I’m Switching to the Capture One Fujifilm RAW Converter
I’ve been a long-time user of Lightroom, but I’ve decided to change. I’m now using Capture One Fujifilm and I want to explain why. If you shoot with a Fuji and currently use Lightroom, I urge you to read this article.
Capture One Past Experience
This isn’t the first time I’ve used Capture One. Looking back at my order history I can see that I purchased Capture One 4 back in 2008 but I was using the free Express edition before this. I then upgraded through various versions, ending up with Capture One Pro 9. More recently I’ve used the two free Express editions for Sony and Fuji RAW files.
What I found with all these versions is that I loved the images the software produced. The colours appeared real and the images had depth. As a landscape photographer, this is very important to me. Also important is that I didn’t need much post-processing outside of Capture One. The images just seemed to look great, especially when there were tricky lighting conditions.
The Importance of Keywording
As well as Capture One I’ve also used Phase One’s Media Pro. This was the photo management software which I previously used for keywording before Lightroom. Originally it was an application called iView which Microsoft bought and turned into Expression Media. Microsoft did the usual trick of adding lots of unnecessary features which made the software useless for professional photographers (for example enforced image sharpening that you couldn’t turn off). Phase One then purchased the software and launched it as Media Pro. Capture One Pro now includes some of its features but I’m yet to find out how much.
Why Did I Continue with Lightroom?
Given my past positive experience, you may be wondering why I continued with Lightroom. Well, Lightroom is still a great tool and I have years of keywording and asset management tied up in my Lightroom Catalog. That’s a large investment which I can’t easily transfer over to another platform.
In addition, I did have some concerns over the Capture One image quality when I was shooting with Micro 43 cameras. When converting images from Panasonic and Olympus RAW files, they looked great until you zoomed in at 100% magnification. Some of the images then looked a little “gritty” which I didn’t like.
The Fuji Factor
Despite these past niggles, I’ve now decided to switch to using Capture One as my RAW converter. What’s changed my mind was shooting with a Fuji X-T2 and more recently Fuji X-T3. If you’re not a Fuji shooter, it may be difficult to appreciate the problems when processing Fuji RAF files in Lightroom. If you want to get a taste for this, try a Google search for “Fuji XTrans Wiggly Worm”. Some people claim they never see these, but my experience has been that I can see them, even in images other people claim are clean.
There are lots of theories on the web as to what causes this effect. Most people suggest problems with sharpening. Whilst sharpening is a factor, I think it only exaggerates the problem. The real issue is the Demosaic routine Adobe use in Lightroom. They even made mention of it when releasing their “Enhanced Detail” feature, although the problems disguised by marketing speak.
As part of my search for a solution I initially worked with Iridient Developer and then XTransformer. XTransformer does the initial Demosaic of the Fuji RAW file. It then saves this to a DNG which Lightroom can then process without any problem. The results are good, but it adds time, creates more files and the colours still aren’t great. That’s when I decided to try the Free Capture One Express Fuji version.
The only thing I can say is Wow! There’s no wiggly work effect. The tones and contrast are excellent, and the colour is superb. I also can’t believe how much fine detail and sharpness Capture One can pull out of the Fuji RAF files.
Following a successful trip to shoot landscapes in Scotland, I found myself processing my best images in Capture One. The results were simply much better than I was achieving in Lightroom and with less post-processing. That made my decision to switch from Lightroom to the Fuji Pro version of Capture One.
Future Plans and Workflow
At present, I’m only using the processing capabilities of Capture One because I have a lot of effort invested in my Lightroom Catalog. I would need to move Keywords, Flags, Ratings, Labels and Location information as well as establish new keyword vocabularies. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that yet. Having said that, I am going to explore the keywording and Metadata tools in Capture One. I have a funny feeling they may be very useful.
For now, I’m content to explore the editing side of the Capture One Fujifilm. The results when processing my Fuji XTrans RAW files are really exciting me. I’ll be sharing more about this software and how I’m using it in the future.
