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Capture One Workflow Automation with AppleScript

Denis Huk
  • Updated

Capture One for macOS supports AppleScript, allowing you to automate tasks, streamline workflows, and enhance productivity. This feature is also compatible with JavaScript for Automation (JXA), giving users more flexibility in scripting. Whether you want to automate repetitive actions, create custom commands, or integrate Capture One with other apps, AppleScript provides a powerful solution.

This guide explains how to access Capture One’s AppleScript dictionary, execute scripts, and find helpful documentation.

 

Contents

 

 

Accessing the AppleScript Dictionary

To create scripts for Capture One, you need to access its AppleScript dictionary, which contains all available commands and functions.

There are two ways to open the AppleScript dictionary:

  • Using Capture One’s Script Menu
    • Open Capture One.
    • Go to Scripts -> Open Scripting Dictionary.
  • Using macOS’s Script Editor
    • Open Script Editor, a built-in macOS application.
    • Go to Window -> Library.
    • Select Capture One from the list.
      • If it isn’t listed, click the plus (+) icon, then select your Capture One.app.
      • If you are using Capture One 12 or any other version, select that version instead.

Once you have access, you can explore the dictionary to see what commands are available for scripting.

 

 

Running Scripts in Capture One

Although you can execute scripts from outside Capture One, adding them to the Scripts menu makes them easier to access.

To add a script:

  • Save your AppleScript file (.scpt) in the following location:
~/Library/Scripts/Capture One Scripts/
  • If the script doesn’t appear in the menu, go to Scripts -> Update Scripts or restart Capture One.

Once added, your script will be available in the Scripts menu for quick execution.

 

 

Scripting Documentation and Resources

There are many resources available for learning AppleScript and JXA, so feel free to look around. A great place to start is:

This can help you write effective scripts and troubleshoot common issues.

 

 

Support and Troubleshooting Issues

Our support team does not provide debugging assistance for AppleScript. If you need help, refer to Apple’s documentation or the Capture One communities for guidance.

Due to the wide range of scripting possibilities, some scripts may not execute as expected. If you encounter issues, check the following:

  • Ensure you are using the correct AppleScript syntax.
  • Verify that the AppleScript dictionary for Capture One includes the commands you are using.
  • Restart Capture One after adding or modifying scripts.

One common error users encounter is error -1728, which typically means that a referenced object does not exist or cannot be accessed. If you see this error, review your script’s syntax and logic.

 

 

Recent AppleScript Updates in Capture One

 

Capture One 16.8: Expanded AppleScript Color Editor Settings

From Capture One 16.8, the `color editor settings` property on every variant and layer's `adjustments` exposes `basic color correction` and `advanced color correction` elements, so you can read and tweak Color Editor settings directly from a script.

Basic color corrections

There is a fixed number of Basic corrections, so you address them by name or index. For example, to tweak the green Basic color correction:

tell application "Capture One"
    tell color editor settings of adjustments of primary variant
        tell basic color correction named "green"
            set hue change to -10
            set lightness change to 10
        end tell
    end tell
end tell

Property value ranges:

  • `hue change`: -30 to +30
  • `saturation change`: -80 to +80
  • `lightness change`: -50 to +50

Advanced color corrections

Advanced corrections are more flexible, since you can make and delete them at will. You can pass properties directly when making the correction, or change them one by one after creation. Note that the origin RGB numbers shown in the inspector tool may vary slightly because of internal calculations and rounding.

tell application "Capture One"
    tell color editor settings of adjustments of primary variant
        set myCorrection to make new advanced color correction
        tell myCorrection
            -- Set the origin color
            set red to 98
            set green to 35
            set blue to 27
            -- Define the 'range' of the correction
            set hue start to -20
            set hue end to 20
            set saturation start to -45
            set saturation end to 28
            -- The actual desired changes
            set hue change to -20
            set saturation change to 15
            set lightness change to 12
        end tell
    end tell
end tell

Property value ranges:

  • `hue start`: -360 to 0
  • `hue end`: 0 to +360
  • `saturation start`: -100 to 0
  • `saturation end`: 0 to +100
  • `smoothness`: 1 to 30
  • `hue change`: -30 to +30
  • `saturation change`: -100 to +200
  • `lightness change`: -100 to +200

`hue start` / `hue end` and `saturation start` / `saturation end` are defined relative to the picked RGB origin point. Capture One will try to self-correct out-of-bounds requests, but may throw an error if it can't.

All property ranges above match the equivalent sliders in the Color Editor tool.

Skin Tone corrections

Skin Tone corrections are not currently supported via AppleScript, beyond the existing ability to assign the entire `color editor settings` from one variant or layer's adjustments to another, which copies all Color Editor properties in one go.

 

Capture One 16.7.4

The new film negative processing mode corresponds to the Film Negative Mode in the Base Characteristics Tool.

Example:

set processing mode to film negative

Capture One 16.7.3

  • Batch Done scripts now receive the file paths of all images exported in the completed batch, making automated post-export reconciliation simpler and more reliable.
  • The default Stitch with Photoshop script has been removed. The script has been unreliable and frequently breaks after Photoshop updates, making it impractical to maintain.

Capture One 16.6.5

  • You can now use AppleScript to read and control Live View status: running, paused, or closed. This is exposed as an application-level read/write enum.

Example:

tell application "Capture One" to set live view status to running
  • Also, you can now use AppleScript to read and change the EXIF capture date of an image. This makes the “Change Capture Time” feature scriptable, allowing you to override the capture date directly from AppleScript.

Example:

tell application "Capture One"
	set testDate to date "Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 11:00:00 AM"
	tell parent image of primary variant
		set EXIF capture date to testDate
	end tell
end tell


Capture One 16.5.9

  • Set how Capture One handles file name conflicts during export (Add Suffix, Overwrite, or Skip).
  • Toggle Guide visibility.
  • Get and set Keystone correction values, including Amount, Vertical, Horizontal, Skew, and Aspect.

Capture One 16.5.6

New Variant Properties

  • Available crop aspect ratios – A list of text properties.
  • Crop aspect ratio – A text property.
  • Crop orientation – Enum values: landscape, portrait, square.

Rotation Commands

  • Rotate Left and Rotate Right commands added to rotate images in 90° increments.

Crop Aspect Ratio Management

  • Create, delete, and list custom crop aspect ratios via AppleScript.
  • Read and change crop aspect ratios on a selected variant.

Code examples

  • Create a custom crop ratio:
tell current document
  make new user crop aspect ratio with properties {name:"foo", ratio:1.43}
end tell
  • Delete a specific crop ratio:
tell current document
  delete user crop aspect ratio named "foo"
end tell
  • Delete all crop ratios:
tell current document
  delete user crop aspect ratios
end tell
  • Retrieve available crop ratios:
tell current document
  return name of user crop aspect ratios
end tell

 

Capture One 16.5.4

AppleScript "Auto Select New Capture" Options

  • Two new document properties introduced:
    • Auto select new capture – Options: disabled, immediately, when ready.
    • Auto select new capture pause – Boolean (true or false).

Capture One 16.5.2

Visible Variant Property

  • Returns true if the variant is visible in the current collection.

Example:

return variants whose visible is true

Edit All Selected Variants Property

  • Reflects the Edit All Selected Variants setting in the UI.

Example:

set edit all selected variants to true

Synchronizing Property

  • Indicates if a collection is being synchronized with the filesystem.
  • Can be set to true for session folder collections to initiate background synchronization.
  • For catalog folder collections, use the "synchronize" command.

Processing Acceleration Property

  • Now unified, not split between UI and processing.

Example:

set processing acceleration to auto

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