While the number of features is impressive, darktable suffers from subpar RAW color processing, a lack of built-in support for camera color profiles, reduced accuracy in local selection tools, a steep learning curve, and a few strange, random bugs. Darktable has many features, but even after learning the platform, many edits will take much longer than other editing apps. If time is money, this free download is actually quite expensive.ĭarktable is an open-source RAW editor similar to Lightroom and Capture One. Despite the free price point, it includes several advanced tools that even those programs don’t have. It also includes a Photoshop-like Liquify tool in the local edits. While dozens of different tools exist, each module can be organized into different workspaces.
If time is money, then darktable is quite expensive. The number of different controls and cluttered user interface gives the program a steep learning curve.
The software sits in a weird spot it’s free, which is likely to attract newbies, yet many of the controls are far too complicated for beginners. That’s exaggerated by a subpar color profiling, which sometimes creates weird highlights before any editing has even started. Ultimately, I got better results from Lightroom or Capture One in much less time.
If you have a lot of time and not a lot of money, play around with darktable. Similarly, if you know what the term white relative exposure means, you’ll be impressed by the advanced modules in an open source platform.
But, ultimately, the time required, odd RAW processing, lack of camera color profile support, and slow local edits won’t be worth canceling that Lightroom or Capture One subscription for. I’m giving darktable two out of five stars. That’s probably too generous, but it is free. Lightable is the tab inside darktable that’s designed for viewing, rating, and culling images.
0 kommentar(er)
