Today we will talk about the Styles for Capture One Pro, in particular the Complete Package. We will analyze how the set of these software packages can be used in the development of your photographs. Having all the packages available allows a wide range of changes with a few clicks
From the aunt RAW development software stands out Capture One Pro (the software of Phase One) which, unlike the competition, is an “all inclusive” solution capable of allowing full file management up to the final print on paper. The spearhead of Capture One Pro is the management of color and black and white; thanks to it carry out many fine adjustments on color and on black and white it is really simple since its controls are extremely selective and effective. Through these fine adjustments it is possible to correct all unwanted dominants and add them according to your taste, insert grain to simulate the yield of films, distort the color rendering of a photo, search for particularly “sinuous” colors or try to reproduce particular effects of the past. In practice Capture One Pro allows a huge amount of operations to act on practically every aspect of the first images.
Phase One offers various presets that perform many actions simultaneously in order to speed up post production times. These presets can be purchased in different packages and are available on the official website. We have already talked about these packages individually in other previous and more in-depth articles. In this article we will limit ourselves to expose / repeat (for those who missed the previous episodes) what the various packages offer, and why in our opinion a professional should have them all available.
Black & White Styles
At a cost of € 69 + VAT, Black & White Styles ben offer 15 preset ready for the black and white. Among these there are 11 presets with “smooth and perfect” rendering and 4 more particular presets that recall the grain of the film. These are especially useful for RAW files generated at high ISO. What this package aims to do is provide an excellent starting point for your photography. In fact, each preset is such that it is completely different from all the other presets. But how do they differ?
To understand this we will propose the same image in succession with an indication of the profile used (the choice of the image was not random: all the main colors are present on the blurred target at the bottom; Green, and a white shirt that emphasizes the differences between the various Styles).
The main differences are felt in the reading of the color and in the different reading of the luminance characteristic even on white or black surfaces. It is also noticeable that none of these elaborations return a flat rendering. Indeed processing already offers a well-balanced black and white that can already be seen as a final result in our RAW processing. Certainly a result that beats the competition both in terms of yield and in terms of practicality. Think for example of the workflow of a wedding (about 3-4 thousand RAW to be processed): every second recovered in the processing of a single photo is precious.
Matte Styles
“Matte Styles” offers a modern and refined rendering in many types of photography; travel, wedding, reportage, but also still life and urban landscape. At a cost of € 69 + VAT, Matte Styles offers 16 preset (including two in Black and White) that provide matte rendering in various shades. This package in particular is to provide ready-made files with this particular type of rendering, and as Phase One’s habit, an excellent base from which to start for the processing of fino. Here’s how the various presets change the rendering of the same shot:
Each of these presets is a perfect expression of pleasing tones that guide the eye by emphasizing the scene, each in a different way. Each preset enhances tones rather than others and overall, Matte Styles manages to enhance the tones of each image by providing different ways of telling the same scene. It certainly favors some photographic genres over others, but on the whole these presets are so pleasant as to make you imagine many possible readings of the same image. The beauty is to be able to have such a wide choice just a click away. The work is greatly simplified and it becomes easy to manage huge image streams. It can also be stacked with other packages, always keeping clearly visible the style and “class” that this type of color rendering brings with it.
Seasonal Styles
At a cost of € 69 + VAT, Seasonal Styles, offer 15 preset which change the color rendering of the image. No Preset Integrates Grain: These are presets that aim for maximum cleanliness of the file. This package in particular aims to provide a different color shade that goes to simulate that of particular times of the year. To follow how the various presets modify the same shot:
From the example we can see the transition from “the heat of the summer color” to the cold “of the deep winter”. Each preset tells a different season. A simple click takes us to a different season. Seasonal Style therefore offers a complete package for color rendering. It lends itself very well to the portrait genre in general (people or animals makes no difference). This product gives Capture One Pro “wings” by providing the ability to switch from one rendering to another with just one click. You can further accentuate this by stacking these presets with the “Spectrum” package. It is certainly one of the most exploitable packages at 360 degrees even if clearly its greatest footprint is towards the portrait genre. Like the other packages, it allows you to standardize the rendering and consistency of colors within a presentation and / or a photo exhibition of a specific subject / model.
