The first thing any photographer wants to know about a piece of gear is how well it works. Camera equipment is expensive, which is why photographers spend so much time sifting through reviews before making purchasing decisions. For some of the more specialty lenses, photographers test the waters with accessories like wide-angle lens converters. These are much cheaper than buying Continue Reading
The post Do Wide Angle Lens Converters Work? appeared first on Photodoto.
Can you recall the last time you saw an advertisement for what looked like the PERFECT burger? Remember that mouth-watering feeling you experienced? Sorry to say this, but that burger was far from being perfect, or real. And, while this may be a disappointing truth as a customer, as a food photographer, you can use it to your advantage. Food Continue Reading
The post 4 Yummy Tips On How To Master Food Photography appeared first on Photodoto.
The post Change of Perspective in Photography – Start from the Top appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
You’d be surprised how a simple change of perspective in photography can take your images from amateur to pro. Pay attention to any magazine, advertisement, exhibition, etc., and you’ll notice how almost none of the photographs were taken at eye-level.
1/30 sec. f5.6, ISO 800
Just by changing the point of view, you can completely transform an image. You can play with size, proportion, depth, and many other characteristics. One of the most important aspects, however, is that you are showing the viewer the subject from a point of view that is out of the ordinary.
There are many angles you can choose from, in this article I’m going to focus on positioning yourself above the subject. Now let’s see a couple of choices for you to get started.
As the name suggests, this shot means that you should be highly elevated and therefore watching your subject from a flying bird’s perspective. With small subjects or even a portrait, you can just climb on a chair or a tree. However, for landscapes, you can go up a building or tower. There are lots of touristic places that have high scenic viewpoints for you to practice.
1/400 sec. f5.6, ISO 100
You don’t need any specific gear for it but there are some things to consider regarding your settings:
If you are really enjoying a higher photographic perspective, you may want to consider buying yourself a drone or looking into aerial photography.
A change of perspective in photography is not only a good practice to improve your skills, but it can also be used creatively. Here are some ideas for you to try using the bird’s eye perspective:
1/400 sec. f13, ISO 400 with a tilt-shift effect done in PS
The top-down name is quite clear. It means that you’re looking down directly onto the subject. Of course, this is also a perspective a bird could have, however, it’s a camera angle in its own right. For this, your focal plane has to be parallel to the subject.
You don’t need special gear. You can achieve this with any camera – even with your smartphone – which is probably why it’s so popular for food and still-life photography on Instagram. It’s also very popular for drone photography.
However, there are some accessories that can be useful:
Flat lay is a very popular term for blogs and social media, especially Instagram. It refers to a composition of objects laid onto a flat surface. There are many contests and challenges online, look for them with the hashtag flat-lay. Join them and practice your top-down skills.
Because there’s almost no depth with the top-down perspective, you have to make the most out of the two dimensions you have to work with. Instead of it being a limitation, get creative and use composition, colors, and shapes to improve your designer skills.
2 sec. f22, ISO 800
A change of perspective in photography can give you lots of opportunities to improve and create fun and innovative images. You don’t need to buy any extra equipment or learn any new techniques, all you need to do is move around your subject. I hope you have fun and if you feel up to it keep on exploring with these extra articles:
The post Change of Perspective in Photography – Start from the Top appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
The post The Canon 1D X Mark III Is Officially Announced, With 20 FPS and a New Processor appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
Well, it’s finally here:
The Canon 1D X Mark III – the camera that wildlife and sports photographers have been waiting for, and that will rival the upcoming Nikon D6 just in time for the Summer Olympics.
The Canon 1D X line is far out of the price range of most photographers. Yet it still inspires constant discussion. Probably because it shows the peak of 35mm photography and, most importantly, what Canon can do when it really lets loose.
So what does this action photography powerhouse include?
As expected, the Canon 1D X Mark III will feature a new full-frame Canon sensor, though the 20.1 megapixels of resolution is almost identical to that of the 20.2 megapixel Canon 1D X Mark II. This is hopefully a sign that Canon has made great strides in low light performance (and Canon’s website claims that the 1D X Mark II offers “even better high-ISO image quality that the previous version”).
