Jump to content

Thoughts about Darktable


Ronfox18

Recommended Posts

8 minutes ago, Ronfox18 said:

Any thoughts about Darktable?

Hi, I used Darktable quite a bit on my Linux systems. I'm not an expert but it seems to do what I want when it comes to my workflow of framing, setting the contrast, colors and so on. I heard that it also works on Windows. Have you used it at all? From what I've read, it is very close to Lightroom but I've never used to Lightroom so I have no idea.

Link to post
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Ronfox18 said:

I have not yet used it, but I m intrigued.

 

I think you'd like it. The number of features is quite amazing. I've only used a small portion of the features/tools and I find it quite impressive for an open source tool. I've used it for my Nikon cameras and now for my Fujifilm XH1. It allows you to keep your favorite tools grouped up for easy access which is very nice. The tools have the ability to use overlays and so you are not really modifying the original photos. You have the ability to turn on/off the modifications of the tools as you wish. 

If anything, I would wish for more videos on Youtube to help me out using the features/tools. But if you come from using Photoshop or Lightroom then you might be able to find your way around a bit more without help. 

Good luck

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
On 3/8/2020 at 4:05 AM, Olaf W. said:

This thread has been split from the Newbie/Introduction thread.

any raw editor has a fairly steep learning curve, as do advanced image editors.  I used DarkTable for a while and was amazed at it's features.  It took a while to get used to, and I had to look up help often.  I have also used LightRoom, and it is only slightly easier, but has a huge user base, so there's tons of articles and videos... so I recommend that to beginners with raw.  My personal favorite is RawTherapee, however.  It's also free and has many unique features, but I find it more intuitive than the other two.  I find that new features seem be coherent to the rest of the product and that the online community has answers for almost everything.  Everyone I talk to seems to feel that way about their own product, so take my advice with a grain of salt.  If you're sold on the benefits of using raw (I am!), I say give DarkTable a try... you can later, when you're familiar with the terms and features, look at the interface of LightRoom or something else.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have used Darktable quite a lot with my Sony a7r3. There is a learning curve after years of Lightroom though. The final look is softer and more film like in my view to the ‘commercial’ raw developers but maybe that is just how I learned to use it. It is a very powerful tool with many ways to do selective editing. You can even get it to send a tif to affinity or another external editor if you download the lua scripts. I stopped using it because it won’t recognise my x-pro3... and I just got capture one at 55% off. 
If or when I get back to using it again, I would miss the film simulations of C1 even if most of the time I edit the jpg from the camera.

If there are any questions about Darktable, I’ll try to answer them.

Cheers,

Nicolas

Link to post
Share on other sites

You can use an EXIF editor to change the camera type tag from x-pro3 to x-t3 and DarkTable will then recognize the file and let you edit it as before. Remember to change the exported tiff or jpeg file's camera type tag (and the original file's tag as well) back to x-pro3 afterwards. (I suggest x-t3 since it use the same sensor, bsi-design and x-processor type as the x-pro3 does.)

Alternatively, you can submit various sample files to the DarkTable project that they can then analyze to put the required characteristics into the DarkTable app.

Edited by jerryy
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

I was a Photoshop user for over 20 years and then LR. I no longer do commercial work and retired to photography for fun now. I quit that suite earlier this year and learned Darktable. There was no point in paying for a subscription when I do less post now. I find the catalogue can be a shortcoming if for commercial. But other than that I'm happy with editing and does pretty much everything LR does, with more granular controls. I absolutely love the filmic RGB module. I tried Rawtherapee but it wasn't for me. There is a learning curve for anything new. For me and my purpose it was totally worth it. All the post processing apps do similar things just differences in features, gui and terminology. There are youtube videos and my favorite is Rico Richardson.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I just downloaded Darktable to "test it out" and man it's intense ( IMHO).  As a C1Pro and LR user, this "seems" to have a lot of more features.  But, the interface, and the manual I do find confusing.  Going to test it a bit further and see what happens...

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, jlmphotos said:

I just downloaded Darktable to "test it out" and man it's intense ( IMHO).  As a C1Pro and LR user, this "seems" to have a lot of more features.  But, the interface, and the manual I do find confusing.  Going to test it a bit further and see what happens...

 

I will be curious to hear your evaluation, particularly on the ease of use.

Thanks.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...