Lightroom 5 & Capture One Pro 7 & Media Pro - comparing usability as a photo-processing catalog
Inside there is a summary table in which I compare the capabilities of the programs in terms of ease of storage, organizing the archive of photographs and processing of these photographs.
There is a large catalog of photos - 15 thousand pieces. These are old scanned photos, photos from the first soap cases, RAW from a DSLR, some video clips from cameras.
Task: to store all this in a convenient form so that you can quickly find the right photos at any time.
Convenient filtering tools (to finally remove the extra 99 frames from 100 taken at a serial shooting, etc.).
A convenient editor for processing photos (without collages, editing, etc. - just processing to enhance its prettiness) closer to the professional (Picasa is definitely weak).
')
Mandatory cross-platform at least MacOS-Windows. Linux is desirable, but I have not found one.
For several years I used Lightroom 4, then switched to Lightroom 5.
Reasons for finding an alternative:
1. there are no hot keys for some frequently used tools and there is no possibility to configure them. Even the special MacOS functionality for setting a hot key on any menu item does not fit - because these commands are not in the menu, only the buttons in the interface window.
2. Adobe transition to subscription model. Lightroom is still available for a traditional one-time purchase, but this policy can also change at any time for Photoshop. I understand that this is a convenient business model, but I do not want to pay subscribers. fee - in the long run it is not profitable.
3. Lightroom requires communication with the Adobe licensing server. This is not very critical, but I would like the possibility of absolutely autonomous work.
4. I would like the possibility of local face recognition in photographs like in Picasa and iPhoto (but for some reason I haven’t met with such amateur and professional solutions)
5. No cloud solutions
There are two ways to pay for it: by subscription as part of Creative Cloud and by purchasing a permanent license. Adobe explicitly imposes a subscription and on the button How to buy offers only this way. The usual purchase button must be searched, it is almost hidden.
No work with layers. There are brushes that can be used to improve individual areas, but you cannot apply several tools in the same area - for each tool, you need to select the area manually, there is no way to simply select such a half-layer - you need to guess where the change was made and what tools, instead of choosing from the named list.
In case of shooting with GPS, there is their support and display on the map, there is a definition of cities using GPS from a snapshot. You can also set manually if you select IPTC or Location in the Metadata section.
It is possible to edit the color settings at a given point (brightness, saturation, etc.) while it seems that the parameters change in nearby colors too. Editing is done quickly and conveniently, but for example, adjusting the "proximity" of colors to which the effect will not apply.
There is full support for layers. The possibility of complex filters (an arbitrary set of fields with arbitrary conditions) - only by creating a smart collection. In Lightroom, this can be done simply when viewing photos, it is convenient to gradually refine the search criteria.
Very cool thing about editing color ranges.
You can customize the range itself, and then apply changes to it. The tool works including and on the layers - a very convenient combination. First, approximately select the area for editing, without the need to adjust it pixel-by-pixel, and then apply the changes to the range of colors in this area.
For mass image processing, I didn’t find the auto-sync feature as in Lightroom. Those. You can copy the settings and apply them on several photos, but synchronize them - so that the changes right in the process of setting are applied to several photos. The function is interesting, but the practical use seems doubtful to me.
Unfortunately, tag hierarchies are not supported - just a flat list of keywords.
The application of changes slows down in comparison with Lightroom, where everything is applied immediately and without brakes.
Catalog from phaseone (developer capture pro), is offered as a professional solution for photo cataloging. In particular, as a collaboration tool with CaptureOne.
There is almost no possibility to process photos in the program - the settings are minimal, inconvenient. There is no automation, even white balance — instead, setting each color channel separately for the whole photo at once without selecting an area. No smart collections and no tools at all for complex filters. Those. The maximum that can be done is to choose photos by date / tags where all conditions are fulfilled at the same time or any of them is executed. Those. for example, it is impossible to select in a simple way all the photos in Moscow that do not have a Kremlin. Even if all tags are affixed. In Lightroom it is possible, in Capture One it is also possible through smart collections.
There are features mark people / places in the photo. They work on the principle of tags, only in separate windows, there is no automatic recognition of people (as in Picasa or iPhoto). No auto-completion when typing keywords. In general, relatively Lightroom looks short.
At the moment, in terms of the amount of impressions Lightroom is the best, Capture One loses it only in the capabilities of the catalog - as an editor it is much stronger. If you begin to support hierarchical tags - you can go to it. If complex filtering is added to this without creating smart collections, you can proceed straight away.
MediaPro as just a directory can be nothing, but still weak - neither arbitrary filtering, nor smart collections. Only needed as an addition to CaptureOne for tag hierarchy, not more. The developer offers to confuse MediaPro and CaptureOne, but in two programs it is already inconvenient to work - for example, there will be a problem with virtual copies of photos from Capture one - they will not be shown in MediaPro. When editing a picture in capture one, the thumbnail in mediapro is not updated and I am sure a lot of small things are still there.
The transfer of directory metadata from LightRoom to CaptureOne is relatively painless. Keywords and directories (not smart) are saved. The hierarchy of keywords, color categories, rating is lost. Color categories and rating can be transferred through the appointment of additional. there are not many keywords and this should not be a problem.
The problem will be with virtual copies of photos and processed images. Processing is not transferred between programs, even if the changes are stored in xmp, so during a global move you will first need to render all the RAW photos in which you need to save the changes and move with RAW + JPEG.
initial situation
There is a large catalog of photos - 15 thousand pieces. These are old scanned photos, photos from the first soap cases, RAW from a DSLR, some video clips from cameras.
Task: to store all this in a convenient form so that you can quickly find the right photos at any time.
Convenient filtering tools (to finally remove the extra 99 frames from 100 taken at a serial shooting, etc.).
A convenient editor for processing photos (without collages, editing, etc. - just processing to enhance its prettiness) closer to the professional (Picasa is definitely weak).
')
Mandatory cross-platform at least MacOS-Windows. Linux is desirable, but I have not found one.
For several years I used Lightroom 4, then switched to Lightroom 5.
Reasons for finding an alternative:
1. there are no hot keys for some frequently used tools and there is no possibility to configure them. Even the special MacOS functionality for setting a hot key on any menu item does not fit - because these commands are not in the menu, only the buttons in the interface window.
2. Adobe transition to subscription model. Lightroom is still available for a traditional one-time purchase, but this policy can also change at any time for Photoshop. I understand that this is a convenient business model, but I do not want to pay subscribers. fee - in the long run it is not profitable.
3. Lightroom requires communication with the Adobe licensing server. This is not very critical, but I would like the possibility of absolutely autonomous work.
4. I would like the possibility of local face recognition in photographs like in Picasa and iPhoto (but for some reason I haven’t met with such amateur and professional solutions)
5. No cloud solutions
Lightroom
There are two ways to pay for it: by subscription as part of Creative Cloud and by purchasing a permanent license. Adobe explicitly imposes a subscription and on the button How to buy offers only this way. The usual purchase button must be searched, it is almost hidden.
No work with layers. There are brushes that can be used to improve individual areas, but you cannot apply several tools in the same area - for each tool, you need to select the area manually, there is no way to simply select such a half-layer - you need to guess where the change was made and what tools, instead of choosing from the named list.
In case of shooting with GPS, there is their support and display on the map, there is a definition of cities using GPS from a snapshot. You can also set manually if you select IPTC or Location in the Metadata section.
It is possible to edit the color settings at a given point (brightness, saturation, etc.) while it seems that the parameters change in nearby colors too. Editing is done quickly and conveniently, but for example, adjusting the "proximity" of colors to which the effect will not apply.
