[Fat Albert]

My little 11 inch MacBook Air with 2GB of RAM is now a 27" quad core i7 3.4 gHz, with 24 GB RAM, 1 TB HD, and 2 GB in video RAM. Needless to say, things have changed.

There's a lot of conflicting info as to the most appropriate RAW converter and photo editor for a beginner. It seems like Lightroom and Capture One both do a great job. Which do you like, and why? Up until this point I've scratched by with bare bones software that my little machine still struggled with.

[jatrax]

It seems like Lightroom and Capture One both do a great job.

I really think it comes down to personal preference and what features you use / need. You might try downloading the free trials (i think they both have one, Lightroom does for sure) and see which you like better.

I use and love Lightroom, but I also have years of experience using it. The feature set fits my use needs and I've no reason to try anything else. But everyone has different needs. For example some people claim Capture One does a better job as a RAW developer, personally that is not all that important to me. I certainly need and use a RAW editor but Lightroom is more than good enough (for me). On the other hand the organization and keyword features of Lightroom are critical to my needs so that is what I stick with.

Make a list of features that are important to you and then see which package fits that best. I doubt you will go wrong with either.

[emalvick]

Get trials, try different software out.

As previously mentioned, many people use LR for cataloging And raw developing. Cataloging is important, but if you already do it in some other manner, LR may not do much for you. I personally use a software that only does cataloging (because it has more features than LR and more importantly because I was using it before LR existed). It also allows me the flexibility of whatever I want for developing.

Currently, I use LR but I am transitioning myself to DxO and might check out On1Raw when it comes out. LR 6 has been horrible for me in terms of performance despite having a decent system and attempts at varying the settings in terms of GFX. I also don't want to be stuck on a subscription. I don't want to pay indefinitely for a program.

Anyway, for RAW, I strongly suggest testing a few programs out in addition to LR and Capture 1. Test out DxO. Even check out RawTherapee and LightZone (both free and Open Source). Silkypix Pro isn't bad either. On1 will have their own software in the next month.

The interface of the software matter a little bit, but if you've not used any of them, you'll get used to any quite easily. LR is perhaps easiest to use but it can be difficult to get the results you want because the simplicity limits some flexibility (just a little). DxO and Capture One always seems to impress me when I see others results. DxO is a little more complicated but I am figuring it out. I think it has more flexibility and I am shocked by the fact that its initial "auto" attempts are quite good. I'm used to having to do a lot with LR, even when using its auto-toning, that I expect to need to do more with DxO. I've not tried Capture One in a while. I avoid it because of price. SilkyPix is a bit pricey too, but at as Pentax users, we can get a discount since their engine is behind the DCU software that comes with our cameras. It's not a huge discount. I think Silkypix may be somewhat comparable to Capture One, but it's a Japanese software so the English interface has a little bit lost in translation. It is still intuitive. I just haven't purchased it after trialing it.

[Winder]

I Have Adobe Creative Cloud (LR/PS), DxO, & C1 (Sony Free Addition).

LR is the easiest for me because I have used it for so long and I default to that most of the time.
DxO is great but there are not local adjustment brushes so I often use it and then go over to LR. I like DxO NR and Film Pack 5.
Capture One has a longer learning curve. The color controls are great. For people who spend a lot of time on every image the results are a touch better. A friend of mine is a C1Pro expert and I often send him images to post process in C1. He does post processing for several people and swears by Capture One. I'm not that good with it. If you really want to take the time to learn one then I think C1 is the better choice. If you want good results without investing a lot of time, then LR is the better option in my opinion.

I have tried Silkypix Dev. Pro Studio 7. I just don't like it. I would love to use it because of how well it supports Pentax cameras, but Its just to clunky for me.

[Oakland Rob]

I Have Adobe Creative Cloud (LR/PS), DxO, & C1 (Sony Free Addition).

