Are we on a sinking ship?
From Peta Pixel:
Capture One Lays Off Staff Amid a ‘Significant’ Internal Restructure
Capture One is undergoing what it characterizes as “significant changes” internally which has resulted in an unspecified number of layoffs at the company. It is at least the second round of turnover since it announced it was switching to a subscription model.
PetaPixel first learned of the layoffs last week, but the company only confirmed them this morning.
“Last Monday we made an internal announcement about significant changes for the Capture One team. These are not actions we take lightly and the people that were affected by them were treated with respect and empathy,” Capture One tells PetaPixel.
“Although we have nothing specific to announce today, as the photography industry continues to evolve and we at Capture One make progress with our strategy as a standalone company, we’re implementing changes that align our investments with the areas where we’re seeing increases in customer satisfaction and traction with our users.
“These changes are difficult, but we’re confident they position us better to advance in our mission to provide professional photographers with the most powerful creative and collaboration tools.”
The company did not provide details on how many were affected, but PetaPixel has learned that a significant portion of the communications team has been let go. Of note, this is the second time in the last year this particular team has been gutted. Not long after the announcement that the company would be moving to a subscription-only model, most of the public-facing communications team was let go. Around this time, Capture One also ended its contracts with external public relations support.
For several months, Capture One went without a communications team — at least one operating in North America. That changed by November when Capture One finally replaced that group, but that team has now been, again, let go after a brief stint that lasted only a few months.
It is not clear at this time what kind of internal restructure the company is going through or its scale beyond the Capture One’s own use of the word “significant,” but the last year has been difficult for the company as it has grappled with widespread pushback in response to its announcement that it would move away from perpetual software licenses. It didn’t help that the company made the announcement not long after it concluded a 50% off sale on perpetual licenses, leaving buyers feeling as though they had been bait and switched.
The move to a subscription model came with the promise that current customers would be rewarded for their loyalty, but details of that program later revealed it to just be a one-time discount, further raising the hackles of customers.
Capture One’s 2023 did not get much better from there. In June, the long-awaited iPhone app failed to impress. In December, Capture One discontinued its Express software.
While the bulk of the changes affecting customers all took place starting last year, it is unlikely the company’s new owners are not involved. In 2019, private equity group Axcel acquired a majority stake in Phase One, the parent company of Capture One and makers of the very expensive medium format cameras. Axcel highlighted the software side of the business as the most profitable at the time of acquisition. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“We’re very happy that we’ve been able to find a new owner in Axcel, which has significant experience of developing technology businesses,” CEO Henrik Håkonsson said at the time. “We see a significant opportunity to grow and further strengthen our position in the coming years. I’m convinced that, together with Axcel, we can take Phase One to the next level.”
Original Post/Link - https://petapixel.com/2024/01/30/capture-one-lays-off-staff-amid-a-significant-internal-restructure/
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I don't understand the whole discussion about the licence model. Nobody is forced to take out a subscription and can buy the software. But I can't expect a purchased version to be developed further for years without paying anything for it. As long as my purchased version harmonises with the operating system everything is fine, if not I just have to see how the problem can be solved, it's always been like that. If I wanted to stay up to date, I had to buy a new version in the past, which was sometimes more expensive, depending on the frequency. Capture One is a good programme and I really wouldn't want to be without it. Keep your fingers crossed for CO that everything will be fine and that the users will understand. I am a private user, I am not sponsored or anything else. Have a nice day!
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Probably more beneficial to just post a link to the article, especially as it contains some misinformation.
We are not moving to a subscription only policy and we have not announced anything of the sort.
Even the "story" that PetaPixel link to, starts with the line "Capture One is changing how the perpetual license of its software will work." which is vastly different to us announcing a "subscription only model" – PetaPixel have been reminded of this time and again.
You guys in here are free to speak as you want with regards to anything else, but just thought I would make that crystal clear.
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PetaPixel is click bait. They sensationalize headlines and often have inaccurate facts. Many of the article authors there are not professional journalists but people who want to see their name next to a headline. Anyone can publish an article on PetaPixel.
Every company goes through painful reorganization from time to time. Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Tesla, Apple, Adobe, pick a name. They all had laid offs in the last 12-18 months. EU labor laws are quite protective of employees. I imagine those impacted by layoffs at Capture One were well taken care of.
Companies change direction and sometimes the people in certain areas are not suited well to the new direction. Sadly they must be let go to allow the company to pivot to where they need to go. Let's give credit to Capture One for waiting until after the holiday season to do so. We want Capture One to be a strong company that provides a solid product. These decisions can be hard but are sometimes necessary to achieve that goal.
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@...
