Give a photo series consistent framing with Capture One AI Crop

Capture One’s AI Crop detects subjects or faces and aligns pictures with a reference. It is available in Pro’s Crop tool from version 16.4; Studio adds controls.[1]

These steps use a licensed desktop installation of Pro and an already imported shoot. Pro is offered by subscription or one-time purchase. This guide follows documentation checked on 20 October 2026; we have not processed or exported a photo series.[2]

Check the linked requirements against your computer. The current minimum includes 8 GB of RAM and 10 GB of free disk space; activation requires an internet connection. Windows and macOS have separate supported-version requirements.[3]

Choose one composition for the series

For a practice task, select a small series of portraits from one session. Aim for a similar amount of space above each head, using a single aspect ratio. Choose a reference with room around the person so the framing has somewhere to move.[4]

In the Crop tool, choose the required Ratio and draw the crop in the Viewer. Press Enter to see it applied. The orange dimensions beside the crop indicate its size.[4]

Select this reference variant alone. Choose Set as reference in the Crop tool, then select the pictures to align and choose Apply reference. Capture One matches aspect ratio and subject or face position.[1]

Inspect every frame, especially a turned head or raised hand. Adjust individual crops where the shared framing cuts into something you want to keep. If crop dimensions seem locked, the manual advises setting Scale to Fixed in Export Format & Size.[4]

Choose what the JPEGs will contain

Select the finished image variants in the Browser and open Export from the toolbar. Checkmark one export recipe for this first set. Capture One creates new files with the adjustments applied; keep referenced originals available, including their external drive if that is where they live.[5]

Highlight that same recipe. In Format and Size, choose JPEG and adjust its quality setting. For a set intended for the web, choose sRGB in ICC Profile. Leave Scale at Fixed 100% to retain the cropped image’s native pixel count. Matching aspect ratios do not by themselves give every crop the same number of pixels.[6][7]

In the Exporter’s Adjustments tool, set Crop to Respect crop. Ignore crop would export without the framing you just chose. If a saved picture unexpectedly shows the full camera frame, this is the setting to inspect.[8]

Save the set and inspect it together

In Location, set Folder to Choose folder and select a fresh destination for this set. Keep Existing Files on Add Suffix so a repeated export produces another file. The Sample Path arrow opens the destination folder.[9]

Click Export at the bottom right of the Export Images window. With only one recipe checked, each selected variant produces one output file. Selecting several recipes instead would create several versions of each image.[5]

Open the saved JPEGs together and compare the headroom and complete silhouettes. Count the files against the variants you chose. For this exercise, finish when the series looks coherent at its intended display size and the individual portraits retain the details you meant to show.[9]

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