LR is the easiest for me because I have used it for so long and I default to that most of the time.
DxO is great but there are not local adjustment brushes so I often use it and then go over to LR. I like DxO NR and Film Pack 5.
Capture One has a longer learning curve. The color controls are great. For people who spend a lot of time on every image the results are a touch better. A friend of mine is a C1Pro expert and I often send him images to post process in C1. He does post processing for several people and swears by Capture One. I'm not that good with it. If you really want to take the time to learn one then I think C1 is the better choice. If you want good results without investing a lot of time, then LR is the better option in my opinion.

I have tried Silkypix Dev. Pro Studio 7. I just don't like it. I would love to use it because of how well it supports Pentax cameras, but Its just to clunky for me.

Yeah, I've used all three and kinda agree. DxO can send DNGs back to Lr and that's killer for doing spot adjustments. I stopped using C1P because it was expensive to upgrade vs CC. It's organizational features are no way as good as Lr, but then again many people never get past folders and collections in Lr, so YMMV. Lr has I think less flexibility and functionality for adjusting than C1P; C1 has some color stuff with masking for example. But OTOH Lr CC comes with Photoshop, which has way more than C1P. Lr/Ps CC is perhaps an unfair comparison, but given the cost not inappropriate.

[reeftool]

I'm not too familiar with Capture 1 so I'll just stick with the things I like about Lightroom. While I'm not a "professional" as far as making a living with my camera, I do shoot events, mostly motorcycle runs, races, motocross and the occasional wedding. At all of these events, I shoot several hundred shots and I need good software that also allows me to do most of my work very quick. Lightroom fits the bill nicely. I subscribe to CC so anything LR can's do, Photoshop will. If you're not processing hundreds of shots in a session or needing the catalog features LR has, then maybe another Raw editor can fit the bill. The CC price is kind of hard to beat IMO but some people don't like the subscription model. LR is resource hungry but your computer is more than enough.

[Fat Albert]

Lots of great advice here!

I installed DxO 11 for a trial, and it seemed pretty easy to get a single picture to look good. Their presets (Clearview, etc) seemed particularly effective.

I guess I haven't given much thought to the catalog/database end. I've got 3 years' worth of RAW to pare down and process the rest. I had been hosting jpegs for family/myself on smugmug, and the RAW files are split between multiple HDDs and the Amazon cloud.

EDIT: this is fun!

---

Last edited by Fat Albert; 09-24-2016 at 08:12 PM.

[wissink]

I'd love to hear more opinion's. I'm often very curious if other software would suit me better as well. LR does seem rather sluggish and perhaps bloated at times. I've installed trials of other software, but never have enough time to test them out properly let alone considering switching all together.

I'm most interested in a one stop shop software..

[Fat Albert]

Yesterday I installed the trial version of Lr. In terms of the interface, I learned more about which variables control what in 10 minutes than I knew up to date. I LOVE hovering over parts of the histogram and seeing which sliders it correlates with.

The learning experience alone may be what tips me in favor of Lr--at least initially. Its file management is also something that I believe will be of great help to me, although that's a feature I've yet to investigate.

[emalvick]

I think the thing that drives me crazy the most about LR (well besides the subscription aspect) is that it does not perform well. Photoshop performs better, and it is arguably a more complex program. Of course LR's catalog may make it more complex, but it is the only RAW processor that I've had that will hang, pause, etc. even with an i7 with 32-gb of ram and running LR and its catalog file off an SSD. I don't have a good GFX card, so that feature is turned off right now.

As far as other software, the one thing I remember when I first got my k10d and I was really trialing software and really trying to get along with RawTherapee and Silkypix Pro is that each software had its strengths. I could get along with any of the programs I tried 90% of the time, but there was always one photo that required a specific RAW software, and it wasn't always the same one.

As I've gotten fed up with LR, I purchased DxO 10 a few years ago. I've been (slowly) easing into it and finding the above is still somewhat true. I started DxO using it mostly as a plugin. About 1 our of 10 photos I would find myself exporting to DxO. Now I am using DxO most of the time except when I have a large batch of similar photos (LR still seems better for syncing settings across images... although I'm trying to learn). Occasionally I find myself trying one photo in LR (or ACR) because I can't get DxO right. I find DxO is best in its auto settings because it gets close to a final product on opening the file. I rarely need many adjustments. I spend a lot more time with LR, but LR's better batch setup makes up for that small issue.

