Capture One default saturation: Working with a group of images from the Nikon Z7 I noticed that the default saturation for the color version of an image seemed to be a bit too...

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Working with a group of images from the Nikon Z7 I noticed that the default saturation for the color version of an image seemed to be a bit too saturated compared to the actual scene I recalled. When I reset the saturation to -25 it comes closer to what I remember. It also looks more natural on the camera's display.

I see similar results with a Nikon D610 and a Fuji X100T cameras so it's not the Z7.

My monitor is regularly calibrated.

Has anyone else noticed something like this?

Default saturation
Default saturation...

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Saturation set to -25
Saturation set to -25...

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Saturation set to -15
Saturation set to -15...

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R.G. Loc: Scotland

It's possible that Capture One is picking up on the Z7's Picture Control settings, even for raw files. Try resetting the in-camera Saturation setting. If it fixes the problem you won't have to keep on resetting saturation after import, and whenever you shoot jpeg they will look more natural.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

R.G. wrote:

It's possible that Capture One is picking up on the Z7's Picture Control settings, even for raw files. Try resetting the in-camera Saturation setting. If it fixes the problem you won't have to keep on resetting saturation after import, and whenever you shoot jpeg they will look more natural.

All of my cameras create the JPEG at their default settings - 99% of the time with the camera's Daylight WB.

Since the same thing happens with the other three cameras the problem seems to be in the Capture One default saturation settings.

JPEG SOOC - about 0.6 stops underexposed

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selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

selmslie wrote:

JPEG SOOC - about 0.6 stops underexposed

Here is another image that was not underexposed.

JPEG SOOC

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From Capture One with Saturation set to -30

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selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

selmslie wrote:

Here is another image that was not underexposed.

I found a fix for this in Capture One.

I saved the saturation setting of -30 as a default preset.

It pays to read the manual.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

This inspired me to find out how to change default settings in Lr6, in particular the sharpening and denoise settings.

The default settings are done on a file type and camera model basis, so you need to select an image which is from your chosen camera and which is of the preferred file type (typically raw or jpg but in my case it was TIFF from NX Studio).

Open it in DEVELOP, put in the adjustments that you want applied as defaults, press ALT (OPTION on a Mac?) which causes the RESET button in the bottom right hand corner to change to "Set Default..." and click on that while holding the ALT key down.

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

selmslie wrote:

All of my cameras create the JPEG at their default settings - 99% of the time with the camera's Daylight WB.

Since the same thing happens with the other three cameras the problem seems to be in the Capture One default saturation settings.

Perhaps it's the ICC profile or tone curve Capture One is using.

Look under Style --> Base Characteristics --> ICC Profile.

There are several (actually 10) choices for the Z7. Which one is Capture One using for your Z7 images?

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

R.G. wrote:

This inspired me to find out how to change default... (show quote)

Capture One does it a little differently. But it seems that, having taken care of this for the Z7, whatever I did carries over to the other cameras - maybe. In any case, now that I am aware of the issue I will probably recognize it if it ever comes up again.

I might not have noticed it as a problem if I had not started out developing the images as B&W and only reverted to color on a whim. The result got my attention.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

The thing about sharpening and denoise is that it's a bit of a juggling act, not just between the sharpening and the denoise but also between the different sharpening sliders and the different denoise sliders. Having approximately correct default settings means that you can go straight to the tweaking stage, even if the image requires relatively large adjustments.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

David Martin wrote:

Perhaps it's the ICC profile or tone curve Capture One is using.

Look under Style --> Base Characteristics --> ICC Profile.

There are several (actually 10) choices for the Z7. Which one is Capture One using for your Z7 images?

The profile I have set for editing all color images is ProPhoto RGB.

But I looked into the built in exposure presets and found a selection for Vivid 1 and Vivid 2 at the bottom of the list. It's seems as though I might have inadvertently ended up with one of those two settings because they produce the same symptoms I was seeing.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

R.G. wrote:

The thing about sharpening and denoise is that it's a bit of a juggling act, not just between the sharpening and the denoise but also between the different sharpening sliders and the different denoise sliders. Having approximately correct default settings means that you can go straight to the tweaking stage, even if the image requires relatively large adjustments.

I normally don't touch noise since I am usually shooting in daylight at low ISO - no noise. In a pinch I use a mask to apply noise reduction in proportion to the darkest levels so it does not mess up the sharpness of the brighter portions of the image.

Instead of sharpening I usually apply a clarity adjustment which does something similar but it's more appropriate when viewing the full image rather than when pixel peeping.

In general, I avoid styles and presets and treat each image (or group of images from the same session) separately.

Incidentally, I can use the saturation preset I saved for the Z7 with any other camera. It has a "Z7" prefix in its name so I can save a different preset for another camera if I want to.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

selmslie wrote:

All of my cameras create the JPEG at their default settings - 99% of the time with the camera's Daylight WB.

Since the same thing happens with the other three cameras the problem seems to be in the Capture One default saturation settings.

Nice shot 🍀🍀🍀

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

selmslie wrote:

The profile I have set for editing all color images is ProPhoto RGB.

Would you mind clarifying this? I may be misunderstanding, but...

ProPhoto RGB is not one of the options for setting the Base Characteristics in my version of Capture One (v. 22).

Capture One documentation does mention ProPhoto RGB, but only when outputting an image either for print, to a file or to another program for further editing.

Have you tried processing images using one of the ICC profiles specifically for the Z7?

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

David Martin wrote:

Would you mind clarifying this? I may be misunderstanding, but...

ProPhoto RGB is not one of the options for setting the Base Characteristics in my version of Capture One (v. 22).

Capture One documentation does mention ProPhoto RGB, but only when outputting an image either for print, to a file or to another program for further editing.

Have you tried processing images using one of the ICC profiles specifically for the Z7?

The camera's raw file does not have a color space, white balance or profile.

A color space can be sRGB, Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB, each with a progressively wider gamut.

When your camera or you convert the raw information into a TIFF or JPEG for a display or print it gets translated into the appropriate color rendition for your screen or printer/paper combination (profile). ProPhoto RGB has a wider gamut of colors than the other two.

Most people just use sRGB and under most circumstances will never miss the extra gamut.

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

selmslie wrote:

The camera's raw file does not have a color space,... (show quote)

I understand the above. Yet...

Capture One employs an ICC profile for its RAW conversion and post-processing. The profile is user-selectable. Capture One includes a large number of profiles from which to chose, most of these are camera-specific. The profile of choice is specified under "Base Characteristics." I was wondering which one you were using, thinking it might have an effect on the saturation you are seeing.