The Canon 1D X Mark II was a top-of-the-line low light performer, which means that the Canon 1D X Mark III has a lot to live up to; if Canon has actually managed to improve low light performance, the 1D X Mark III’s high-ISO capabilities will be truly impressive.
Also new in the 1D X Mark III is the processor, Canon’s DIGIC X. With the DIGIC X, you’ll be able to shoot at 16 frames per second using the optical viewfinder and 20 frames per second in Live View. Of course, these speeds are useless without a capable AF system, but Canon promises great strides in that area, too. The 1D X Mark III will feature a 191-point AF system that can “follow subjects across the…AF array like no EOS DSLR before it.” This should certainly please sports photographers, and wildlife photographers, too.
Live View autofocus is an area where Canon has repeatedly managed to stand out, and it looks like the 1D X Mark III should continue this trend. The camera body includes Canon’s famed Dual Pixel AF, with Eye Detect AF and 525 AF zones.
Also included in the Canon 1D X Mark III are dual CFexpress card slots, a 1000 RAW image buffer, a 2850-photo battery life, and impressive video capabilities (UHD 4k video at 60p).
So if you’re a professional sports or wildlife photographer looking for the next flagship camera, or you’re really looking to take your action photography to the next level and you have a limitless budget, then take a look at the Canon 1D X Mark III. The camera will drop in February for $ 6499 USD, and is currently available for preorder.
The post The Canon 1D X Mark III Is Officially Announced, With 20 FPS and a New Processor appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
The post 6 Great and Free Photo Editing Apps on the OnePlus Phone and Android appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.
As a OnePlus user and a photographer, you can bet I’ve spent a good deal of time wading through the many photo-editing apps free to download through Google Play. Here, I take a brief look at 6 great (and free) editing apps on the OnePlus phone.
Relatively new to the scene, you may never have heard of the OnePlus before. One Plus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (referred to as OnePlus) is a Chinese phone manufacturer founded in December 2013. Known for its slogan never settle, OnePlus released the OnePlus One smartphone in 2014. Since then there have been numerous incarnations of the OnePlus family, the most recent being the OnePlus 7T Pro.
OnePlus smartphones run on the Android operating system (OS). That means that most editing apps accessible to the OnePlus phone are available to all other smartphones with an Android OS (like the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy range for example).
While I’ll be exploring the next couple of editing applications on my own OnePlus phone, the apps I go into are available for all Android systems.
My (slightly beaten up) OnePlus 5T
VSCO (Visual Supply Company), is both a photo-editing and social media app aimed at the photographically-inclined. Sometimes compared to Instagram, VSCO is best known for its high-quality filters. The basic VSCO version is free, but only 10 filters are available without paying $ 7.99 a month (or $ 31.99/year) for a VSCO membership.
While the filters that are available for free are definitely a cut above (and certainly worth the download), users looking for cheaper alternatives may turn elsewhere for greater flexibility. Personally, I’ve found that more often than not, the 10 free filters suit my needs just fine. The quality and variety of the free filters make VSCO my go-to for a quick filter fix.
Bonfire Photo Editor Pro is an app paired with an easy-to-use layout. However, it’s the sizeable variety of features that come with Bonfire that makes this app especially attractive.
Along with standard filters, Bonfire has numerous options that allow you to add artistic effects to your photos. Pop art, oil painting, and impressionist presets are all available, as well as, skin smoothing filters and adjustment settings like contrast, vibrance and brightness.
If you are after a casual editor or a way to play around with arty effects, Bonfire Photo Editor Pro is a fun option.
Loaded with heaps of presets and manipulation tools, Snapseed is marketed as a free, professional-grade photo editor. Exposure adjustments, lens effects, filters, a healing tool, and a correction brush all come packaged within the Snapseed app. Plus, a double exposure function enables the combination of two or more photographs to create a ghostly image effect.
With over 100 million downloads, Snapseed is a favorite among photographers and casual users alike. Snapseed was one of my first editing apps on the OnePlus phone. It has since earned a spot in my most frequently used apps tray.