If you haven’t tried Capture One (especially if you’re a Fuji shooter), you should. You can find out more here
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[crp]
Hello, do you know if the problem of worms is solved equally efficiently in capture One pro (for all cameras) than in capture one pro for fuji?
By “all cameras” I’m assuming you mean all Fuji XTrans cameras as I’m not aware of any other sensors that see this issue but I’m happy to hear if there are. I have only tried the files for the X-T1, X-T2 and X-T3 in Capture One Pro for Fuji but the results looked the same as the free Fuji Capture One as far as removing the worms. As I always recommend, if you’re thinking of investing in software be sure to download the trial version and use it with a range of your RAW files. Even if you like the results, you may not like using the software.
Dear Robin Thank you for the November news letter as usual some wonderful images and very informative reading. As i have mentioned before I have used capture one pro on and off for some years. But now I am serous thinking of going over to capture one from Lightroom. The images processed in capture one gives me a better image than one processed in Lightroom, I find that I do less work on an image in capture one, with far better results even magnified to 100% from my Nikon D810 camera.
Best Wishes.
John Steadman.
Thanks John. It’s good to know that the software also produces excellent results with Nikon files. I’ve been very happy with the results for my Fuji. As well as having great detail and as you say requiring less processing, the colours are superb.
Hi Robin I am using Capture One Pro for Sony but have purchased a second camera a Fuji IR converted can I also run Capture One Express for Fuji on the same PC without any conflicts.
Thanks
Alex
Hi Alex, yes you can but you may run into a problem where you need to switch licenses. It’s very similar to the problem (and solution) I describe in this article https://lenscraft.co.uk/photography-blog/capture-one-express-fujifilm-launched/. If you run into issues I would report them to Phase One who I’m sure will be able to correct it.
Hi Robin. For years we have learned Lightroom and Photoshop through your tutorials and councils. I beg you that so many of us who are now improving our development in such applications do not abandon us by migrating your style to Capture One, since many of us do not feel able to start with other development software. Thank you. Jorge
Hi Jorge, Thanks for your comment and I understand your concern. What I want to explain is that whilst I have switched to Capture One for my Fuji RAW conversions, I haven’t abandoned Lightroom, Photoshop or any of the other tools I use. I still intend to cover all of these in my videos and tutorials. As I explain in the post, the Adobe conversion of Fuji RAW files simply isn’t acceptable and has even resulted in work being rejected by one stock library for having a “false” appearance. All this means is that I will now be including Capture One tutorials and videos, which is also something a lot of people have requested. All the best. Robin
I too would be interested in the answer to Steve Howland’s query (on 06/07/2019 at 9:28 am)
“…I would want to be able to output selected raw files from LR to the free Captureone Fuji Express for processing and return them to LR. Is that possible and is that a workflow you might be able to explain sometime? I think I need to download it and try it.”
I would be interested in this process, i.e. exporting from LR to C1 and back to LR.
I’ve been looking into this and it’s not currently possible as far as I can tell. Although you can set up Capture One as an external editor, Lightroom will always process the RAW file and pass the processed image to Capture One. When you want to pass a RAW file to an application, you need the application to appear as a Lightroom Plugin. It then appears under the Plug-in Extras section in the File menu. If you select to edit a RAW file from the Plugin Extras, the RAW is passed to the plugin application for processing. Sorry.
Would either of these work…
Option 1 – If the file was copied from the folder at the system level without the sidecar file, would that be the same as having the RAW file as it was shot directly from the camera?
If so, couldn’t that file then be put in a separate folder, imported into C1 and then exported back into LR with a modified file name such as “picture_a.nef”?
Option #2 – Make a virtual copy of the file in LR, then “reset” it and export it.
Which one of the scenarios (if any) would leave the file as it would have been SOOC and ready for C1 at that point?
