In this blog, I will share a few ways I use Capture One to achieve the best colours from Leica RAW files. These are the methods that work for me and reflect my editing style. There are, of course, other ways to adjust colour in Capture One, so what I’m sharing here is based on personal preference rather than objective fact. It’s worth noting that some of the features mentioned are only available in the desktop version of Capture One, not the mobile app. Lastly, if your app looks different from mine, it’s because I’ve customised my layout to resemble Lightroom’s interface.

Base Characteristics

The first and most impactful way to optimise Leica RAW files is by experimenting with the curves found under the Base Characteristics tab. Please don’t confuse this with the Curve tool, which I’ll discuss later. Depending on the RAW file you use, you’ll see different options, including Capture One’s default profiles such as Linear Response. These curves offer a slightly different starting point for your edit and are worth experimenting with to see what works best for you.

White Balance

Whenever I load a RAW image and the colours feel slightly off, a quick white balance adjustment usually resolves the issue. Sometimes cameras miscalculate white balance, while other times the correct white balance might not suit the scene. In many cases, I find myself warming the image slightly and adding a touch of green. My only advice here is not to overdo it.

Colour Editor

The bulk of your colour grading will happen in the Colour Editor tab. There are three ways to adjust colour here: Basic, Advanced, and Skin Tones. Each offers different levels of precision. While the tools vary, the principles are the same. They let you adjust the hue, saturation, and luminance of specific colours.

Basic

The Basic tool lets you quickly and efficiently adjust primary colours by grouping many smaller shades under categories such as red, yellow, and green. It’s one of the most powerful tools for transforming the overall look of a photo. For a vintage, cinematic feel, you might shift reds towards orange and blues towards teal. If your image has clashing colours, try harmonising the warm tones (yellow, red, orange) and the cool tones (blue, cyan, purple). There’s no definitive science to this—it’s an artistic process that depends on the specific image and your creative preferences.

Advanced

The Advanced mode allows for extremely specific colour selection. You can be as precise or as broad as you like, and while the adjustment options remain the same, this mode gives you more control over which colours are impacted.

Skin Tones

The Skin Tones tool provides even finer control over colours. While it’s primarily designed for skin tones, it works for any colour. This tool is particularly useful for bringing different hues closer together. For instance, if you have three slightly different shades of blue that you’d like to unify, this tool makes it possible.

Colour Balance

While the Colour Balance tool doesn’t alter your colours directly, it adds a colour grade over the image, affecting how the colours are perceived. This is an opportunity to get creative—you can go for a bold, stylised grade or something more subtle. Personally, I like to add blues, reds, or greens to the shadows, and warmer orange tones to the highlights. The tool is simple to use: select the hue and intensity for the shadows, midtones, and highlights. You can also adjust luminance for some final tweaks.

Levels & Curves

There are two additional ways to adjust colour in Capture One: the Levels and Curves tools. However, I don’t use them much for colour grading—I primarily use them for exposure adjustments. While I’ve included them here as options, I can’t offer detailed guidance on their use for colour adjustment as they aren’t part of my workflow.