Capture One has released a spring update to its namesake photo editing application. Bringing the software to version 21.1 (or 14.1 to use the actual software version number), this new release adds two new features as well as the usual round of bug fixes and new camera and lens support.

Large Viewer in the import window.

Im sure this will be a “finally” for some people, but Capture One will now finally let you see a full image in the import viewer. Previously you could scale up thumbnails to a large size but you could never see a full size single image.

This can now be activated by either double clicking on an image in the import window, toggling grid and large new with the “G” key or by clicking on the “viewer” icon in the top right of the import window.

This will give you a full size image, as well as a film strip down the side. With the keyboard shortcuts you can now quickly go through your images and flag them for import. By default all images are picked, but you can quickly unpick them all by clicking on the “Pick All” checkbox at the bottom of the import window. You can then toggle a pick on or off by using the space bar, or you can use the S key to set an image as a pick, or A to unpick. (Using the space bar as a toggle is much easier).

Style Brushes

The second new feature is a major one called style brushes. Style brushes is a new way to work with brushes and layers, and once you see it in action, you’ll appreciate what a time saver it can be.

Basically, style brushes are a way to create a new layer with parameters already set, and also load brush settings at the same time. It means that you can apply local adjustments with one click, instead of the several steps it would have previously taken to complete the same task.

When I first read the release notes for this, I didn’t really get it. But once I used it I realised what a big deal it is.

You can find the new Style Brushes panel in the exposure tool tab, just below layers. If you don’t see it, you may be using a customised layout, and you can manually add it by right clicking on the tool tab icon, and choosing “add tool > style brushes”

Inside the Style Brushes panel there are two options: “Custom Style Brushes” and “Built-in Style Brushes” Custom Style Brushes are where you will find style brushes that you create yourself, and Built-in Style Brushes are where you will find the ones that come with the system. They have included quite a few already, and more than enough to get you started.

How does it work?

To give you an idea of how they work, let’s give you an example. In the image below, I want to darken the sky a little.

In the previous version of Capture One, this would be my workflow:

Create New Filled Layer
Make the necessary adjustments to darken the sky
Invert the layer mask
Set my brush options
Brush on the adjustment.

(Now, I know there are different ways to do this, but this is how I would do it)

With style brushes, here’s what I would do:

Select the Burn (Darken) Style Brush
Brush it on

As you can see, it significantly simplifies the workflow.

One of the things that I’ve noticed is that most of the pre-built style brushes have the “flow” setting in the brush options set to quite low, so you can gently build up a selective adjustment. You can change this of course, but it actually works quite well.

When you select a Style Brush, it automatically selects the brush tool and loads the brush settings from the saved style brush. As soon as you start painting, it will create a new layer named after that brush. Not only that but the layer and the brush settings are linked. When you use another style brush it will then create another layer, and the brush settings for that layer will be linked to it. When you click on a style brush layer, it will automatically load the brush settings for that layer. This isn’t necessarily the brush settings from the style brush, but rather the last settings you used on that layer. You can actually now link brushes to layers, even if you didn’t use a style brush, and when you select that layer, it will load the brush settings you last used on that layer. This option is available in the brush settings pop-up.

Creating Your Own

You can also create your own Style Brushes. This is very easy. Simply add a layer and apply the adjustments you want to save. You can then set the brush options that you want to save, and link them to the layer. Then from the Style Brushes menu choose the option to save a brush. This will bring up a dialog box with the option that you can include as part of the style, and then let you save it.

In the past I’ve sed AppleScript to load a layer with the correct settings already applied, but that only worked not he Mac, and now we have the option to do this built in, albeit only with brushes. The effect is more or less the same though.

A little while ago, I did a video on YouTube about how to do skin softening in Capture One, and the process was a little convoluted to get it set up. Now I can just create a Style Brush for the settings, and it’s a once click option to load it. So well done Capture One

Other New Features

There are some other minor features and camera support in this update too.

Maximum viewer zoom has increased from 400% to 1600%. This is useful if you have a high resolution (6K or 8K) display.
Improved visibility of keystone tool: The keystone tool now has brighter and clearer lines and handles making it easier to see.
Brush and Eraser linking: As mentioned above, you can now link brush and eraser settings to a layer.
More Pro Standard Raw Profiles added (see below)

New Camera Support

Support for the following cameras have been added with this release:

Fujifilm GFX 100S
Fujifilm X-E4
Sony a1*
Canon SX70 HS
Panasonic DC-GX800
Panasonic DC-GX850
Panasonic DC-GX880
Panasonic DC-GF10
Panasonic DC-GF90
Panasonic DC-GF9
*Sony Lossless compressed RAW not supported yet

Availability

Capture One 21.1 is available now, and is a free update to existing Capture One 21 users. If you’re already using 21 you can find the update by going to the Capture One menu and choosing “Check for Updates”.

If you don’t have Capture One, you can download a trial version here, or learn more about the available options here.

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