How to Optimise your Workspace

IMG_1209Using Workspaces in Capture One Pro 7 is an easy way to customise and optimise the interface and the way you work with images. Capture One Pro 7 includes some default workspaces optimised for how most professional photographers work, but you can still make your own workspaces to:

-  Make your favourite tools more accessible, where you want them.

-  Change the layout and content of the toolbar

-  Make different workspaces for different tasks (Importing, Editing, Shooting, Focus Checking)

By streamlining the interface, functions and options can be found quickly and easily. Different tasks will also require focus on different parts of the software. For example, whilst selecting images from a shoot or moving images in your catalog, it is not necessary to have the tools on display, thereby creating more screen real estate for image viewing.


Switching Workspaces

Switching between Workspaces is easily done in the Window > Workspaces menu found in the toolbar. It’s also here you can save and delete your custom Workspaces.

image1

Building and Saving a Workspace

The simplified workspace in Capture One Pro 7 looks like this:

image2Many elements of the Workspace can be changed. A few examples:

-  Contents of the toolbar

-  Adding / Removing tools from a Tool Tab

-  Changing the position of tools in a Tool Tab

-  Adding / Removing Tool Tabs or Creating Custom Tools Tabs

-  Creating floating windows

-  Position of the browser and tools

Example

In the following example we can make some changes to the Toolbar and the Tool Tabs.

Toolbar
Right-click on the toolbar and choose Customize Toolbar.

image3This will bring up the following menu:

image4 copyThen simply drag and drop the required icons from the available selection into the toolbar.

image5

Tool Tabs

To add a Tool Tab, right click on the Tool Tab Area and choose Add Tool Tab.  A list of Tool Tabs that have not yet been added will be shown in the menu.

image6Choose one of the available ones and it will be added to the Tool Tab area.

image7Cmd-click drag to change the order of the Tool Tabs.

image8To add a tool to the currently open Tool Tab, right-click on the Tool Tab itself and choose Add Tool. If you don’t want a tool docked with the other tools, either drag it from the rest of the tools to the placement you want, or you use the menu Window > Create Floating Tool and create a floating version of whichever tool you want.

Play around with the options in the View menu to find the workspace setup that suits you. When you are happy with your new Workspace, choose Window>Workspace>Save Workspace.

image9
All the best,

Niels

Working the workspace

Workspaces in Capture One are an easy way to customise the interface so that it makes the most sense to you.  This could include elements such as:

-  Making your favourite tools easily accessible

-  Changing the layout and content of the toolbar

-  Making different workspaces for different tasks (Importing, Editing, Shooting, Focus Checking)

By streamlining the interface, your favorite functions and options can be found quickly and easily.  Different tasks will also require focus on different parts of the software.  For example, whilst selecting images from a shoot, it is not necessary to have the Tools on display, thereby creating more screen real estate for image viewing.

Building and Saving a Workspace

The default workspace in Capture One Pro 6 looks like this:

Many elements of the Workspace can be changed – among others:

-  Contents of the Toolbar

-  Adding / Removing Tools from a Tool Tab

-  Changing the position of Tools in a Tool Tab

-  Adding / Removing Tool Tabs or Creating Custom Tools Tabs

-  Creating floating windows

-  Position of the Browser and Tools

Customizing the Toolbar

Right-Click on the Toolbar and choose Customize Toolbar.

This will bring up the following menu:

Then you can simply drag and drop the required icons from the available selection into the toolbar to match your needs.

Customizing Tool Tabs

To add a new Tool Tab to the interface, right-click on the Tool Tab Area and choose Add Tool Tab.  A list of the Tool Tabs that have not yet been added will be shown in the menu.

Choose one of the available ones and it will be added to the Tool Tab area.

Note – the Tool Tab area can also be increased or decreased in size by click dragging on the edge of the Tool Area.

You can also change the order of the Tool Tabs to fit your unique workflow. Just Cmd-click and drag the icons to change the order of the Tool Tabs. If you want to add a tool to the currently open Tool Tab, you can Right-Click on the Tool Tab itself and choose Add Tool.

Finally, when you are happy with your new Workspace, choose Window>Workspace>Save Workspace.

The Workspaces can be accessed from the same menu or by using the Workspace icon on the toolbar.

Learn more about working the workspace in this tutorial

The Black and White Tool Tab

Capture One Pro 6 comes with a powerful Black and White tool located in the Color Tool Tab. Besides this tool, Capture One Pro 6 also has a specific Black and White Tool Tab which includes a number of relevant tools to perform Black and White conversion. 

As there are many Tool Tabs in Capture One, the Black and White Tool Tab is not visible by default. If you produce Black and White work often, I would strongly recommend enabling this Tool Tab.

Remember, you can always customize a Tool Tab. If you are missing a tool or find one you never use, just add or delete it. By default, Capture One remembers how you arrange the tools, and Capture One’s layout is stored in the default Workspace. You can always save the current layout as a named workspace to allow you to return to that specific layout again.

The left image is straight out of the camera. The center image is a black and white version made by simply desaturating the colors in the image, and this is by no means a very interesting image. The last image is made with the Black and White tool as well as some of the other tools found in the Black and White Tool Tab. This image is based on the Black and White tool preset called “Color – Landscape 1”.  This preset brings down the lightness of the blue sky which gives a dramatic contrast to the dunes and the light tower, creating a much more interesting image. 

To enable the Black and White Tool Tab, simply right click on the Tool Tab bar.   That gives you the opportunity to select the “Black and White” Tool Tab in the “Add Tool Tab” menu.

The image above shows the layout of the Black and White Tool Tab. In the Black and White tool, the preset “Color – Landscape 1” has been selected. You can use the tool presets as inspiration for how you would like your image to appear. Scroll down the preset list, and you will immediately see the effect of each selected preset. Start by selecting the presets that gives you the overall look and finish that you want. Then, you can fine-tune the result using the other tools. For example, a Black and White image will often need much more contrast than a color version of the same image.

Stay tuned for more Black and White tips next week.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 768 other followers

%d bloggers like this: