Applying Styles and Presets to Layers

See our video tutorial here – new for Capture One 23

Capture One enables you to apply a Style or Preset to a layer either as a new filled layer to use as an offset or an empty layer to apply adjustments in further.

Working directly from the Style and Presets panel has a similar workflow to that of most of the other tools and enables you to choose the effect first before deciding on the layer to apply it to, whether to the background, selected layer or a new filled layer. The layer is automatically named with the chosen Style or Preset when the Apply to New Layer (i.e., a new filled layer) option is chosen.

Although certain Presets can be stacked, you cannot add more than one Style to the same layer. When you want to apply more than one, create a new layer and apply the Style to that instead. Like working with any layer, the adjustments made to each are additive, including any made to the background layer.

If you are working with the Layers tool, you can apply a Style or Preset directly from there.

1. Select an image in the Browser.
   
   
2. Go to the Adjustments tool tab.
   
   
3. In the Styles and Presets panel, unfold the Styles and Presets from the collections and scroll over those in the list. The effects of each will be displayed in the Viewer. Do not select a Style at this time because it will be automatically applied to the background as normal.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Highlight the chosen Style or Preset from the list, then press Ctrl/right-click. The context menu will open. Select one of the options available.
   
   
   • Apply to Background - Adjustments are applied to the image as usual (on the background layer).
     
     
   • Apply to Selected Layer - If you have already created (and selected) a layer in the Layers tool, the adjustments will be applied to the layer itself. If the layer is empty (i.e., without a mask), use this option to apply a gradient mask or brush-in the adjustments.
     
     
   • Apply to New Layer - Choosing this option creates a new filled layer and applies the adjustments to it. The layer is given the name of the applied Style or Preset. 
     
     

Note: If Apply to New Layer option is grayed out, then the settings for this Style cannot be applied to a layer. For example, B&W cannot be applied to a layer and the tool tip shows it.  

5. If desired, add layers with different Styles (e.g., if you selected the background to apply a normalization correction).

<<   Applying a Style   |   Creating a Custom Style   >>