Capture One has released version 16.8.2 today, which adds real-time collaborative sessions.

The new Multi-User Sessions in Capture One 16.8.2 enable creative and studio teams to work together in a single Capture One session at the same time, which Capture One promises will significantly reduce friction in team-based editing workflows.

“Studio photography has always been a team effort, but the software around it has forced work to move in handoffs: capture, export, send, wait, repeat,” Capture One says. “Multi-User Sessions removes those steps.”

Multi-User Sessions support viewing and editing full-resolution RAW files on individual computers, from tethered capture through final selects and post-processing.

There is a single session owner who retains control over certain aspects of the workflow, including imports, tethering, folder organization, and access permissions. Collaborators are then added and get controlled access to editing, retouching, cropping, and rating, all without stepping on each other’s toes.

It is important to note that this is not cloud-based, remote multi-user editing. Multi-User Sessions run on a local network, meaning that images never leave the building. This approach also ensures that the process is fast, even when working with high-resolution tethered cameras.

Multi-User Sessions are launching in beta on macOS first, with Windows parity and support for even larger teams to follow. Capture One says it wanted to get the initial version of Multi-User Sessions into real photographers’ hands as quickly as possible to solicit feedback and determine which features need changes or additions in future versions.

“If you’ve ever worked in a photography studio, you know how hard it is to work together simultaneously, and how much time gets lost passing files back and forth,” says Mathieu Bourlion, Director of Product Management, Capture One. “Now with Multi-User Sessions, everyone on the shoot, the photographer, the digitech, the art director, and the editor, can work in the same session at the same time. We’re launching in beta because we want this shaped by real shoots, and we’re listening closely to what studios tell us next.”

Alongside the Multi-User Sessions in Capture One 16.8.2 on macOS, Capture One 16.8.2 also includes file support for over 20 legacy Panasonic cameras on desktop and mobile (version 3.3.3). Alongside legacy Panasonic camera support, Capture One 16.8.2 adds support for the brand-new Leica SL-3P, which shares many features with the Panasonic S1R II.

Capture One plans start at $18 per month, while the Studio subscription, which includes offline collaboration tools required for the new Multi-User Sessions, is $48.50 per month. All purchasing options are detailed on Capture One’s website.

Image credits: Capture One