Movie Styles
“Movie Styles”Is proposed as a link between digital and analog. Phase One worked to have a series of 15 preset which can return this type of return. At the price of 69 € + VAT, Film Styles offers 15 presets (including four in Black and White) suitable for simulate the performance of the film. As you can see, each preset offers a “-” and “+” version which indicates that compared to the reference that preset is “-” contrasted and “+” contrasted. They are thus obtained 45 different combinations already leaving. Below we show you the performance of these presets on a shot in the normal contrast version only:
Each preset corresponds to a different film. Phase One does not state which film the individual presets are inspired by but only indicates that “Film Styles” is inspired by “some of the most famous analogue color and black and white films in history”. After all, they are so well made that one doesn’t even wonder what they correspond to! Who really cares? What matters is the result. This pack is sure to make film nostalgics happy. Obviously you can use them in all photographic genres (as they did at the time) and the presets with more grain lend themselves very well to high ISO images.
Cinematic Styles
At a cost of € 69 + VAT, Cinematic Styles, offer 18 preset (including 2 in black and white) suitable for offering a “Cinematographic” color rendering. Many presets also integrate a certain type of grain to provide a similar rendering to what they are replicating. What this package proposes is to offer many “variants” from which to start without wasting too much time behind the individual photos. Below we show you the differences:
As it is easy to see from the examples, each profile has its own rendering. The “Cinematic Style” package therefore offers a wide range of starting points for our development. We deliberately started from an image with very flat colors to highlight how this package with a simple click is able to give any image a very different visual impact. We are facing a very good product that will save a lot of time for those who decide to use it. Clearly this type of rendering and these colors must like. Another interesting point is the possibility of standardizing the rendering and coherence of colors within a presentation and / or an exhibition of photos that have a specific theme (think of an exhibition on a trip, a wedding album etc. ).
Spectrum Styles
Thanks to Spectrum Styles it is possible to manage with extreme simplicity everything concerning the color casts. They can be used both to correct dominants present in a photograph, and to add our own details, perhaps to emphasize the effect of another Styles. At the price of 49 € + VAT, Film Styles offers 15 preset acts to correct / introduce color casts in photographs. As you can see, each preset offers a “+” version where “+” indicates a greater intensity of the applied effect. They are thus obtained 30 different options already leaving. Below we show you the effect of these presets on a photograph:
You can notice how each preset applied has gone to “neutralize”, “emphasize” or “transform” the colors of the starting image. Which is a great effect: often to achieve this after working on the white point you go to act on the color management sliders on midtones, lights and shadows. If you are not used to this type of modification it often expires in completely unbalanced colors. Many attempts are therefore made before reaching an acceptable result, certainly then with time and habit you will almost immediately arrive at the “ideal” solution … but it is really worth spending time on the manual sliders when with a simple click you already have how much are you looking for?
The user experience of the complete package: the Phase One suite at full “power”
And here we are finally arrived at the conclusions, after having spoken both in individual package-specific articles and after having redone a complete overview of software packages for Capture One Pro. Strictly speaking, the package review is still missing today “Essentials“But since it is only a collection of” fragments “taken from the other packages and restocked for the undecided, this current gap (which will be filled in a few days) does not affect the conclusions below: it would be a useless purchase if you aim to have all the other complete packages.
Going to the point, every single package reviewed to date offers one excellent quality within its scope. These packages work perfectly on their own, but you can see how Phase One has them designed to work together. On balance, all the presets can be complementary to each other, and by “adding up” the effects, other new and customized presets can be obtained.
One of their strengths of presets is their modularity. This does not surprise us being Phase One queen in this sector (currently the leader in the modular medium format sector), and …