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Lightroom or Capture One Pro, Which Raw Processor is Best?

Comments

11 comments

  • Photocor
    Obviously: the one you control for your use.
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  • John Doe
    It's all a matter of taste, really. You'll have to try them both and decide for yourself.
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  • Ian Wilson
    Moderator
    Top Commenter
    I feel that it's a bit like asking whether Nikon or Canon is best. Strengths and weaknesses to both, no doubt, and a lot of personal preference and what you are used to.

    Ian
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  • Ian Leslie
    Ian3 wrote:
    I feel that it's a bit like asking whether Nikon or Canon is best. Strengths and weaknesses to both, no doubt, and a lot of personal preference and what you are used to.

    Ian


    Wow you guys are so nice 😊 To be clear I agree with what Ian and the others wrote in general but you asked on a C1 forum so the answer is clear:

    Capture One is the best!

    Just like if you asked about Nikon vs Cannon on a Cannon forum I would expect "Cannon is best" as the answer and visa versa.

    😂
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  • cdc
    They're both the best.

    Shooting tethered - Capture One
    Giant catalog - Lightroom
    Converting film Negatives - Capture One
    Making Luminosity Masks - Lightroom
    color specific editing/retouching/masks - Capture One
    Culling - Depends, Lightroom can be slow but if you build smart previews it seems to be much quicker to cull.
    Online galleries where clients can make selects, comments, and download, all of which syncs to your catalog - Lightroom
    Et Cetera

    They both have strengths & weakness'
    I haven't seen better/worse image quality out of either program
    In my experience lightroom is slower but more stable, except for tethered shooting.
    I use both programs and the job I'm working on dictates which program I'll use.
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  • Karl N
    Did You buy Capture One? No buy Capture One - No Answer 😊

    Sincerely, trust what You see, Lightroom is also great program, especially ACR
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  • John Doe
    KarolNoe wrote:
    Did You buy Capture One? No buy Capture One - No Answer 😊

    That's what the trial is for. You don't need to purchase it if you want to try it for a few days.
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  • C-M-B
    I feel like I have more control over the colour in Capture One than in Lightroom.
    With Lightroom I feel like I'm on the passenger side, telling the program where I want it to go.
    With Capture One I feel like I'm the one behind the wheel and making precise turns - but that means when I mess something up it's also more obvious in C1than in LR.

    However as others have pointed out - with big catalogs I'd rather go with Lightroom.
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  • SFA
    As a sessions user what options would I have with Lightroom these days?

    Multiple catalogues?
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  • cdc
    SFA wrote:
    As a sessions user what options would I have with Lightroom these days?

    Multiple catalogues?


    Yeah, there is no sessions equivalent so either do everything in one catalog or make multiple catalogs. If you use adobe cc syncing features, online galleries for client proofing that sync with your catalog for example, Adobe only allows syncing to one catalog.
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  • Class A
    shauryasinha wrote:
    I need a clarity based on following parameters

    Image Quality
    The interface
    Managing the image library
    Raw Processing
    Culling
    and etc

    If you want to focus on image quality, C1 is the better choice, because it gives you more control over your editing. This is particularly true regarding colour but also for local adjustments. The skin colour editor alone leaves LR behind in the dust.

    If you want maps, (limited) book production and image uploading to various websites then LR offers all of that.

    In terms of the interface, I much prefer C1 because it does not use "modes" (-> "Don't mode me in."). Every tool and keyboard shortcut is always available and always works the same. Furthermore, you can adapt the interface according to your needs and preferences. You can move tools around to suit your workflow and define keyboard shortcuts for a ton of functions. If you don't like any of the predefined keyboard shortcuts, you can change them. Last time I used LR, it did not feature user-defined keyboard shortcuts, which is inexcusable, AFAIC.

    In terms of managing your image library, C1 provides adequate support. LR may have the edge here and there but few will ever venture were it will make a difference.

    Culling is fine with C1. If only C1 let me deselect an image in a multi-selection with a CTRL-click (and would allow one to promote/demote star ratings relatively rather than absolutely) then I'd find it as capable as LR, despite the latter offering a dedicated compare mode and lighttable mode that can support culling. This is an example for how C1 offers the same or a better experience without the user needing to change modes all the time.

    In terms of responsiveness, I'd expect C1 to have the edge over LR, which should help with efficient culling. LR can run fine on some machines but can be dog slow on others (even though the machines are very powerful in principle). Adobe just very recently started to address their many performance issues, including long established memory leaks. Adobe's poor quality control and insufficient attention to performance were two of the reasons driving me away from them. The other two were an "auto" and "adaptive" approach to everything and their forced subscription model.
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