Although many features in PicsArt are in-app purchases, the app still supports basics like cropping, filters, artistic effects, facial definition and drawing without cost. What sets PicsArt apart, however, is the AI-generated filters available for free. Called Magic, the PicsArt effects transform an image to fit themes like Flora, Highlight and Plein Air.
Immersive and intelligent, photographers may not find professional uses for these effects, but they are great fun to mess around with.
For editing apps on the OnePlus phone, Adobe Photoshop Express is extensive. Features like perspective correction, noise reduction, filters, effects (including artificial light leaks and bokeh effects), exposure adjustments, text options, and blemish removal are all found on the user-friendly UI.
The app has over 90 filters available, with substantial variation within each grouping.
To cater to social media trends, Photoshop Express has a collage function and the option to add stickers and borders to images. It also includes an extensive range of aspect ratios for cropping your images to precise dimensions.
With plenty of filters and adjustments at the ready, Fotor is great for getting the most out of an image. The app comes with standard essentials like contrast, sharpness, shadow, highlight, and color temperature adjustments.
In addition, scene filters optimized for specific lighting conditions and subjects streamline the editing process. An intuitive focus function adjusts blur in aperture increments and a range of borders and stickers and a collage function meets social media design trends.
There are plenty of editing apps on the OnePlus phone (and for phones running the Android OS generally) to download. With so many options for free, it can take a bit of experimentation to figure out what works best for your process.
The apps I’ve listed are my personal top 6 – if you have a favorite app that isn’t on the list, go ahead and mention it in the comments below! Happy editing!
The post 6 Great and Free Photo Editing Apps on the OnePlus Phone and Android appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.
The post Technique vs Artistic Creativity in Photography – How Important is it to Find a Balance? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
Discussion about technique vs artistic creativity in photographic circles can cause tensions. Much of what’s focused on when learning photography is camera technique. Creative aspects are often left out, even after you’ve picked up some camera skills.
Developing a balanced approach to photography is important. If you’re content to just document what’s in front of you, don’t worry about it. You need to know how to operate your camera competently to be creative with it. Camera technique vs artistic creativity is a matter of engaging both brain hemispheres.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
It’s said that the left hemisphere of our brain is more academic and logical. The right hemisphere is more imaginative and artistic. Technique vs artistic creativity seems to separate somewhat in our thinking.
Learning to work with a camera well requires a good understanding of its basic functions. Controlling the amount of light entering your camera is essential to master. Of course, you can leave this left brain function to the camera’s artificial intelligence (AI). This happens when you use any of its auto or semi-auto modes.
Relying on the camera’s AI takes away some of the technical challenges in camera use. It also inhibits the full expression of the right brain hemisphere’s artistic creativity. When your camera chooses the exposure setting, you relinquish much of your creative expression.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Camera’s don’t take fabulous photographs, fabulous photographers do. Just as an artist’s brush doesn’t make a beautiful painting on its own, a camera is only as creative as the person using it.
The word ‘photography’ comes from the Greek language. It means ‘drawing or painting with light’.
The amount of light entering your camera affects the way your ‘digital canvas’ will appear. Understanding how the camera captures light requires left brain function. Leaving the camera to determine the ‘right’ amount of light negates much of the function of the right brain in creative photography.
If you can’t manage your exposure well it doesn’t matter how good your composition or timing is, your photos will lack creativity. Painting with light requires a good deal of creative decision making.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
When you have mastered your camera, you’re in a stronger position to balance technique vs artistic creativity. Learning how to control the essential functions of your camera frees you up. Then you can concentrate more on the creative aspects of taking photos.
Frequent camera use and study will give you the ability to use your camera fluidly. The more you learn and practice with your camera, the less you will have to concentrate on it.
It can be like learning to touch type or drive a manual-shift car. At first, these are difficult and require a lot of concentration. Plenty of mistakes happen. Spelling mistakes happen. The car will bunny hop and stall. But, with a dedication to learning, the errors become minimized. You can begin to focus your attention on other things. You no longer have to look at where you are placing your fingers on the keyboard. Driving becomes smooth and you can enjoy the scenery.
