C1 Pro switching to Lightroom or Aperture?

[Alan_Ackoff]

I've compared Lightroom 1.1 to C1 for image quality and Lightroom is doing the job just fine.

Alan

[RalphEisenberg]

Originally Posted by Alan_Ackoff

I've compared Lightroom 1.1 to C1 for image quality and Lightroom is doing the job just fine.

Alan

Would you extend this comparison to skin tones? I've had mixed results (with 1Ds2 files) which I would be inclined to attribute to severe user shortcomings, but ultimately I feel more comfortable and secure with C1 Pro's results in this respect. I'm also impressed with the output from the recent Capture One 4 beta for skin tones and file quality generally (but not for many other aspects of the program). It still remains far behind Lightroom in regard to tonal correction, regrettably.

[Alan_Ackoff]

Hi Ralph,

I photograph people. I take lots of pictures at weddings and events and don't have time to adjust skin tones on a picture by picture basis. I've found that by using a Number 1 Warm Card to manually white balance when I shoot, I get excellent skin tones in Lightroom without any adjustments. Please understand though, I'm not going for accuracy. I'm aiming for a warm look that makes people happy with their photos.

I also like C1 and Canon DPP for skin tones. It seems to me I can get pretty good results with any raw converter these days. That said, Lightroom has such a nice interface and fits so well into my imaging pipeline that I rarely use anything else.

Lee Varis has written a book called 'Skin' and he has a method for calibrating Lightroom and Camera Raw to your camera for the best possible skin tones. I haven't had a chance to try it but it's interesting and might be what you need if you want better skin tones from Lightroom. If you do give it a try, please post your impressions. I've been meaning to give it a try but just haven't had time yet.

-Alan

PS. If you go to the "Proof" page of my website and look at the top three shoots listed there, you'll get an idea what the Warm Card does. There is also a 1/2 Warm Card that I used on the second shoot from the top. For more info just Google "Warm Cards".

[RalphEisenberg]

Hello Alan,

Thanks very much for your thoughtful reply. The proof as you show is in your "Proofs" and these latter provide compelling reasons to look more closely into some of your helpful suggestions.

I do now recall another reason that I have some reservations about Lightroom, but this is a mere quibble. Unlike ACR, it only offers a parameter Curves tool as opposed to a point-Curves tool in ACR (as well as the former). But this is besides the point that I raised which you have addressed in your informative response.

[Robert Wilde]

I actually started out with Lightroom, choosing it over Aperture for hardware requirements and also when reading Lightroom vs. Aperture reviews on the web.

I am very happy with Lightroom. It is a joy to work with it, not a chore.

It has more sliders to adjust your image than Aperture, like clarity for regional contrast, and vibrance, which is a saturation tool, that boosts the less saturated colors more. Both very useful tools.

I also like the elegant appearance of Lightroom.

Lightroom has no dual monitor support yet, like Aperture does.

High volume shooters like news photographers or wedding photographers often choose Aperture for its better - so I heard - database.

But as Lightroom is a very young software (after years on beta it only came out in February) I could very well imagine of the Lightroom database being upgraded significantly in the near future.

[Alan_Ackoff]

I shoot weddings and, like most of the wedding photographers I know, find nothing lacking in the Lightroom database. it's adequate to my needs and it's simple and reliable.

In what way is the Aperture database supposedly better?

[Robert Wilde]

Originally Posted by Alan_Ackoff

I shoot weddings and, like most of the wedding photographers I know, find nothing lacking in the Lightroom database. it's adequate to my needs and it's simple and reliable.

In what way is the Aperture database supposedly better?

I don't know in which way, and if it is at all better.

I just mentioned this Aperture database comment which I had read several times in reviews and comparisons on the web. It was more of a hint for someone's own research - in the vein of: if database is very important to you, check out Aperture's.

There are definitely people who are very much into databases. Some of them are heavily pushing towards the integration of MySQL into Lightroom. I don't know in which way this would help a photographer's managing of his images.

I am satisfied with the way the database and the catalogue works, and, yes, it is very reliable.

PS: great tip, this book by Lee Varis ("skin"). It's already on my shopping list.