Replace LR with Capture One

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I am coming rather late to this forum, but the question is still valid, so my input may help.
I do NOT like the rental basis of Adobe. If you stop renting, you lose the edits in LR. That concerned me.
Capture One has a migration tool that enables you to keep all the important edits when transferring to C1. I used it. It takes ages to run, but you only do it once.
I also found that the catalogue system in C1 was slow to load. To compensate, I transferred my LR catalogue in stages and created a new C1 catalogue at each stage. I now have several catalogues I can switch between at will. This is a good opportunity to review your images and do a cull! The latest version of C1 handles catalogues more quickly.
C1 has both rental and a buy-it-once options. I chose the latter, which includes all the updates for the year. Every 2 years I upgrade to the latest version. Discounts are offered, so the expense comes out at less than the rental model that Adobe uses.
In practice, the learning curve is steep, but well worth it. It is so much more powerful than LR. As it uses layers (up to 16) it is much more versatile than LR and has largely eliminated the need for PS for single images.
When I have to use a PS alternative, I use Affinity Photo (combining images, sky replacement and the like). As I recall, this cost about £27 as they run half price offers every so often. Affinity is powerful with the added bonus that very good tutorials are available.
Printing? I print directly out of C1. Not a problem.
I have never regretted the switch out of Adobe.
I hope my experiences are helpful.
That's not exactly correct. If you drop Lightroom later, you don't lose the edits you have already made and you don't lose the catalog. You do lose the ability to make additional edits to those same images and you don't have access to any of the new or changed editing tools and settings.

Editing tools involve very individual and personal choices. What works for me may not work for someone else. For me, Lightroom Classic combined with Photo Mechanic works very well. This morning I edited 130 images in less than two hours in LR - each individually cropped with white balance adjustments.
 
You do not lose your edits in lightroom if you discontinue it. You even get to keep using the Lightroom library module and can export as usual. You can no longer use the develop module is the only thing that really changes.
Thank you for that clarification. I agree. The main point I was making was that these LR edits can be transferred to C1 with their migration tool, so the switch to C1 is complete and LR can be left behind. At the time I switched, C1 was the only raw converter that facilitated the transfer of edits. Since then, I think another raw editor has offered the same; Luminar, I think. If I am wrong, someone will correct me.
 
That's not exactly correct. If you drop Lightroom later, you don't lose the edits you have already made and you don't lose the catalog. You do lose the ability to make additional edits to those same images and you don't have access to any of the new or changed editing tools and settings.

Editing tools involve very individual and personal choices. What works for me may not work for someone else. For me, Lightroom Classic combined with Photo Mechanic works very well. This morning I edited 130 images in less than two hours in LR - each individually cropped with white balance adjustments.
Thank you for your clarification. The more informatiion we can share on alternatives, the better for the whole photography community. There is so much software now available as alternatives for the Adobe products and getting better all the time.
Next month I will run a workshop for artists who wish to produce better images to advertise their individual work: paintings, pottery, jewellery etc. Inevitably they will want to use some post processing software. I am thinking of Gimp as a freeby. Any thoughts, anyone?
 
Nikon NX Studio is a good, free editor from Nikon. It works on Nikon NEF files, all JPEG files, and all TIFF files. It's reasonably intuitive. The killer feature is Control Points - originally developed jointly by Nik when Nikon was a significant owner of Nik. Control points are among the best tools from any software company for local adjustments.

It's really a matter of how sophisticated the user is. Gimp is a good product, but it is quite powerful and as such is probably beyond the capability of most novices.
 
Nikon NX Studio is a good, free editor from Nikon. It works on Nikon NEF files, all JPEG files, and all TIFF files. It's reasonably intuitive. The killer feature is Control Points - originally developed jointly by Nik when Nikon was a significant owner of Nik. Control points are among the best tools from any software company for local adjustments.

I find that I hate NX Studio and there are better alternatives available , for me at least..

Now Capture One is owned independently of Phase One it has already started the move to a subscription only move. It started with Capture One Mobile, which is a subscription only product AND quite clearly we C1 owners are starting to lose out as the new owner's focus is shifting fast.