Camera use is no different.
Once you study and practice enough you will free up your mind to concentrate on the creative aspects of photography. The technical actions required to take photos will consume less of your attention.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Once you’re comfortable controlling your camera, you can be more creative with it. When you understand how it captures images, you’ll be able to manage the settings artistically. Knowing how the sensor responds to light will give you the ability to control it with more innovative expression.
Leaving the exposure up to the camera’s AI will most often result in rather bland results. Your photos will look like everyone else’s who uses and auto mode. This is because the AI is not creative. It’s all algorithm-based and calibrated in a technical lab.
Your camera does a pretty good job of exposing your photos. It aims to provide an even exposure, not blowing out highlights or diminishing shadow detail. This does not, however, often make the most expressive exposures.
Manually exposing a photograph well adds depth and feeling to the picture. Scene modes on some cameras will include options for portraits, landscapes, action, and the likes. I have never come across a camera that offers automatic modes to create dramatic, happy or somber photographs. Controlling your camera manually allows you to make creative choices.
Being in control of your exposure allows you to make choices based on what your main subject is. Your camera does not know what it is. Some AI systems in cameras will guess what you are photographing and return exposure results on this presumption.
You will know exactly the nature of your composition and, when you have some understanding of light, you’ll expose it the way you want it to look.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Technique vs artistic creativity teaching is often dominated by those whose aim is to take technically correct photos. Photos that don’t fit in the technically correct ‘box’ are scorned.
For creative photographers, ‘correct’ photos are usually perceived as dull, no matter what the subject. Whether a particular composition rule applies does not matter to them. If the whole image is not evenly exposed the photo is still acceptable.
I’ve met far too many photographers who think their photos must reach certain technical standards to be any good. This is what they focus on, and often, their photos lack creative expression.
Knowing how to manage your camera settings well is vital to creative photograph. The technique is very important, but the rules are not.
© Kevin Landwer-Johan
Aim to use your camera without consciously thinking about it – much the same way you’ll drive a manual shift car after enough practice.
Instead of thinking about your shutter speed and aperture settings, focus on how you are feeling. What do you want to express in the photographs you are taking? Be present within the moment and relate more to your subject than to your camera. Then you will find the balance between technical vs artistic creativity.
Share your thoughts on this in the comments below.
The post Technique vs Artistic Creativity in Photography – How Important is it to Find a Balance? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
The post Stunning Photo Ideas Using Coffee appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
Check out this video from our friends over at Cooph, for some creative photo ideas using coffee!
The post Stunning Photo Ideas Using Coffee appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post Don’t Be Afraid to Say These Things to Your Photography Clients appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
Shooting photos for clients is an interesting business. People pay you to take great photos, but you also have to balance your photographic goals with the very human side of the job. You can’t just boss people around and expect them to come back or give you positive word-of-mouth. On the other hand, you can’t let your clients walk all over you. There’s a fine line between assertiveness and rudeness. However, as long as you are polite and respectful you should never be afraid to say these things to your photography clients.
Nikon D750, 86mm, f/4, ISO 2800, 1/400 second
If you have been in this business for a while, you have almost certainly had clients ask you about some kind of sale, discount, sweetheart deal, or other tactic to get you to lower your prices.
I used to feel self-conscious about these sorts of requests, thinking I had some kind of obligation to accommodate my clients who didn’t want to pay full price. The thought of not offering a discount made me feel arrogant and cold-hearted.
The truth is, you are worth your price. If people want to hire you to do your best work, then there is no shame in asking them to pay for it. If someone asks for a special deal, politely but firmly decline. Tell them that your prices are competitive and you will take beautiful photos for a reasonable fee.
Nikon D750, 92mm, f/4, ISO 220, 1/180 second
Additionally, don’t use the phrase “I’m sorry” when discussing your prices. You should never have to apologize for charging what you are worth!
You might think you are being polite, but you have nothing to apologize for. So you shouldn’t feel obligated to say it.
I have had several situations where potential clients have asked me about offering discounts. At first, I felt uncomfortable sticking to my guns. However, every single time I declined to go down in price, I have felt good about the decision. Plus, the clients were still happy with my photos.
