After several months of being in beta, Capture One for iPad is now available. The App, which you can get now from the App Store, offers a subset of Capture One for desktop’s functionality, so it is limited. However, it does use the full capture One Raw engine, so images processed on an iPad will be as good as those processed on a desktop.

The interface has been redesigned specifically for the iPad and was created with two-handed use in mind, although you can easily use it lying on a desk or on a stand, either. The left-hand side of the screen allows you to select the tool you wish to use, and on the right-hand side is a virtual control wheel, with which you can adjust the parameters. It takes a little getting used to, but it quickly makes sense.

Not all the features are currently in the iPad version. Notably, layers and masks are missing, as are curves and levels and many more. The company has pledged to add these features over time, with the aim to eventually have the iPad version as full-featured as the desktop. For now, it is a good companion to the Desktop, and there’s even a built-in cloud transfer tool, although this is a bit clunky.

Capture One for iPad Running on a iPad 6

The iPad app can also use styles, although in my brief time trying it out, it wasn’t clear as to how to get styles onto the iPad version of the software.

The App requires a subscription which is currently €5.49 a month here in Ireland, with prices varying depending on local currency and vat rates, but it should be around this. Unfortunately, those who already have a desktop subscription still have to pay extra for the iPad version, unlike Adobe’s mobile version of Lightroom.

To be honest, given that the app isn't really "finished" and they still need to add a lot to it, I think the subscription charge is a bit much, especially for those who already subscribe to Capture One on the desktop. Given that people for years complained about the Adobe subscription, that now seems like a bargin compared to the combined cost of a Capture One Desktop and iPad subscription. For less than half the price, you can get Photoshop, two version of Lightroom on the Desktop, and both the iPhone and iPad versions of Lightroom and cloud storage and syncronisation which has much more capabilities than Capture One's currwntly does.

I know €5 a month doesn't sound like a lot on its own, but it ads up when you take into account the price of the dektop software - and you need both really, as its very limited on its own. The free "express" version of Capture One (for Sony or Fuji) has more features than the iPad release at the moment (expet the iPad isn't limied to one manufacturer), so not really sure how they can justify the cost.

Anyway...

I’ve only briefly tried it, as my iPad is ancient, and it wouldn’t be fair to evaluate the software based on how it runs on it. It’s quite slow for me, but I only have a 6th generation iPad, and therefore I can’t comment on how well the app works on modern hardware. I did note that it does seem quite limited currently, but I need to play around with it a bit more to properly judge. If there’s interest (please let me know in the comments) and I’ll try to cover it some more, despite my current hardware limitations. For now, you can find out more details on the Capture One website.

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If you’re looking for some Film Effect, or black and White style packs for Capture One, check out my Capture One styles on my Gum Road Store.

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