capture one vs photoshop

[dhdhdh]

I'm new to PhaseOne and CaptureOne.  If I am NOT shooting tethered with my P45 back, is there a reason not to process my raw files in Photoshop? 
thank you!

[qwz]

1. Colour
2. Workflow
3. Ease of corrections

[Bryan Conner]

Since you can use both for free for a trial period, I would recommend using both for 30 days and deciding which is the best for you.  What is best for you may not be the best for the next person.  It is strictly a matter of opinion.

[dhdhdh]

Thank you...  I have been using photoshop forever, but with DSLR's. Now I've moved to a PhaseOne back and am a bit daunted by Capture One.  It is kind of amazing how much of a difference there is when opening the same file in both pieces of software. 

Re:  Colour, workflow, ease of corrections -- I guess I'll just have to stick with it and see.

Thanks again

[Chris_Brown]

Capture One simply processes the raw file, just as Adobe Camera Raw does. Once processed, the image can then be retouched in Photoshop.

The biggest difference between Capture One and Adobe Camera Raw is how they reference the captured color. Capture One uses ICC Camera profiles, and Phase One provides many profiles for a wide variety of light conditions for each back. It is imperative you use the best one suited to your lighting conditions to get the best color rendition. ACR uses Adobe's DNG Camera Profile in conjunction with Kodak's ProPhoto ICC profile to render color.

The two methods are very different in their approach to rendering color, but the difference hinges on how to best determine the color of light at the time of capture. ICC camera profiles require a known value to a white point (i.e., the correct color of the light source) in order to make an accurate camera profile. There's some great explanations of it on these boards, and on Adobe's forums.

If you want to try ACR with your Phase back raw images, simply convert the raw files to the DNG format and ACR will manipulate & process them using its rendering engine.

[dhdhdh]

Thank you.  Regarding profiles, if I don't employ the profiles (not knowing how to do this) can i just use the White Balance dropper to set the color after capture?   I'm growing more comfortable with Capture One and am loving the results from my used P45 back.

thanks again

[Chris_Brown]

Regarding profiles, if I don't employ the profiles (not knowing how to do this) can i just use the White Balance dropper to set the color after capture?

Nope. Capture One requires the use of an ICC camera profile to generate color. The profile is actually the source of a colorspace for the program. The white balance tool simply tells the program what a neutral color is, and the program uses this information in conjunction with the ICC camera profile to generate an image.

The drop-down menu to select the appropriate ICC profile is in the second or third tab, towards the top. It will use a default profile when you don't select one. The profiles Phase One provides for their backs are very good, and are made for use with specific lighting schemes.

[dhdhdh]

Thanks -- I'll follow up on your advice.