Recently someone asked me about taking photos of her daughter’s graduation. When I told her my price, she winced and asked if I offered any type of discount. I said no, and she eventually went with another photographer who had a cheaper rate.
While a part of me wishes I could have gotten this woman’s business, I think of the ramifications if I had gone down in price.
Nikon D750, 110mm, f/2.8, ISO 160, 1/125 second
She would have expected a similar discount on future sessions, and she would have almost certainly told her friends about this great photographer she knows who gave them a really good discount.
That would have started things off on the wrong foot with other potential clients who might be expecting me to drop my price.
The implications for lowering your prices can be much worse in the long run. So you should never feel bad for saying these things to your photography clients.
There are many ways to fix blemishes, pimples, dust, dirt, and other imperfections in Photoshop.
I have had clients joke about taking ten pounds or twenty years off in Photoshop. That always makes me a little uncomfortable since I think my clients look great just as they are.
With almost every photo session, there is some type of artificial issue that can easily be fixed right on the spot.
If not addressed right away, these things can add hours to your post-processing time.
Nikon D750, 135mm, f/2.8, ISO 500, 1/350 second
You might feel a little nervous or uncomfortable telling your clients that they have a stray hair on their cheek or a spot of dirt on their shoulder. I know what that’s like, having been in the situation many times!
Kids are fussy, the wind is blowing, rain is starting to fall, and you feel like you’re adding yet another burden to your clients by telling them they’ve got something on their face.
On the contrary, don’t be afraid to say these things to your clients! Every time I have neglected to mention an issue while taking pictures, I have regretted it afterward.
If you fix a blemish on a single photo, you have to fix it on all the photos. If it takes one minute to fix the first time, multiply that by 20, 50, or 100, and the simple task quickly turns to tedium.
Nikon D750, 92mm, f/2.8, ISO 400, 1/250 second
Not once have I had a client get upset, offended, or otherwise bothered when I told them about a problem like this. If anything, they have appreciated my watchful eye and attention to detail!
Kindly and politely tell them that they have a leaf on their dress, a speck on their forehead, or a butterfly resting on their shoulder. (I’m not kidding, it has happened!) You can deal with it in a few seconds and move on, instead of worrying about it and then wasting hours of your time editing it out on your computer.
Any time I prepare for a photo shoot, I always make sure I know the location, the types of photos the clients want, and other pertinent information. I even built several custom photo benches that I bring with me in case people need a place to sit. Basically, I try to have all my bases covered so I can make sure the session goes smoothly.
However, sometimes clients have other ideas. When that happens, I used to get defensive – I’m the professional, my clients need to listen to me!
On a sports team, it’s the players’ job to listen to their coach, and if every person on the field did things his or her own way, the game would be lost in short order.
Nikon D750, 112mm, f/4, ISO 1600, 1/250 second.
A photo session isn’t a sporting event, and you are a photographer, not a coach, and certainly not a dictator. You have great ideas for how to carry out the session, but your clients might too. It also behooves you to show them you care and will listen to their suggestions.
Even if you might not particularly like an idea that your clients have for poses, locations, or props, you might be surprised at the results. At the very least, it will send a message to your clients that you are flexible and willing to listen to them.
Even if the photos aren’t your favorite, word of mouth from your clients will help build a good reputation for you!
Nikon D750, 50mm, f/1.8, f/2, ISO 320, 1/250 second.
The image above is one example of how this can work out well for you and your clients. After I shot this family in the middle of a park, one of them told me he wanted to get a picture by a bridge. I was a little hesitant since the lighting and location weren’t my favorite, but I was happy to oblige. These photos turned out to be their favorite from the entire session!
This seems a little counter to the last bit of advice since the idea here is to not take your clients suggestions into account. If you shoot outdoors, as I and many others do, you probably have some particular spots you like to use. Your locations have good lighting, pleasant surroundings, few people, and no bothersome elements like trash cans or street signs. You have used these locations many times, and they work great!
