Editing Software

Ryan-3 · 13 Mar 2023 at 15:17

Hello all,

Just wondering what people's choice of RAW photo editing software is and why?

Although I'm still eligible for student discount on Adobe software (doesn't actually save me money for what I want..), I'd rather not be adding yet another monthly subscription to the rest I have.

I'm used to using photoshop, albeit older versions to the current crop. But what are peoples recommendations for editing their RAW images? I'd basically be going through my own snaps one by one and tweaking them for my own pleasure rather than needing some kind of professional setup where I can smash through 400 at once.

TheBrooder · 13 Mar 2023 at 16:12

I think Lightroom is used by most people but it's another Adobe BS monthly subscription afaik another choice is DxO (photolab I think) which is a one off payment.

Ryan-3 · 13 Mar 2023 at 18:12

TheBrooder said:
I think Lightroom is used by most people but it's another Adobe BS monthly subscription afaik another choice is DxO (photolab I think) which is a one off payment.

Yeah, the whole model really annoys me. I had Affinity Photo on my Mac which is apparently another option but whilst it's now on windows, I need to purchase it again...

Have seen quite a few recommend DxO!

GSXRMovistar · 13 Mar 2023 at 23:07

Lightroom and Photoshop via Adobe CC Photography plan, pay once annually (~£50-70) via picking up deals on Amazon Prime day.

Minstadave · 13 Mar 2023 at 23:23

GSXRMovistar said:
Lightroom and Photoshop via Adobe CC Photography plan, pay once annually (~£50-70) via picking up deals on Amazon Prime day.

Same here.

Blueball · 13 Mar 2023 at 23:42

GIMP is free and there is a plugin to open RAW files. https://expertphotography.com/open-raw-images-gimp-ufraw/

ojrules · 14 Mar 2023 at 13:48

Capture one offer one-off purchases I believe…

What sort of editing are you looking for? Just exposure and colour, or more detailed touch ups ?

Afinity Photo is also ok, but it’s more of a photoshop replacement than a lightroom replacement.

If you could only pick one, I guess picking a photoshop-esque thing would be needed, but photoshop and lightroom do fill separate needs.

GIMP was great 10 years ago when I used it last, probably still worth a go, and great for playing around on + learning.

Ryan-3 · 15 Mar 2023 at 07:25

Mostly just for minimal touch up, then colour, exposure and the likes.

Downloaded GIMP with a load of plug ins last night so will give that a go.

Columbo · 16 Mar 2023 at 06:48

Darktable is also a pretty solid RAW editor for free.

darktable

darktable is an open source photography workflow application and raw developer

www.darktable.org

I use a mixture of Luminar Neo and Cyberlink Photo Director (this is basically Lightroom) which are both available for 1 off purchases.

Williammm · 23 Mar 2023 at 11:36

Lightroom

Capture One

Luminar

RawTherapee

Gredawarha · 31 Mar 2023 at 21:04

I ditched Lightroom and Photoshop as i got fed up with the subscription model. I moved to Capture One Express (free) and Affinity Photo (£70). Once I got past the learning curve I was happy.

I have used Darktable before which is good and I think that plus GIMP would work if you want to go FOSS.