[rawr]

Capture One Express 6, a RAW processor/image manager from Phase One, is available for free at the moment. Normally it is Euro 99.

"The raw converter for ultimate image quality. Capture One Express 6 has all the essential, easy-to-use tools in one powerful package. Import, organize, edit and print images in a fast, flexible and intuitive way to enhance and streamline your digital workflow. Create a slideshow in seconds or produce a professional looking web gallery. Capture One Express 6 can also help you output images with its new elegant print layouts."

How to get it:

(1) Visit here and fill out your email:
Capture One Promotion | Digital Photographer

(2) You will then get a license key emailed to you, and a download link to:
Phase One camera system - Raw conversion software - Photo management

(3) Once you are on the Phase One site you will need to register for a free Phase One customer account in order to complete the download. Register using the same email address you used in (1). Once you have registered with Phase One, you can then download Windows (64bit or 32bit) or Mac versions of Capture One. The Windows versions are about 125MB. (Capture One, Capture One Express are all in the one package).

(4) Install the version you downloaded onto your computer, and then activate it using the license code sent to you in step (2) and the account details you used in step (3).

Then you have a fully licensed version of Capture One Express.

It seems to do much of what the full pro version of Capture One does, without support for some high-end features like direct tethering.

It seems to work OK - all functions (eg noise reduction, sharpening, colour balance) are enabled and it opens Pentax DNG's fine.

One issue I have atm though is that while it opens and renders all my K200D DNG's perfectly, all my K-x DNG's are rendered with a vivid purple cast in all the shadows, and all my skies are purple too. [eeek!] JPGs render OK though.

I think I need to read the manual now.

FYI.

EDIT: I just noticed that while Capture One Express has full support for the RAW output of lots of current Pentax bodies, only native PEF RAW files get the benefit of their special Pentax-specific image tuning and optimisations when they are opened. Pentax DNG RAWs are openable and can be worked on, but Capture One only opens and renders DNG's initially a kind of generic, non-camera specific way.

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Last edited by rawr; 07-06-2011 at 04:31 PM.

[DSims]

Capture One has the best camera profiles - at least for Pentax bodies (but I presume for others as well). That's why (plus a few other reasons) I'm using Capture One Pro as my primary image editing application. I use it and PS CS5 with plugins - and occasionally the Pentax DCU. I passed on upgrading to LR3, or buying DxO or Bibble.

So, take advantage of this offer!

[imtheguy]

On the download page, in small print, it says "free 30 day trial". If true, the "promotion" page is very misleading.

EDIT - Ok, it activated and it allowed me to change the "30 day trial" to "Capture One Express". Guess its for real and I swallow my cynicism. Enjoy it everyone.

[krp]

Thanks for the link, I'll give it a try.

[rawr]

it activated and it allowed me to change the "30 day trial" to "Capture One Express".

I think because the download is a bundle of software that, with the right activation key, can turn into various things - a 30 day trial, the full version of Capture One Pro. Capture One Express free, etc.

Guess its for real

I guess we'll all find out for sure after 30 days elapse But I am confident Express will continue to work fine.

My main gripe with Capture One is that it seems to be optimized to work with PEFs more than DNG's. Which is a problem when you have thousands of DNG's and no PEF's on your computer, like I do. DxO, Lightroom & DCU4 don't have this issue, so I may personally not be using Capture One much I think.

[jpzk]

Just downloaded/installed Capture One ... in the "Help" part of the software main page, if I click on "About" ... it says: "Capture One Express 6.2.1 - 64 Bits This copy is in trial mode".

So, it is still a "trial" piece of software???

Secondly, much as rwar is saying, my files are mostly of the DNG type. I have stopped using PEF a long while ago.
Would this mean that I have installed this erroneously?

Cheers.

JP

[jpzk]

after a few minutes trying it ....

cannot find a way to actually save the processed file

Not sure what happened but all of my RAW (DNG) files (from within Capture One) show with a very harsh purplish/mauve background and the foreground objects (subjects) have a greenish hue to them !!! ???

Looks like a bad idea to me!

Unless someone is willing to guide me through this, I will likely have to delete the program.

JP

[stormtech]

Thanks rawr!

And thanks for the detailed instructions.

I followed it through exactly as you said - activated with no problems.

When I click on the help menu, about, it says:

Capture One Express 6.2.1
This copy is registered

Awesome - can't wait to try it out!

[jpzk]

Thanks rawr!

And thanks for the detailed instructions.

I followed it through exactly as you said - activated with no problems.

When I click on the help menu, about, it says:

Capture One Express 6.2.1
This copy is registered

Awesome - can't wait to try it out!

Getting any such purple/green hues on your RAW files??

JP

[krp]

Getting any such purple/green hues on your RAW files??

JP

I am. I can't fix it with any of the sliders. Maybe I'll email them about it.

[rawr]

I see I am not alone with getting the horrendous purple/green hues!!...

This is how by default K-x DNG's render in Capture One Express:


This is how default K-x JPG's render in Capture One Express:


If anyone - maybe an existing Capture One user - knows an easy fix to this, I would be very grateful to hear about it. A quick search of the Phase One site revealed no answers.

[rawr]

Would this mean that I have installed this erroneously?

I think so.
During the install did you enter the activation key you received as part of step (2)?
That activation key should switch the program over to becoming CP Expresss, not CP Pro (Trial edition).

[jpzk]

I am. I can't fix it with any of the sliders. Maybe I'll email them about it.

I did email to them and hopefully will get an answer, otherwise I think that these RAW files of mine have been totally corrupted by the software.

JP

[jpzk]

I think so.
During the install did you enter the activation key you received as part of step (2)?
That activation key should switch the program over to becoming CP Expresss, not CP Pro (Trial edition).

I did that.
It did become "Express" but shows it also as "trial". Go figure!?

JP

[jpzk]

While awaiting a response from Capture One, I am still trying to figure out if there are any ways to recover the fil(s) which I have "tweaked" with this software.

Here is a weird thing which happened:

1. The original RAW file (DNG) was located in a dedicated hard drive/folder.
2. Capture One did open this folder and showed very nicely (intact) all of the files (RAW and JPEG).
3. All went well, and showed as expected, until I clicked on "File" to find out how to save the said tweaked RAW file.
4. All images, at the bottom of the screen, were displayed BUT now the all RAW files were totally invaded with a strange hue while the JPEG's were left intact.
5. Going back to my original folder .... the tweaked RAW file has disappeared! It is now only available in Capture One as a badly tinted image.

This really pisses me off because it was a beautiful shot of a BIF at very close range. Luckily, I had previously extracted the JPEG and kept a copy, but I still would very much like to recover the original RAW image.

JP

EDIT: I have just sent another query but this time to the Tech Support, directly from my "account" with Capture One.
I will post the replies onced received.