Your clients might have other ideas, though, and this is when it’s important to push back a little. I have had clients ask to do photos in spots that might look great for social media selfies, but they just aren’t well suited to a formal photo session.
In these situations, there’s nothing wrong with gently but firmly steering them to a location you prefer.
Nikon D750, 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 280, 1/250 second
It might seem harsh or uncaring to say these things to your photography clients, but it’s all about setting expectations.
When it comes to choosing a location, you know things your clients don’t. You pay attention to aspects of lighting and composition they would never think about.
If a potential client is insistent on using a spot that you would rather not use, show them your portfolio and explain the reason that you want to do it at another location.
Ultimately it’s your call – you can go with a spot they want, and the pictures might turn out great. But there’s a good chance you will encounter unforeseen obstacles, distractions, and other issues that will lead to sub-par photos.
If your client is insistent, you can politely tell them you won’t be able to meet their needs and recommend another photographer instead. Or you can do the session anyway, but make sure to scout the location first so you can prepare for what awaits.
Nikon D750, 150mm, f/4, ISO 1100, 1/250 second
Your own timeframe for this might differ, but you must be honest with clients about these types of expectations.
They might have other ideas in mind based on experiences their friends have had with other photographers. If you need a specific amount of time to deliver the photos, then make sure to stand by what you say.
Be sure to explain this early when you establish a relationship with your clients, so they know right away what to expect. You don’t want them complaining on social media because they thought you would deliver their photos the very next day!
Let them know that you need time to carefully cull, edit, and even print their photos. A few extra days of work can mean the difference between good photos and frame-worthy portraits to hang on a living room wall.
Fuji X100F, 23mm, f/5.6, ISO 320, 1/125 second
One trick is to under-promise and over-deliver. I let my clients know that they will receive their final images within three weeks. I almost always send their photos in two weeks. So in their eyes, I have not only met their expectations but vastly exceeded them.
Your clients might want photos quickly, but if you need time to do your post-processing, be firm and stick to your guns. Quality takes time, and you’re not just slapping on a filter like you would see on some social media apps.
And if you need a few weeks to work your magic, then make sure your clients know what to expect.
Nikon D750, 50mm, f/1.8, f/5.6, ISO 6400, 1/90 second. (Using a +4 close-up filter)
At the end of the day, this is all about establishing a positive, healthy, and productive relationship with your clients.
Always be respectful, and always treat them how you would prefer to be treated yourself. If you say these things to your photography clients it will help send the message that you are a serious professional. Moreover, they will likely want to keep working with you well into the future.
We hope Don’t Be Afraid to Say These Things to Your Photography Clients will help you on your photographic journey. Do you have other things that you feel can be said to clients that can help the session run smoother? If so, share it with us in the comments!
The post Don’t Be Afraid to Say These Things to Your Photography Clients appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
The post Capture One 20 Review: Time to Make the Switch from Lightroom? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.
It’s that time of year – time for a Capture One 20 review.
In a huge change to the schedule, Phase One took the bold step of renaming it Capture One 20 instead of the unlucky for some Capture One 13. Let me know your thoughts on this bombshell below!
Okay, I admit it. That is simply an excuse to get you to read on. But is there more than a simple name change to this update? A coat of polish if you will?
Well, honestly, yes and no.
The best thing is that, unlike last year, they have added Catalina support in version 12. This means that Mac owners don’t have to upgrade this year unless they want to. I (and may others) appreciate things like this, bravo Phase One, bravo.
Capture One themselves said that this update aimed to make the software more accessible and easier to use. Simply put, they are after Lightroom users who are unhappy with Adobe.
This update does make Capture One 20 feel more Lightroomesque (yeah, I made that word up). It improves the workflow for existing users as well as adding some useful tool updates.
Another Year, Another Capture One release. Could this be the one that makes you change?
So let’s start with the list of new features list.
Now, these all seem to be small changes when taken individually, but do they add up to a whole package that makes it worth the upgrade? Or perhaps more importantly for many of you, is this the upgrade to make Lightroom users make the jump?
Let’s look at these upgrades individually.
You can tweak the layout until you find your perfect workspace. The new scrolling area makes a huge difference.