I know this is extra steps, but as an interim, trial basis which would be the best implementation?
When Lightroom passes the RAW file to Capture One it will perform a RAW conversion first. There are only two mechanisms that I’ve come across that avoid this:
1. The software receiving the file from Lightroom searches the directory for a RAW file with the same name and then open that RAW file instead. Tools like Iridient developer use this approach.
2. There’s a Lightroom Plugin that passes the RAW file to the external editor for processing and then the processed file is imported back to Lightroom. Tools like On1 and Luminar adopt this approach.
I don’t believe Capture One supports either of these approaches or an alternative at present.
Your first option would work if I understand you correctly but to me, it isn’t an integrated workflow which is what I thought you were looking for.
Great article Robin, finally resolving an issue I have been uncertain about for some time.
Your assessment that the “Fuji” effect in Lightroom is probably due the the Adobe Trans file demosaicing is most likely correct. I did the following test: Import a RAF file into Capture One Express and immediately (without any adjustments) export it to a 16bit TIFF file. Then import this into Lightroom and process it in the same way as the RAF file. Coming to the sharpening stage, I can push the amount slider in the TIFF file much further than in the RAF file before over-sharpening artefacts appear. In particular, the “Fuji worms” don’t seem to show up and the Capture One file is noticeably sharper.
I did the same test with RawTherapy and SilkyPix (for Fuji) and Capture One is clearly the best of the bunch. My future workflow will be to pass my RAF files through Capture One before further editing in Lightroom/Photoshop.
Thanks for prompting me to do these tests and I hope my results contribute to clarifying this issue.
Thanks Joost for contributing your test. I reached my own conclusion following similar tests but with Iridient XTransformer. XTransformer converts the Fuji RAF file to DNG format which Lightroom can then read. I processed files that showed the worms using XTransformer and when the DNG was loaded in Lightroom the worms were gone. Whilst I could achieve good quality images with XTransformer the colours were still very much Lightroom. I find that Capture One produces a more natural look and the colours are superb, especially for subjects like sunsets.
Thanks Robin. I too have recently moved away from LR and have started using Capture One for Fuji. I have watched a number of your videos demonstrating the different raw developers. This along with the trial version pushed me over the edge so to speak. Capture One does, imho, the best job at rendering Fuji raw files. Plus the fact that every Fuji lens I own shows up in the Capture One database.
Thanks for sharing your expertise. I look forward to more tutorials.
Thank you. I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen so far and will be providing tutorials in the future.
Hi Robin
Heartening to hear a committed Fuji Guy obtaining better rendition in Capture One.
I have run LR and C1 for 6 months to decide whether to give up on LR and just stick with C 1 plus Nix plug-ins. It’s an expensive way of doing it but after a range of subjects and using GfX50s, XT 2 and more recently the GFX 100 to produce them C 1 is just easier and files have to be worked less to yield very satisfying results. The Fuji film simulation profiles in the colour tab are a big leg up – I do think they closely approximate the in camera jpeg menu and so processing of your RAW file can begin from those pleasing reference points. I’m almost done with shooting a JPEG reference image. I miss HDR and Pano merge and the history tab of LR is not really mirrored in C1.
As someone with utterly meagre processing skills and little time to improve them I am looking forward to you now distilling the essence of C1 processing in your inimitable clear style so I can get more out of my photos.
Bring on the C1 training videos.
I find myself opening LR less and less.
Hi Darrel,
Thanks for adding your thoughts. It appears my experience with C1 mirrors yours. The files don’t need much additional processing and often look good without adjustment. I also agree that the stitching and HDR features of LR are missed. If you don’t already have Affinity Photo I would recommend trying these features in that (very affordable) software.
Thank you Robin for the news letter, some very good information particularly on capture one. I have used capture one pro on and off for some years now, and I have found that it does produce superb images from my Nikon cameras. I do still yous Lightroom mostly but I may go over to capture one in the future. I shall look forward to any articles you may write about capture one in the future.