Why is it not possible to upgrade from 16.2 to 16.3? I had such a case from 16.1 to 16.2, the support immediately answered my question at that time and told me that it was not a problem within the period, at that time 9 months since purchase, and this was true. If Apple, and I am also one of the users, changes its programme logic and software remains unworkable as a result, I don't think it's right to pass the responsibility on to the small companies. But everyone should decide for themselves. Personally, I just realise that companies cannot exist without ongoing revenue. Best regards!
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WalterRowe I have been a user for around a decade. I have had no issues with upgrading to each and every major release. Incremental releases were expected, lauded, and appreciated to keep my workflow going with every little update to my computer (pc and mac).
The frustration comes in for me seeing that as a user who has been with Capture One for a DECADE, I have to pay for an INCREMENTAL UPDATE when the prior model had me paying for a full version update (6.x to 7.x to 8.x, and so on). This current licensing model that has been taken up is, in place of other language, significantly distasteful.
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I completely understand this. As an IT professional since the early 1980s I agree that .X is traditionally a "minor" release and a X. release is traditionally a major release. It seems Capture One has broken with that paradigm where .X is viewed be a major release for them, and .X.X viewed as a minor release. Confusing? Absolutely.
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> Jerry C: ...instructions in the article are oxymoronic.
Yeah, it reminds me of the BIOS POST message "No Keyboard detected, press F1 to continue."
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Since Axcel took over, Capture One development amounts to throwing half-finished betas out the door ad nauseam. I have a full subscription and a perpetual license for 16.2 (which I received no loyalty bonus for) through what I call their deceptive marketing. Once the subscription is up, that's it. I'll use 16.2 if I want to poke around in Capture One. Meanwhile, I'm looking into Avalanche to convert my C1 catalog to LrC.
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I think we need to ask ourselves a few questions.
1. Do you have a product that is of value?
2. Does that product meet our workflow needs now and in 6 months?
3. Does that product represent the best practices in the industry?
*4. If not. What in the market place, offers value, meets a multitude of workflow practices, maintains cutting edge updates with desirable tools? Is the answer C1?
For me I'm glad I've kept my Adobe license(s) current. The new Ai masking tool is a game changer.1 -
Every good professional has a complete toolbox, each tool has a desired effect and outcome. Some may use the available tools with greater or lesser success depending upon their experience.
I have and continue to supported C1, though I have found over the years the shifts with C1 perplexing. My continued support will depend upon if the tools being offered keep in step with my workflow and more importantly produce the desired results.
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Given what you guys may feel about PetaPixel, there hasn't been clear communication regarding legay/perpetual license holders and what the roadmap is for us to see updates to the software. I'm looking at upgrading my camera equipment this year to a Fuji GFX100II and I want to be certain that the version of C1P I am running will support it (currently 16.2.x). If I end up having to upgrade to 16.3... what is the mechanism to do so?
As it stands, it feels as though perpetual license holders are being left behind in favor of a subscription model being pushed.
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> SFA: ...the strategy seems to have worked in Adobe's favour
Capture One sold licenses to Adobe refugees who believed C1 to be their sanctuary.
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" As long as my purchased version harmonises with the operating system everything is fine, if not I just have to see how the problem can be solved, it's always been like that. If I wanted to stay up to date, I had to buy a new version in the past, which was sometimes more expensive, depending on the frequency."
It's always been like that except a perpetual license used to include all incremental updates until a new major version was released, i.e. you did not have to buy incremental updates in the past.
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You are leaving out the Loyalty Program details. You DON'T pay the FULL price again unless your license is more than 24 months old.
Perpetual licenses newer than 12 months get 40% discount on upgrades.
Perpetual licenses 12 to 24 months get 20% discount on upgrades.https://support.captureone.com/hc/en-us/articles/8824180384285-Capture-One-Loyalty-Program
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Not entirely true John. Version 16.3 is now at 16.3.4 which means four FREE updates have been released.
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Now that major versions are a thing of the past, will all future updates be incremental updates to version 16?
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Yes, it will go on and on until we reach 16.99.99!
Seriously, who knows?
Ian
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I know, no one outside the company would know the answer to that. I'm just curious how they're planning to go about this as one of the consequences of abandoning major version updates seems to be that we'll be stuck with version 16 permanently.
Thomas
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My guess is that there will be a version 17 at some stage, maybe if there's a really major update, but I have absolutely no inside information.
Ian
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@... said
Of course, the moment they stop paying their subscription, they lose the use of Capture One for editing, even for editing their existing library.
This is false and misleading. You can convert a subscription to a persistent license. For each year you subscribe you get 20% MORE discount on persistent license. After 5 years you can convert to a persistent license for free at any point in the future.
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My first concern is the software. The capabilities of the software. Is it better or is it not? Today I was informed that the iPhone sync beta program has been frozen for "now". This is not something I wanted to learn.