There are other solutions available like DxO Photo Lab 5 and others who are healthy competition for the bigger players. As a Nikon Z9 shooter I use DxO Pure Raw 2 to convert my raw images before I "adjust" them in LRC or make larger/more complex edits in PS. While no expert I find LRC much more intuitive for me that C1 -- BUT the skin tool in C1 is so far ahead of the rest it is crazy.
 
Thank you for your clarification. The more informatiion we can share on alternatives, the better for the whole photography community. There is so much software now available as alternatives for the Adobe products and getting better all the time.
Next month I will run a workshop for artists who wish to produce better images to advertise their individual work: paintings, pottery, jewellery etc. Inevitably they will want to use some post processing software. I am thinking of Gimp as a freeby. Any thoughts, anyone?

I would avoid gimp just because it is as complicated as photoshop, maybe more so. With artists who are experts with their medium but are not necessarily photographers I would follow the KISS method. Maybe Photoshop Elements, with the guided or beginner mode and a lot of handholding. Canon DPP4 or NX Studio if they have Canon or Nikon. Lightroom is a winner for being able to get results without too much learning, especially the cloud versions of lightroom, which I personally don't use but they seem relatively simplified at least in the basic adjustments.
 
I would avoid gimp just because it is as complicated as photoshop, maybe more so. With artists who are experts with their medium but are not necessarily photographers I would follow the KISS method. Maybe Photoshop Elements, with the guided or beginner mode and a lot of handholding. Canon DPP4 or NX Studio if they have Canon or Nikon. Lightroom is a winner for being able to get results without too much learning, especially the cloud versions of lightroom, which I personally don't use but they seem relatively simplified at least in the basic adjustments.
Thank you. All good points.
 
Matt and colleague are not alone -- ACR conversion of Z9 Lossless RAW images is "pants" (a highly specific technical term) when compared to the quality of output when using NX Studio, Capture One or DxO Pure Raw 2 for RAW conversion.
As a rule I prefer to use the manufacturer's raw converter - but even though many" seem to prefer NX Studio for RAW conversion - I don't - I find it clunky and it bakes in too much of the in camera settings used when I took the shot -- most of which I want to change later. I do use Phocus when working with Hasselblad cameras - after basic raw conversion and adjustments I still prefer to edit TIFF exports from Phocus in LRC/PS.
When processing Z9 images since DxO Pure Raw 2 uses the awesome DxO Lens Modules so currently after importing the files from the camera or card reader into LRC I quickly review the shoot and drag all the Z9 RAW files I want to process from LRC into DxO Pure Raw 2, run the Deep Prime process and export the images back as DNG files. Then edit them in LRC as though these are RAW files, but no need to trouble the ARC engine. Just turn off Lens corrections when using files where DxO hast the Optics Module and turn it on where DxO does not.
I reserve use of Capture One 22 for tethered shooting with Nikon cameras and when working with Phase One cameras (very rare these days).
 
I'm also still using LR6. I have no plans to change unless/until I buy a newer camera body that's not supported. Even then I may elect to use another software package to convert NEF files to DNG and continue to us my antique version of LR. That said, you may want to do additional research on your concern about the need for an internet connection. It may not be as limiting as you imagine it to be.
Nikon's NX Studio is free and will convert your NEF files quickly into TIFF 8 or 16Bit or JPG. I convert them to 8Bit TIFF because I still use LR6. The NX Studio is not a good editing program but the conversion is done quickly and is the first stop out of the camera for my files.
 
Nikon's NX Studio is free and will convert your NEF files quickly into TIFF 8 or 16Bit or JPG. I convert them to 8Bit TIFF because I still use LR6. The NX Studio is not a good editing program but the conversion is done quickly and is the first stop out of the camera for my files.
I'd give it a little more detail. NX Studio is very good at changes in camera settings. If you want a JPEG from a NEF file that is exactly like shooting RAW + JPEG, NX Studio will do that well. I'd rate it as very good among free editors for a novice to intermediate photographer. It's relatively intuitive and has a short learning curve. It's also very good for someone who wants to see what an image would look like with a different camera setting such as WB or Picture Control.

