Capture One GUI

[gazwas]

Capture One 11 is sweet and love the new flexibility in layers.

However, is it just me or does anyone else find the GUI of C1 terrible. Phase keep adding great new features but they barely touch the program layout and just hide all the new stuff into little drop down menus. I was excited to hear about the new layers panel to only find this flash new feature looked just like it used to be. I’m not asking for a total mix up so we can’t find things but some new icons/buttons/sliders would be nice IMO.

Anyone else feel similar?

[mediumcool]

No.

[Doug Peterson]

In the Capture One Masters Program the first half hour is dedicated to the myriad ways you can customize the GUI for a 1, 2, or multi screen setup. The last half an hour is dedicated to advanced UI tips like how to change workspaces via keyboard shortcut, apply styles from the keyboard, control the crop from the keyboard, and use the Edit Primary toggle from keyboard to faster facilitate batch editing. With those sorts of power options in place I can tell you without any hesitation I feel the GUI and interface and workflow of C1 is faster, better, and more agile than any other raw editor.

If you're using the default workspace and are unhappy then change whatever you're unhappy with. The size of the icons and the background of the tools are just about the only things that aren't adjustable.

[gazwas]

If you're using the default workspace and are unhappy then change whatever you're unhappy with. The size of the icons and the background of the tools are just about the only things that aren't adjustable.

No, I use a custom workspace as the default one is terrible. I've been using the browser on the right since forever (image capture days) and its now only just made it to the default workspace.

I can't believe more people don't find C1 need some thought in this department. I know how great shortcuts can be but its a shame you have to revert to these methods due to the GUI being so lacking. I don't understand how Phase thought adding the the three dots at the top of the layers panel for all those great features was the best way to implement the new features? And with all that space at the bottom of the layers panel they couldn't come up with some new icons for filled/empty/clone/heal layers rather than the terrible drop down menu currently on the new layer icon?

Must just be me so I'll go crawl back into my dark studio with Capture One 11.

[bcf]

Fill Mask etc. are accessible in the keyboard shortcuts editor.

[john beardsworth]

Must just be me

No, you're quite right, and there are other comments about the poor UI if you look through recent threads.

[Hoggy]

I can't believe more people don't find C1 need some thought in this department. I know how great shortcuts can be but its a shame you have to revert to these methods due to the GUI being so lacking.
.......
Must just be me

Definitely not just you.  I agree that customization is nice, but how it's implemented in C1 without having to strictly resort to arcane keyboard shortcuts, is not.

Of course, you'll also come across those C1 cheerleaders that also say similar things like "should that really be the job of a raw converter?" - in 2018.   

[Jeff]

My thought re- short cuts is whilst they are a good idea one can easily use up all the available single key options and with  multiple key combinations ( especially > 2 ) one has to be a contortionist with one's fingers !

In fact, in some cases just using a mouse / wacom pen and  menus or the dots on tools is quicker once you get familiar with it.

[gazwas]

Fill Mask etc. are accessible in the keyboard shortcuts editor.

Yes, I know all about keyboard shortcuts.

My point is sort of reinforced by Doug's comment about having to go on a Capture One Master Course and specifically spend time customising just to learn how to make C1 function better as it suggests the default GUI is sort of broken. Would there be such a heavy reliance on shortcuts if Phase had spent some more time looking at the GUI.

I'm not trying to rubbish Phase or Capture One as is a great piece of software but more of an observation over the many years I've been using it as new features are added.

[myotis]

Anyone else feel similar?

I can't say I have really thought about it.

I've moved a few things a around, and created some new palettes and shortcuts (I like shortcuts, as I find so much easier/quicker than menus, in any program), but not especially aware of there being an issue.

But I use a "lot" of different programs (not photography ones) and have got used to learning different interfaces and just accepting the way they are, but I can't say that C1 strikes me as being particularly bad.

Cheers,

Graham

[gazwas]

but I can't say that C1 strikes me as being particularly bad.

I agree, its not an absolute stinker.

I use C1 a lot and have been doing for a very long time and know how to get around using shortcuts, dual monitors, custom workspaces etc, etc, etc.......