Best Wishes.
John.
Thanks John, I will certainly be doing more on Capture One in the future.
Great stuff Robin as always. When all said and done, for me, Lightroom Classic remains the best complete package when managing thousands of photos and the most efficient way of importing the raw files and cataloguing them, along with some good processing tools. It is also true that there is software that perform certain processing aspects better, but not the complete DAM part. As a Fuji user for over two years I am well aware of the wiggly worms in LR. It is something that is very evident in certain types of images. So, as a lazy photographer who likes to keep things simple, and someone who rarely outputs images that would reveal the worm weakness, I would want to be able to output selected raw files from LR to the free Captureone Fuji Express for processing and return them to LR. Is that possible and is that a workflow you might be able to explain sometime? I think I need to download it and try it.
That’s probably why I kept with Lightroom for so long. The DAM aspect is very good. BUT, if Capture One has integrated the the DAM tools from Media Pro, I will probably start using it for keywording and management. I much preferred using iView to Lightroom and Media Pro is still very similar. It’s pure digital asset management. We shall see.
Robin, I first trialed Capture 1 as it changed from Capture One Pro 9 to version 10. Initially I found it awkward to use and I tended to use it alongside Lightroom as an alternative for post processing. However, I persevered and I too found the results generally more pleasing than Lightroom. At the beginning of this year I switch away from Lightroom for cataloguing and RAW conversion. The deciding factor for me was the ease of processing my photos when away from my desktop. Away from home I use a Windows laptop. I always had difficulty integrating my laptop results with my main catalogue on my desktop. I have on occasion corrupted my main catalogue and had to resort to a backup copy -not ideal. It was just too complicated for me. Instead I now use Capture 1 to do all my post processing from within a Capture 1 session. I can then copy and paste the whole session to where I want it on my laptop and then import into my Capture 1 catalogue – never had a problem. I do, however, leave keywords until after importing into the catalogue.
Thanks Alan. It’s interesting to hear your experience and that you have also made the switch. I’ll be doing more with Capture one in the future.
I have had numerous issues with Lightroom and recently it began crashing at launch at least three times per week. I have ditched Lightroom and for that matter, all of Adobe. I use DXO, Affinity and have been dabbling in Dark Table. I am more pleased with the results of the raw files in DXO than I have ever been with any converter.
DxO PhotoLab is another great converter. I use if for old Sony and Micro 43 RAW files as its sharper and cleaner than Lightroom. Unfortunately it doesn’t handle the Fuji XTrans RAW files and they don’t seem to have any idea when or if it will. This is possibly my main reason for moving to Capture One – superb quality for Fuji RAW files.
Never liked the way Capture One processed my Sony files. They looked pumped and unrealistic. No other RAW converter I’ve tried, perhaps with the exception of RawTherapee, seems able to replicate the realistic look my images get when opened in ACR. The sharpening tools within RT are awesome btw. I don’t do any sharpening in ACR.
I think each of us needs to find a look and process we are happy with. I also agree that the sharpening tools in RawTherapee are excellent and it has a dedicated XTrans algorithm for Fuji shooters. The downside is you need a PHD in rocket science to understand many of the adjustment controls.
Robin, I understand completely & totally concur with what you have decided to do. For the very same reasons, I decided a short while ago to also depart from LR & to do all of my basic editing in C1Pro Fuji edition. I also terminated my Adobe subscription & am now using Affinity Photo for the things I used to use PS to do. So far this has worked for me & I have been very pleased with the results for my landscape & architecture photos. I’m starting also to delve into astrophotography & am quite impressed with the initial results I’m getting using C1. But like you, I still haven’t made the switch to bring all of my LR files into C1, & have also been using LR for wide format printing with my Canon printer (I think C1 might work for printing but haven’t figured it out yet). So I applaud your decision & look forward to reading about your C1 experience & advice that you can give to the rest of us. Good luck with it!