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I think the analogy of the specter of the sinking Capture One ship is not entirely on target for some of us. My version of Capture One (16.3...) works just fine. Having delivered software I could easily use for many years without any new improvements, if the ship sinks, it does so after it delivered what I need. If I need compatibility with a new RAW format or lens, then I will need to find a company with a ship that still sails.
To be clear, I shoot landscapes, wild life, architecture, and street scenes. I run Capture One on a well outfitted Mac Studio Ultra. I am an advanced amateur. I rarely sell a picture. With AI able to produce/forge images from a description of their content, my interest is in recording scenes I actually see.
My attitude does not make me indifferent to improvements, or bug fixes, but folks like me do not support the kind of reliable revenue stream Capture One needs, hence their embrace of subscriptions.
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In my analogy the ship is Capture One, the company. The cargo is Capture One the software. Analogies are tricky and inherently imperfect. Regardless, you make good points.
1. Regarding OS changes. Absolutely, if you upgrade the OS to an incompatible version, you have to upgrade the version of Capture One, and I could have included that to be complete. My point was more related to what happens if Capture One is no longer in the market. Right now my Mac Studio runs the current version well and I would be faced with keeping the computer, not updating the OS, and running it off line or in a virtual machine with a compatible OS not attached to the internet if there was an OS incompatibility. This hard choice likely would not come for years, at which point, I would be looking for another piece of software if I did not want to freeze my system or run Capture One in a virtual machine.
2. By the time I chose to stay with version 16.3, I think I would have tested my workflow sufficiently to know if I had bugs I could not live with. Again, I am thinking about what I would do if Capture One was never upgraded, again.
3. I agree with that risk. My catalog is large and at some point, the edited images might not be able to be exported to another application without converting to TIFF or some other exportable format. If another vendor offered software with something I would love to have, I would be stuck.
4. Yup. I am more comfortable with the limits of the current version of Capture One than not being able to upgrade my camera, RAW format, or lenses.
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My point was more related to what happens if Capture One is no longer in the market.
If I am not mistaken, they (or someone else) need to keep the activation and license checking servers running (do you think they would do?), otherwise your C1 installation would not open anymore after a few weeks.
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Perpetual licenses are not checked to maintain activation, only subscriptions.
I wrote to Capture One support about this last year about this:
Jan 10, 2023, 17:13 GMT+1
In the community discussions, there is discussion about whether or not Capture One checks with the company every 30 days, or some other interval, to make sure a perpetual license is still valid, failing which the software will not work. If so, this would mean one must maintain an internet connection even if one is not updating the software under a perpetual license. The suggested articles do not address this concern.
So, will a perpetual license work in perpetuity if one does not have an internet connection?
If not, how often must one connect to the internet to maintain the license and how is this done?They replied:
Gemma Moustafa (Capture One)
Jan 11, 2023, 10:09 GMT+1
Dear Jerry,
Thank you for reaching out.
To clarify, using the software doesn't prompt you to be constantly online. You can work offline as long as you wish with a perpetual licence. To use the software on a subscription basis, you must maintain the internet connection for Capture One to be able to validate and reconfirm your valid subscription license in terms of regular payments.
Only perpetual Capture One Pro licenses can be activated offline. If you have a subscription, trial, or Express license - then you cannot activate your license offline.
You should be able to use a perpetual license offline (without Internet access) for as long as you wish, only needing to use internet when upgrading.
If at any point you have receive a message instructing you to re-authenticate your perpetual license please let me know.
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Thank you for clarifying this!
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Good point and not part of my question to support last year. No reinstallation without validation. How this can be done offline was not explained in my correspondence. You might want to write to support to explain the off line validation process.
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This article shows what Capture One means by off-line activation: https://support.captureone.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002468637-How-to-activate-Capture-One#h_01GGSDNPE0FZPNVPKSGR9XEA2G After reading this article, I sent a question to Capture One support regarding the steps for off-line activation when you do not have internet access.
As you can see, the instructions in the article are oxymoronic. You have to be able to access the Capture One web site to activate "off-line." I especially liked the part where they tell you to go to the off-line activation web page.
The universal fear software vendors have about their software being copied without being paid probably means the need for an internet connection to validate a license is also universal. It may be time to make a TIFF copy of your images so they can be imported into another image editor without losing the edits, just in case.
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@... Have you recently uninstalled or updated Capture One 22? Or modified/deleted the preferences file? Because it sounds like Capture One is starting from scratch.
You can reload your saved workspace by going to Window > Workspace – of course if you didn't save your workspace, you'll have to rearrange and then save the changes.
If this continues to happen, or even for this instance (providing you are inline with the system requirements) please let our support team know.
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@...
Out of curiosity, which v22 build do you use, and why?
Cheers,
BeO (15.2)0
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