Capture One released version 16.9 for desktop (and 4.2 for mobile) on October 29, 2026, and the headline feature is one every headshot photographer has wished for: Stray Hair Removal. Instead of cleaning up flyaway hairs one strand at a time, the software can now find and remove them for you, with controls to decide how much goes and what stays.
We photograph headshots and events here in San Antonio and edit large batches every week, so retouching tools that save minutes per image matter to us and to our clients. Here is what Capture One announced, how it fits into a real headshot workflow, and what it means if you are booking headshots for yourself or your team.
What is new in Capture One 16.9
- Stray Hair Removal: an automated tool for flyaway hairs, with a strength slider and a protection brush so you can keep hair that is part of the look and only remove the strays you do not want.
- Skin Tone Retouching and Body Skin Retouching: new portrait tools aimed at evening out skin and color more quickly, beyond the face.
- Advanced Color Editor upgrades: a new Target picker, a redesigned color wheel, typed RGB and HSL target values for matching a reference color exactly, and a new Uniform control for keeping a color consistent across a surface.
- Multi-User Sessions out of beta: collaborators can now export images and follow the latest shot in a shared session, with a clearer sync status.
- New camera support: including files from the Nikon Z5 IIC and the OM System PEN.
According to Capture One, the stray hair feature was requested directly by portrait and headshot photographers, was trained first on mannequins and wigs before real people, and was held back from a spring release so it could be refined with professional headshot photographers testing it over the summer. The update is free for existing users now, and new users can try it with a 7-day trial; subscriptions start at about 18 dollars per month when paid annually.
Why stray hairs are such a big deal in headshots
Flyaway hair is the most common distraction in a corporate headshot, especially at outdoor sessions or busy event headshot stations where there is no time between people for a stylist. Against a clean gray or white backdrop, even a few strands catch the light and pull the eye away from the face.
Removing them by hand is slow, careful work: zoom in, follow each strand with a healing or clone tool, and make sure the background and hair edge still look natural. Across a batch of dozens of headshots from one event, that adds up to hours. A tool that handles most of it automatically, while letting the retoucher protect hair that should stay, is a real time saver.
How it fits a real headshot workflow
We edit our event and headshot work in Adobe Lightroom, not Capture One, so this update does not change our day-to-day process. But it is a good reminder of the practical steps that keep headshot retouching fast and consistent, whichever software you use:
- Prevent it on set first. A quick mirror check, a little hairspray, and a hair light that is not too hot on the edges save more time than any software.
- Build one look, then sync. Perfect skin tone, exposure and crop on one image, then sync or batch that look across the whole set so every person in a team matches.
- Retouch only what distracts. Flyaways crossing the face or eyes, stray hairs against the backdrop and temporary blemishes. Keep natural texture so the person still looks like themselves.
- Use AI tools as a first pass, not the final word. Automated hair and skin tools are great for speed, but always check the hairline and edges at 100 percent before export.
- Export for where it will live. A square or 4:5 crop for LinkedIn and a high-resolution file for print or the company website.
If Lightroom adds a comparable automated stray hair tool, we will be first in line to test it on our next headshot batch.
What it means for headshot clients in San Antonio
For businesses booking team or event headshots, better retouching tools mean cleaner results and faster turnaround without the plastic, over-smoothed look. A good headshot photographer still controls the final call on what gets removed, but the tedious parts of retouching are getting quicker every year, and that benefits everyone waiting on their new profile photo.
Need headshots for your team, a conference headshot station, or a refreshed LinkedIn photo in San Antonio? Get in touch with Grey Bug Photography and tell us your date and how many people need photos.
Sources: Capture One’s October 29, 2026 release of Capture One 16.9 for desktop and 4.2 for mobile, as reported by PetaPixel and DPReview. Features, pricing and availability may change.