Thanks Jed. It’s also nice to hear your experience with respect to Capture One. I’m looking forward to really experimenting with the software to see what’s possible.
I use a Canon 7D2 and Lightroom. Is there any better programme for a Canon?
For Canon, Lightroom does a very good job as it does for Nikon. I would test some images in Lightroom against a trial Capture One and also PhotoLab. I would expect all three to put in a good performance but you will probably notice a difference in colour handling and how much additional post-processing you need. It’s then probably down to personal preference.
Thanks Robin, as a fellow Fuji user (XT1+XT2) my experience with Fuji RAF files seems to have paralleled your own. Dissatisfaction with Lightroom led me to try On1 and Luminar before initially settling upon the Iridient X Transformer route. After trying Capture One I felt it had the edge on sharpness and detail, but not only that, I find the actuall processing time less and the layers feature gives great flexibility without having to use another editor. Phase One produce some good recorded seminars on the features of Capture One, but as a landscape photographer I feel they lack relevent content. Is it too much to hope for that you may create some landscape editing videos that fully exploit its features?
Thanks Gordon. I definitely agree with your comments about the processing videos. Most companies produce general videos that don’t consider the needs of the Landscape Photographer. Yes, I do intend to produce some Capture One content for Landscape work.
There is a 3 part video for Landscape using Capture One in youtube – it was done by On Landscape and features images from the highlands. Maybe worth a look, I have no involvement with any of the parties, just thought it worth pointing out as I enjoyed it.
Thanks. I will take a look.
Good article, hopefully you will continue to share your progress with Capture One, especially with regard to the keywording and the whole Asset Management side of things.
I have been holding back fully switching from Nikon to Fuji because of the wriggly worm issue, and although Capture One offer the express version for free, I would want to end up using one post processing suite for Nikon/Fuji/Sony, i.e. whatever I am using at the time. So a little like fuji’s gateway drug, the X100 series, Capture One express would I expect lead me to having to purchase the full suite, but the blocker currently (aside from the cost) is the cataloguing/asset management side of things.
Thanks David. Yes, I will be sharing more about my progress with Capture One and will be covering the asset management side as well. I’m still continuing with Lightroom for the purposes of keywording (at the moment). I will also continue to produce videos and books about Lightroom but for Fuji processing, it’s going to be Capture One. What I would really love is for Capture One to produce an add-in for Lightroom similar to Skylum, that passes the RAW file over to Capture One.
Thank you for the article. I found it helpful and affirming. I switched to Capture One Pro for Fujifilm about 5 months ago. The reason for the change was the “worm” effect on my photos in Lightroom. I now use Capture One, Photoshop and Luminar Flex plus DXO
I have had a few problems with Capture One Pro for Fujifilm: it’s been randomly . closing down ( I’m a Mac user). Also on one occasion a catalogue was deleted. I’m sure this fault is being addressed.
Thanks for adding your experience. It’s sort of comforting that others have experienced the worm effect and made the same switch before me. I’m running Capture One mainly on my Mac and haven’t experienced any problems yet. I’m starting to see that a few of these companies are making big quality improvements and are really challenging Adobe. This is a good thing for the photographer.
Totally agree Robin.
I bought an X-T20 last year and was very disappointed with the results in Lightroom. Using the Capture One express for Fuji software produced much better images and when the full version was on offer recently I bought it. There’s a lot to learn but I’m very pleased at how much better the vibrancy & sharpness is.
Still use Lightroom & Photoshop for my Canon stuff.
Best wishes
Thanks. It’s hard to believe the difference you can achieve for Fuji RAW files using Capture One compared to Lightroom. Yesterday I decided to push the capture sharpening a little further on some RAW files from the X-T3 and the results were excellent. There are also some quite nifty tools in the Pro version that I need to find time to explore. I can understand you still using Lightroom for Canon; it does a great job of those files.