Capture One’s Clarity Tool

The Clarity Tool in Capture One 6 is a tool that can apply a kind of local contrast to an image without changing the overall contrast of the image.

The Clarity Tool works great when you are working on images with some degree of haze. Applying Clarity values of 20-50 will give an impression of increased contrast and stronger details. But even images without haze can benefit from adding Clarity up to around 20-30.

A high amount of Clarity applied to a sky with clouds can make the sky look much more dramatic.

However, too much clarity can create halos around strong contrast edges. Therefore, it can be a good idea to apply Clarity in a local adjustments layer, allowing you to apply more Clarity without creating halos.

In the image to the left, the Clarity Tool has been used to enhance the perceived contrast of the image and to compensate for the slightly hazy look.  The image to the right has not been adjusted with the Clarity Tool, and it is easy to see that haze has reduced the contrast around the buildings.

The Clarity Tool can be adjusted with both positive and negative values. Negative Clarity values can be used to create a more dusty or dreamy look which also works very well for some portraits.

Same image with different amounts of Clarity applied. Both positive and negative values can have strong effects on an image.