CaptureOne 7 PRO
There is full support for layers. The possibility of complex filters (an arbitrary set of fields with arbitrary conditions) - only by creating a smart collection. In Lightroom, this can be done simply when viewing photos, it is convenient to gradually refine the search criteria.
Very cool thing about editing color ranges.
You can customize the range itself, and then apply changes to it. The tool works including and on the layers - a very convenient combination. First, approximately select the area for editing, without the need to adjust it pixel-by-pixel, and then apply the changes to the range of colors in this area.
For mass image processing, I didn’t find the auto-sync feature as in Lightroom. Those. You can copy the settings and apply them on several photos, but synchronize them - so that the changes right in the process of setting are applied to several photos. The function is interesting, but the practical use seems doubtful to me.
Unfortunately, tag hierarchies are not supported - just a flat list of keywords.
The application of changes slows down in comparison with Lightroom, where everything is applied immediately and without brakes.
Media pro
Catalog from phaseone (developer capture pro), is offered as a professional solution for photo cataloging. In particular, as a collaboration tool with CaptureOne.
There is almost no possibility to process photos in the program - the settings are minimal, inconvenient. There is no automation, even white balance — instead, setting each color channel separately for the whole photo at once without selecting an area. No smart collections and no tools at all for complex filters. Those. The maximum that can be done is to choose photos by date / tags where all conditions are fulfilled at the same time or any of them is executed. Those. for example, it is impossible to select in a simple way all the photos in Moscow that do not have a Kremlin. Even if all tags are affixed. In Lightroom it is possible, in Capture One it is also possible through smart collections.
There are features mark people / places in the photo. They work on the principle of tags, only in separate windows, there is no automatic recognition of people (as in Picasa or iPhoto). No auto-completion when typing keywords. In general, relatively Lightroom looks short.
Comparison table
| Criterion | Lightroom 5 | CaptureOne 7 PRO | Media pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $ 9.99 / month or $ 149 | € 229.00 | € 139.00 |
| Cataloging and processing in one program | + | + | - |
| Quick import of photos | ± | - | + |
| The possibility of hierarchical organization of tags | + | - | + |
| Do not import duplicates | + | - | - |
| Difficult filtering by arbitrary parameters | + | ± | - |
| Smart Collections | + | + | - |
| Installation on a poppy in the style of poppy (just drag and drop into the program folder) | - | + | + |
| Work with layers | - / + | + | - |
| Edit the gap colors | - | + | - |
| Mark people / cities in a photo | ± | + | + |
| Quality management generated thumbs when importing | + | - | - |
| Fine processing of individual frames | + | ++ | - |
| Fast template processing of several (many) images simultaneously | + | ± | + |
| Customize the interface for yourself | - | + | did not understand, maybe yes |
Total:
At the moment, in terms of the amount of impressions Lightroom is the best, Capture One loses it only in the capabilities of the catalog - as an editor it is much stronger. If you begin to support hierarchical tags - you can go to it. If complex filtering is added to this without creating smart collections, you can proceed straight away.
MediaPro as just a directory can be nothing, but still weak - neither arbitrary filtering, nor smart collections. Only needed as an addition to CaptureOne for tag hierarchy, not more. The developer offers to confuse MediaPro and CaptureOne, but in two programs it is already inconvenient to work - for example, there will be a problem with virtual copies of photos from Capture one - they will not be shown in MediaPro. When editing a picture in capture one, the thumbnail in mediapro is not updated and I am sure a lot of small things are still there.
The transfer of directory metadata from LightRoom to CaptureOne is relatively painless. Keywords and directories (not smart) are saved. The hierarchy of keywords, color categories, rating is lost. Color categories and rating can be transferred through the appointment of additional. there are not many keywords and this should not be a problem.
The problem will be with virtual copies of photos and processed images. Processing is not transferred between programs, even if the changes are stored in xmp, so during a global move you will first need to render all the RAW photos in which you need to save the changes and move with RAW + JPEG.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/230889/
All Articles