I don't think it's a great editor compared to paid products like Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, etc. - but it does have some excellent features such as Control Points. And each of those programs has it's own weak spot. As an experienced user, you can edit very effectively with NX Studio. Probably the biggest gaps are the clone tool for dust spots and watermarking. Of course, it also does not have layers. But it does have lossless editing and can be a good front end tool for a more complicated workflow. Every photo by Vincent Versace starts in NX Studio before going to an advanced editor for final editing.
 
Nikon's NX Studio is free and will convert your NEF files quickly into TIFF 8 or 16Bit or JPG. I convert them to 8Bit TIFF because I still use LR6. The NX Studio is not a good editing program but the conversion is done quickly and is the first stop out of the camera for my files.
Quoted post is old. I've long since gone to LRC and glad I did. It's so much improved that I rarely need a pixel editor any more.
 
No cost to download trial copies of the various editing applications. I wanted to be sure that I could open and continue to work with my old PSD files and tried 5 different applications. Only Affinity would open the files and the layers would be intact. Capture One had problems with my PSD files with layers and so it was eliminated from consideration.

As a matter of principle I avoid all in one solutions as much as possible. I prefer to use a standalone DAM for managing my image files and so I can use any image or video editor works the best for my needs.
 
Capture One is a Lightroom alternative; it is a raw converter and editor, so it cannot open layered PSD files and show the layers.
Affinity Photo is a Photoshop alternative so can and does open layered PSD files (and can export PSD files).
Workflow: open and edit in C1, also print when needed. Only export to Affinity when two or more images need combining in some way (sky replacement, for instance).
Horses for courses.
 
CaptureOne is also very expensive at $300 to buy it outright and that only includes updates for one year. I want any replacement for PS to be able to open my existing files. Both LR and CaptureOne have a workflow where photos first need to be loaded into a crude catalog that is not a database structure and so it is very restrictive when working with files on a NAS from multiple computers. The more files one processes the more inefficient their workflow becomes which is a seperate issue.

For file cataloging and management with Windows computers iMatch works very well and is not expensive. It also provides a singe solution for image files, video, and audio files.
 
Just a FYI, but LR Classic is a true database. That is why it will not allow you to put the catalog in a NAS. I have about 200,000 images in my LR catalog and have no performance issues at all. Downside with LR Classic is that it is not designed for a multi-person studio. However, not an issue for me.
 
Imatch which functions as a true DAM without the limitations of LR. One user and one computer then LR is OK, if you do not mind the workflow process with this application. For me it added a lot of time to process files from a shoot and for no real gain. I understand why it was designed in the way that it was as its target market was the amatuer digital photographer for their personal use.

With my Adobe subscription I can add it for no extra cost but it does not suit my preferred workflow and adds more work when changes of images need to be made to support product images on our website for Web or press print requirements. With a DAM we have version control as various iterations are made to image files over time.

Saying LR is a "true database" is really stretching the term. On that basis Microsoft Outlook uses a true database, which unfortunately it does not. Both are flat file data structures with their inherent limitations.
 
LR Classic’s database is the catalog, which is definitely not a flat file data structure. The LR catalog utilizes SQLite as best as I can tell. Where LR stores the photographs is not a database, and it is up to the user to design the structure of the folders even if many do not realize this. The LR catalog just points to the photos, in much the same way as a library catalog “points” to where the physical books are shelved.
 
LR Classic’s database is the catalog, which is definitely not a flat file data structure. The LR catalog utilizes SQLite as best as I can tell. Where LR stores the photographs is not a database, and it is up to the user to design the structure of the folders even if many do not realize this. The LR catalog just points to the photos, in much the same way as a library catalog “points” to where the physical books are shelved.
Just to mention: In LR you can have version control by using virtual copies of your photos. This way you can have B&W, color, various paper versions to print, etc, all for the same photo RAW file without duplicate storage of the RAW file. However, this all goes well beyond the OP’s first post, so I’ll stop at this point.
 
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