupe and Focus Mask.

1. Select the image in the Browser, then choose Image -> Set as Compare. Alternatively, press Shift-Return/Enter (macOS/Windows) or Ctrl-click/Right-click (macOS/Windows) to open the contextual menu and select Set as Compare. The selected image is highlighted with an orange frame and the succeeding image is automatically displayed with it for comparison.
   
   
   
   
2. Navigate through the other images in the Browser one at a time using the Left, Right, Up or Down arrow keys (macOS) or Ctrl+ Left, Right, Up or Down arrow keys (Windows), or use the Select Next/Previous (i.e., forward/backward) feature available as an option in the toolbar.
   
   
3. To view and compare multiple images, click-and-hold the Shift key while navigating using the Left, Right, Up or Down arrow keys (macOS) or Ctrl+ Left, Right, Up or Down arrow keys (Windows). To view and compare selections as a Set, select Cmd-click/Ctrl+click on the intended images in the Browser.
   
   
4. To navigate by Set, choose Select -> Select Next Set or Select -> Previous Set.
   
   
   
   
5. To clear the Compare image, choose Image -> Clear Compare Variant or Cmd-Return/Shift+Enter (Mac/Windows).
   
   

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