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.
- Select an image in the Browser.
- Go to the Adjustments tool tab.
- 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.
- 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.
- Apply to Background - Adjustments are applied to the image as usual (on the background layer).
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).
Pro tip
Capture One Pro 23 has arrived, and you can now add multiple Layers to your image through Styles and adjust the opacity of each Layer for the best look. Only version 23 supports Layers in Styles.
Suppose you’re working with other versions (21, 22, Capture One for iPad) or prefer the existing functionality of applying Styles
to the background or a single Layer – in that case, all Styles Packs include a standard version you can install.
Disclaimer
Due to technical limitations, specific tools cannot be applied to a layer or saved as part of a layered Style. Instead, they will be applied directly to the background.
The limited features are:
- Vignette tool
- Black and White tool - Film Grain
- ICC Profiles
- Film Curves
- Color Noise and Single Pixel Noise Reduction - Diffraction Compensation
Comments
6 comments
Hi Lily,
Why can't I just apply it to a new empty layer?
This is crucial because C1 doesn't allow us to save layers in a style or preset.
I am trying to figure out how others do dodging on complete series of photos.
In LR it is pretty easy. Just pick the brush an set it up or choose a preset. Then just start dodging and when done go to the next photo and dodge etc.
Since trying C1 I can't figure a way how to do this quickly. There has to be a layer so it would be handy to just have that in a style so I could select the photos and apply the style.
The only way I figured out to do it is to set up one photo in a shoot and then select the rest and copy that layer. But this can't be the way others do it because it is so slow. If I am doing multiple shoots and always use the same setup for dodging there should be a quick way to do it.
When I read your article I thought... oke... that's at least something but unfortunately it applies the effect to a filled layer so the entire photo is dodged. The other option is to use selected layer but therefor I first have to make layers to the entire selection. Which just takes too much time.
Why can't something like this be just as easy and fast as in LR? Just selecting my dodge brush, going to the first photo, dodging, going to the next.....
I have searched around online but I couldn't find anyone who could tell me to do this quickly in C1.
Hi Brian,
Do you mean you would like to apply style adjustments just to a certain area of an image?
Hi Lily,
I hope I can explain it with text. I could make a screen recording for you if you give me an address to sent it to.
The easiest way to explain is when I want to dodge parts of a photo.
To do this I make a new empty layer and raise the luma curve. I can make a preset for that and apply it to that empty layer. Then when I brush I can dodge parts of the photo.
If it is just one... then that's oke. But when I am done with editing an entire shoot, my final step is to lightly dodge the faces. So I start on the first photo and do the dodging but when I go to the next photo it doesn't have that layer so in order to do some dodging I have to make a layer and apply that style, or copy the first layer.
That all just takes way too much time.
If I could save layers in a style, I can add that Dodging layer to my default style and have it applied on import. That would be the quickest way.
When I saw your article I thought, okay... second best thing would be to select the range of photos and then go to the styles and choose Apply to New Layer. But when I do this it applies the style to a filled layer which dodges the entire photo.
I came from Lightroom and there I would just choose my brush with my dodging preset, do the dodging and go to the next photo and because my brush with those settings is still active, I can immediately start brushing.
The entire proces for a wedding with around 500-600 photos usually takes around 15-20 minutes. Now because I have to make a first layer, copy that, that already takes a minute or two which is a significant time-loss in regards to the entire dodging process.
And it is a thing I do every time, so it is really annoying having to go through the entire process every time.
Having that layer applied during import really is a logical thing to do. And second best is the method you described in this article but then it should be applied on an empty layer and not a filled layer.
I hope you get the idea.
Hi Lily,
I think it is not possible to apply a style to layers when the black-and-white tool is switched on.
This sounds reasonable but I couldn't find a hint in the user guide.
I bought a your style pack "Beyond B&W" recently. In the short product documentation I read
"1. APPLY A STYLE Select a Style in contrast strength I, II or III. You can either apply it directly to your photo – or right click to apply it to a new Layer..."
But it is not possible to apply any of the styles to a layer. When you right click on the style the menu entry "apply to new layer" is greyed out and if you put the mouse over this menu item it says "adjustments in this style can not be applied to a layer".
I think the adjustment that can't be applied to a layer is the black-and-white tool. But nobody seems to know this.
Hi Bernd,
Thank you for your observation. We have added this information to our Guide.
Also, I have forwarded your suggestion to add this option to our Product Management team as something to consider in a future release.
Whilst we cannot comment on future releases, we take all suggestions on board and hopefully, your feedback contributes towards a future version of Capture One.
I thought... FINALLY, I will be able to mask styles. It was a well-overdue feature.
However, In C1 22 I can't apply this to the Beyond B&W collection I just bought.
Disappointing.
Besides, I don't know what I'm doing wrong, I can't seem to get the contextual menu with right-click after I highlight the desired style.
It just operates as a normal click and applies the style...
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