Capture One 5--Question about the black point

[robgo2]

I have noticed that C1-5 always seems to place the darkest point in a scene at 0 on the histogram, even if it is not true black in the RAW file.  I know this to be true, because in Lightroom, the same point may be somewhere above zero.  Is there some way to change this behavior?  I have found in Preferences under Exposure something called "Shadow & Level Pickers," but there is no explanation as to what they are for or how to use them.

Having the darkest point always set to zero limits one's ability to deal with shadows, and I would like to be able to have more control.

Rob

[robgo2]

Rob,

As one option try levels - drag the top left adjustment handle inwards to alter the shadows or type in an amount of your choice.

Nick, thanks for the tip.  That works beautifully.  

I am working hard to learn C1-5, so I will probably have a few more questions to ask the group.  I am comparing it to Lightroom 3 Beta.  Granted, LR is not a finished product, but I doubt that there will much change in the actual RAW conversions when the final version comes out.

Rob

[Jack Flesher]

Nick, thanks for the tip.  That works beautifully.  

I am working hard to learn C1-5, so I will probably have a few more questions to ask the group.  I am comparing it to Lightroom 3 Beta.  Granted, LR is not a finished product, but I doubt that there will much change in the actual RAW conversions when the final version comes out.

Rob

Note that black point behavior seems to be partially tied to selecting the "Film Standard" curve under Base Characteristics. You might want to also try "Linear" there, then build your own custom response curve which you can save under the curves tool...  You can then save an entire set of adjustments as a "Style" for fast application to any image going forward.