This is one of the little things many users of Capture One have been asking for what feels like forever. (Finally, Capture One!)
Actually, it even has a scrollable section. Better than that, you have a pinned area, where you can keep tools you always need, along with a scrollable area. That means you no longer need to keep minimizing and maximizing tools.
However, this does mean there is a workflow change for regular users of Capture One. You can no longer simply scroll on a tool to change sliders. Now you need to hold down the alt key to alter tools.
To me, this is great as it stops any mistakes when editing. However, you can alter this in the preferences and use the Alt/Option key to scroll through tools instead.
I do love this update – it means you can customize it to exactly how you want your tools and not have the hassle of minimizing tools. I am sure there are Lightroom users who are thinking, “What the hell! You call this an update?”
Well, yes. This is one of the features that will make moving across from Lightroom easier and more intuitive.
Culling of images in Capture One 20 is now much faster. As a wedding photographer, it makes a world of difference to my workflow. You can set the software to automatically move to the next image once you rate it, either by star rating, color rating, or both. This simple tool saves a lot of time.
The color tool redesign is a welcome addition.
Well, they say it is new. In reality, it is another user interface update that makes the tools more user-friendly. Along with full layer support, it is more useable.
Capture One 20 has reduced the real estate that the basic color editor takes up. You now have 8 color segments with sliders for Hue, Saturation and Lightness. These are customizable, so if you are looking to isolate a specific range, and the standard segment just doesn’t work, you can simply customize it.
This is a nice touch that again helps speed up workflow (sensing a theme yet?).
When selecting a color within a photograph, if you continue to hold your mouse button down, you can alter the settings of the selected color range with your mouse (and the alt key).
By sliding your mouse vertically, you alter the saturation. Move it horizontally, and you change the hue. Finally, hold down the Alt/Option key whilst moving horizontally to change the lightness of the color.
So many upgrades this year make Capture One 20 smoother to use. The crop tool is a perfect example of this.
I’m beginning to sound like a broken record. This is by no means groundbreaking – it should have been fixed several versions ago – but cropping is faster and easier than ever before.
When you hit the Crop tool, the first thing you notice is the bold handles. This means it is much easier for you to grab the handles and crop the image. These handles also disappear when you are cropping in or out of the image, which is a nice touch.
Capture One 20 also allows cropping to the center of the image by holding down the Alt/Option key. It also freezes crop ratios when using the unconstrained option by holding down the shift key.
Lastly, it is easier to switch to the rotation of the image. Instead of having to change to the Rotate tool, you simply move outside of the crop area, and it becomes active. It is also noticeably smoother (on my computer at least) and easier to fine-tune than ever before.
Capture One 20 also offers better color profiling for DNG files. The improvements are subtle, but they are there. If you use DNG files, you will see a slight improvement in the rendering of colors, with them appearing more natural. However, how much of an improvement will depend on the camera the DNG comes from.
The ability to choose which layers to copy across is a great improvement in this current version.
There are three really great improvements to working with layers in Capture One 20.
Firstly, it is the ability to decide which of the layers you want to copy across. This is great for when you want to have layers that do not want copying across, such as specific retouching layers, or you want to copy your color edits across to a series of images, but not everything else.
This brings me to perhaps the biggest improvement, it pastes copied layers on top of any existing layers. This is huge and removes one of the previous frustrations when using layers in Capture One.
Lastly, you can now easily copy layers between cameras. This can be useful if you have two photographers on a shoot using different cameras. This is a tool that, if you need it, is great. But for many users, this won’t be a deal-breaker.
A small but noticeable improvement to the way the software handles noise is seen in Capture One 20
Okay, it’s time to bring out the big ones – the two new feature updates aimed at getting existing users to upgrade.
First is the improved noise reduction.
They have changed the noise reduction algorithm in Capture One 20. There is definitely an increase in performance here, both in the standard reduction applied at import and when using the tools. The colors in high ISO images tend to look nicer (especially skin colors), and you can reduce more noise than in the previous version.
This is one of those tools that suddenly make this upgrade a no-brainer if you shoot a lot at high ISO.
The New HDR Tools allow fine-tuning that has been missing from Capture One for years. This has several users excited. Those looking to move from Lightroom will feel much more at home.
Again, this is more of a “finally!” moment than a “WOW” moment.
The new HDR tools include a black and white point slider. This makes things so much easier in a practical sense and especially if you are moving from Lightroom. Also, the redesign of the sliders mean you can darken shadows rather than just recover them and the same with highlights.
It is great to have this feature, but it should have been developed a while ago. It makes working with shadows and highlights in Capture One 20 so much better.
This finally means no more tweaking the levels just to get the right black point. Again, this is something that Lightroom users have had forever, which brings me nicely to my conclusion.
This is one of those upgrades that really isn’t exciting. Just like when Apple revealed IOS12, this is not going to be full of new features. Instead, it’s about making the workflow better and making it much more intuitive for Lightroom users to move across.
I think the fact that Phase One updated Capture One 12 to run on Catalina OSX says a lot. In the past, you needed to upgrade to the newest version to use the latest operating system.
As someone who uses the software constantly, the updates are worth the price tag. It really makes editing quicker and easier.
I no longer find myself wishing for fixes to tools quite as much. The new user interface is much nicer than previous versions too. The addition of a black point and white point in HDR tools is great, while the big plus is the noise reduction improvements.
But is it worth the $ 159 to upgrade?
It is going to be hard to justify for a lot of people. The best advice, as always, is to try it for 30 days and see. There may be features that either individually or collectively make it worth your while. However, you may be able to invest that money more wisely.
No Capture One 20 review is complete without the Lightroom question. This is the bigger question and, in my opinion, the main point of this upgrade from Phase One’s perspective.
They have made the software much more user-friendly. The UI tweaks really are good. They are very Lightroom-like, meaning that you will find it much easier to come over to this software.
I have never got on with Lightroom. I tried it briefly when Apple stopped supporting Aperture but found myself preferring Capture One. To me, it is a better piece of software.
Phase One is definitely trying to persuade you to switch over to them, with this upgrade more likely to push more people to Capture One. It gives a more polished performance than ever and fixes some UI issues that long term users have wanted for a while. They even have a monthly subscription model if you don’t want to pay upfront.
It may seem like an expensive outlay at $ 299, but if you are a Fuji or Sony shooter, you can purchase Capture One 20 for $ 129. At that price, it really should be something you look into.
So, if this version can’t persuade you to switch from Lightroom, nothing will.
Have you tried Capture One 20? What are your thoughts? Are you looking to make the switch from Lightroom? Share with us in the comments.
The post Capture One 20 Review: Time to Make the Switch from Lightroom? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Snow appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
This week’s photography challenge topic is SNOW!
The Cathedral at Mt Buffalo National Park, Victoria in Winter by Caz Nowaczyk, Focal length: 130mm, ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/500th
For people in the Northern Hemisphere, it is Winter and, for many, that means snow.
So, this week’s challenge is to go out and shoot any pictures that include snow.
They can be dark and moody or light and bright, color or black and white. They can be stark or busy, close ups or distant landscapes. You get the idea!
So, check out these inspiring pics, have fun, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
Bridge over Bullock’s Head Creek from Link Road, Kosciusko National Park by Caz Nowaczyk. Focal length: 17mm, ISO 125, f/8, 1/1000th
Near Yarrangobilly Caves in Kosciuszko National Park by Caz Nowaczyk. © Focal length: 200mm, ISO 125, f/5, 1/250th
Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.
How to Capture a Winter Wonderland – Essential Tips for Photographing Snow
13 Snow Photography Tips: A Beginner’s Guide
Tips for Photographing Snow
Snowed In? Here’s One Way to Pass the Time
5 Uncommon Snow Photography Tips That Can Transform Your Winter Scenes.
How to Stay Motivated to Photograph Nature after Months in the Snow and Cold
Why Is The Snow In My Pictures So Blue?
Important Things to Consider When Photographing Winter Scenes
Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge.
You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites – tag them as #DPSsnow to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Snow appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
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