The point of my rambling... Don't expect any software to be perfect.

[Class A]

Which do you like, and why?

I was a year-long Lightroom user and became very quick at using it. I liked the UI design but eventually got sick of the varying performance and the bugs that were never fixed. There is a "move images" bug in Lightroom that has not been fixed in over five years. I also got sick of Adobe's tendency to prioritise anything to do with the cloud and sacrifice LR usability on that altar. Finally, I really don't like that they heavily push people into subscription models.

I'm now a Capture One 9 Pro user and enjoy

• the much, much better colour editor.
• many more adjustment options for masked areas (local adjustments).
• the ability to assign my own keyboard shortcuts to functions.
• the ability to design my tool panels and the overall layout of the components to my liking.
• smooth and quick scrolling in the library browser.
• great support from Phase One who have implemented multiple of my improvement suggestions.
• colour management that works.
• ability to define my own camera profiles using the nice colour editor interface.
• not having different modes (LR.library vs LR.develop) where the same key means different function.

I think I could go on for a while...

There are a few things that I initially missed from LR and C1 could be improved in some areas, but the overall balance is very much in favour of C1 over LR.

Do yourself a favour and at least try the evaluation copy. The overall approach to the UI is not too dissimilar to LR so you shouldn't have too much difficulty getting started.

[Oakland Rob]

One very nice thing about Lr and Ps is that there are SO many educational materials available. Even most schools and classes use it. Any of these packages aren't simple, so that's an important factor.

And as to speed, Lr isn't always the best choice for editing. Lr is non destructive, and has gained more and more adjusting features over time. But unlike Ps it has to store those adjustments in a database as parameters. Ps can save to file, just like say Word. So in Develop every time you "open" an image Lr has to render it from RAW, and depending how many parameters are involved (say gradients, spot removals, etc) that can be a chore. Ps can just open a file in it's saved state.

So if you are doing a lot of adjusting and tweaking, sometimes better to use Ps. And by using layers and masks, you still can have your RAW and adjust it too, so to speak. Obviously Lr won't include masks cuz that's what Ps is for.

And as to comparison with Phase One, again my mileage differed. I had problems with tech support, registration, and the cost was pretty high vs CC. I like being able to do camera profiles easily with Xrite's plugin in Lr; that wasn't available in C1 when I used it. And it was just horrid in terms of metadata management, but OTOH you could always use something like Photo Mechanic instead, although that works better in conjunction with Lr than C1.

[Class A]

And it was just horrid in terms of metadata management, ...

From what I understand, the most recent versions of C1 are leaps and bounds better in terms of metadata management than what you probably used.

C1 is also a non-destructive, BTW.

[emalvick]

Most raw editors are non-destructive. If they aren't, then I probably wouldn't use them.

I've only given C1 a cursory try because I find it expensive. And it's interface for a catalog vs. sessions is quite confusing.

One thing I like on DxO, which I didn't even discover until last night, is the ability to set a profile for almost any camera. I can make my images look like almost any camera body with a click of the button. DxO has built in profiles. So, I can take a photo with my K5 and another with a K3 and select K5 for both, and the color rendering will look similar.

Why would this matter? Well, if you are doing a wedding and shooting two bodies, it gives you the opportunity to select one color profile so the images are consistent. The differences among Pentax bodies seem subtle, but I imagine if you are shooting two different brands, it could get more significant. This seems like a nice feature. LR is very limited in the support it provides for Pentax bodies and color profiles.

It'll be nice if any of these companies can integrate support for Pixel shift. One advantage LR has over others is the ability to embed plugins. I'm not sure about Capture 1, but DxO does not seem to have much plugin support. They are actually counting on you to use LR also. That's not really ideal.

[The Squirrel Mafia]

Lightroom is the most popular one , but Capture One seems to export better looking images in the end.

If I had to pay for one, Capture One would be my pick.