However, with this last update I supposed I've really started to noticed its weird how Phase choose to add the new stuff. The change from version 3 to 4 was monumental and don't wish that again but I feel the developers are just bolting stuff onto C1 without any real thought how these features are accessed. As said above, the three dots in the top right of the layers menu (to name just one) strikes me as a terrible way to implement powerful new functions?

[IanSeward]

Capture One 11 is sweet and love the new flexibility in layers.

However, is it just me or does anyone else find the GUI of C1 terrible. Phase keep adding great new features but they barely touch the program layout and just hide all the new stuff into little drop down menus. I was excited to hear about the new layers panel to only find this flash new feature looked just like it used to be. I’m not asking for a total mix up so we can’t find things but some new icons/buttons/sliders would be nice IMO.

Anyone else feel similar?

The three dot menu icon is pretty widely used to indicate a sub menu.  It has the advantage of allowing you access to all of the relevant controls eg layers, masking, invert, copy etc in one place.  Seems pretty efficient to me.

Many people, me included, don't see keyboard shortcuts as a way of "falling back" but as a wanted requirement for any program, and the preferred way of working.  UI designers will never please everyone though :-)

I would like to see a change in the currently fashionable grey on black interface which I find dismal and depressing in general.  It is unfortunately fashionable and most programs have adopted it.  Full marks to Affinity Photo for providing a "light" UI option in their latest release.

Common Phaseone, lighten up and give us a bit of colour while your at it :-)  Have you considered your corporate responsibility?  Class action by users who became depressed from using a depressing colour scheme UI :-) :-)

Stay calm, just English humour..

Ian

[Jack Varney]

I am a CC subscriber and have been using PS and LR for a long time. But, I love the C1 user interface! C1 is my preferred processor. I finish with PS on a majority of images when extensive adjustments are required. Maybe it's because I am a PC guy or maybe because I have an IT professional background. C1, to me, gets to the point with no needless frills to compromise performance or distract my attention from the details. However, the preferred features cited by us users are in our brains (hearts?) from experience. Use what works for you.

[Tibor O]

I don't understand how Phase thought adding the the three dots at the top of the layers panel for all those great features was the best way to implement the new features? And with all that space at the bottom of the layers panel they couldn't come up with some new icons for filled/empty/clone/heal layers rather than the terrible drop down menu currently on the new layer icon?

I totally agree with you that these could be better implemented at the bottom of the window next to Brush settings and Draw mask.



However, I found that when actually working on a layer it is fastest if selecting a layer and then right clicking and selecting the right option from the contextual menu that is relevant only for the selected layer than if selecting a layer and then hovering to the bottom of the window and clicking on the new icon for let's say Refine mask at the bottom of the window.

[sjprg]

I use dual monitors and my compliant is that after I setup the monitors as I wish them to be. when I exit the setup sometimes will not exit or requires the Alt F4 to be hit twice to actually exit. or when it does, it does not restore the next time I start up. I've tried using the Alt F4 exit, the file exit, and the X exit. One of the monitors is a 32" 4K and the other is a 1900X1260 which is the control with the full image placed on the 4K. While setup everything works fine but it must be reset up for each use.

[Tibor O]

Speaking of C1 GUI I came across this idea of a Tools Lock.

Before suggesting this to Phase One I would like to hear your opinion. I found that sometimes I inadvertently change a setting in a tool (i.e. when changing a workspace and the cursor defaults to a specific tool or when hovering over a tool with a scroll wheel mouse) and would therefore benefit from a Tools Lock (see picture below).

By default all the Tools would be unlocked (as is shown in the below example with HDR and Clarity Tools). But when finished with a certain tool on a picture I would have the option to lock it (as is shown in the below example with the Exposure Tool where I changed only the Saturation).

Locking the Tool would only Lock the sliders (i.e. all of the Exposure Tool settings) but would not lock other functionalities of the Tool Window. For example, you would still be able to copy and apply the settings from this tool to other pictures, drag the Tool out of the Tool Tab as a floating tool, getting ? or alt-clicking to the reset button to temporarily reset the Tool (but not be able to permanently reset the locked Tool). Auto functionality on a Locked Tool will of course be disabled too.

With Layers the Lock would be Layer specific. So, if you have 6 Layers for example you could Lock every Tool on each Layer.

What do you think? Would you benefit from this Tools Lock in your workflow? Would you use it?