5 FREE Lightroom Alternatives | Edit your photos for free today!
Summary
TLDRThe video explores five free alternatives to Adobe Lightroom for photo editing, focusing on their features, strengths, and drawbacks. Darktable, RawTherapee, Pixlr, Polarr, and LightZone are reviewed, with insights into their compatibility, editing tools, and user experience. Darktable and RawTherapee are highlighted for their powerful, in-depth controls, whereas Pixlr and Polarr are simpler but offer effective editing for beginners. The video also discusses issues like lag and compatibility, especially for Mac users, and the pros and cons of each program compared to Adobe's offerings. Viewers are encouraged to experiment with these free tools to find a suitable Lightroom alternative.
Takeaways
- 📸 There are several free alternatives to Adobe Lightroom that offer varying levels of photo editing capabilities.
- 💻 Darktable is an open-source option with a layout similar to Lightroom, but it lacks some features like panorama stitching and can be slower in responsiveness.
- 🔑 Darktable has customizable shortcuts, which might require adjustment for Mac users, as it defaults to Windows-style shortcuts.
- 🌐 Pixlr is an online photo editor resembling Photoshop, with a strong focus on layers and filters, but it doesn’t support RAW files.
- 🚫 Pixlr has a subscription model to remove ads and unlock additional features, but it may not be as comprehensive as Adobe's offerings.
- 📷 RawTherapee is another open-source editor with extensive RAW support and detailed editing tools, though it requires good file organization as it doesn't import images directly.
- 🖼️ Polar is a mobile-friendly editor focusing on filters and local adjustments, with many pro features locked behind a subscription.
- 🚀 LightZone offers advanced editing capabilities but may have compatibility issues, particularly on Mac systems.
- 🆓 All these alternatives are free, offering options for users looking to avoid Adobe's subscription fees.
- 📝 The video encourages users to try out different editors to find the best fit for their needs and provides links in the description for easy access.
Q & A
Why is the author looking for free Lightroom alternatives?
-The author's Adobe subscription is up for renewal, and they are exploring free alternatives to Lightroom to avoid the cost of renewing the subscription.
What is one of the main advantages of free photo editing software, according to the author?
-One main advantage is that you don't need to commit to a purchase or trial period, meaning you can download and use the free software indefinitely without time restrictions.
What are some of the key features of Darktable that make it similar to Lightroom?
-Darktable has a similar layout to Lightroom, with a film strip along the bottom, panels on either side, and modules for editing. It also supports raw files from over 400 different cameras.
What is a disadvantage of using Darktable compared to Lightroom, based on the author's experience?
-The author found Darktable to be laggy when making adjustments, with changes taking a short while to reflect, which is slower than Lightroom.
Why might Mac users find Darktable's shortcuts frustrating?
-Darktable uses Ctrl+Z for undo, even on Mac, whereas most Mac users are accustomed to using Command+Z. This inconsistency can cause confusion for those who are used to Mac's standard shortcuts.
What is a significant feature missing from Darktable that Lightroom offers?
-Darktable does not currently offer the ability to create stitched images, such as panoramas, which is a feature available in Lightroom.
What editing style does Pixlr focus on, and why might it not be suitable for all photographers?
-Pixlr focuses on a Photoshop-style editing workflow with layers and filters, making it ideal for creating thumbnails or composite images but less suitable for photographers who need raw file support, as it only supports JPEG, PNG, and PSD formats.
What makes RawTherapee stand out for raw file processing?
-RawTherapee excels at handling raw files with advanced demosaicing algorithms, pixel shift, multiple frame raw files, and features like hot pixel correction, making it ideal for detailed raw image processing.
What issue did the author face with RawTherapee regarding external hard drives?
-The author had difficulty getting RawTherapee to recognize images stored on an external hard drive, which required them to transfer the images to their computer's internal storage for the program to read them.
Why did the author struggle to get LightZone to work, and what was the suspected cause?
-The author couldn't get LightZone to function properly on their Mac, likely due to compatibility issues or Mac's stringent security systems, as well as potentially limited developer support for the Mac version.
Outlines
📸 Exploring Free Lightroom Alternatives
The author discusses the dilemma of renewing their Adobe subscription and explores five free alternatives to Adobe Lightroom. These free programs offer flexibility as they don't require committing to a trial period, allowing users to try them at their convenience. The focus is on offering options for those who want to edit photos without paying for software. The author invites suggestions from viewers if they know of other noteworthy free alternatives.
💻 Darktable: Open-Source Lightroom Alternative
Darktable is introduced as a powerful open-source alternative to Lightroom, supporting RAW files from over 400 different cameras. Its interface is similar to Lightroom with features like a film strip and editing panels. However, Darktable can be slower in responsiveness compared to Lightroom, especially when using sliders to edit images. The program lacks built-in options for stitched images and panoramas but allows HDR blending. Mac users may face issues with shortcut differences, but they can customize them to ease the transition from Lightroom.
🎨 Darktable Features: Customization and Shortcuts
Darktable stands out for its many advanced features that rival Lightroom, such as its control over various settings and customizable shortcuts. However, it requires a learning curve, especially for Mac users accustomed to using generic shortcuts like Command + Z, which differs in Darktable. The program lacks mobile compatibility but offers interesting effects like 'bloom,' which gives images a soft focus effect similar to the Orton effect. The author notes that these differences can make Darktable feel less user-friendly at first but encourages users to invest time in learning the software.
🔧 Darktable: Advanced Features vs Lightroom
The author delves deeper into Darktable’s extensive features, comparing it to Lightroom. They highlight the range of customization options, including color balance tools and sharpening sliders that offer more depth than Lightroom’s basic tools. Darktable's features, though not as powerful as Photoshop, provide significant control for editing. Despite the learning curve, the author recommends Darktable for users willing to spend time getting familiar with its features. The non-destructive editing approach makes it safe to experiment without damaging original images.
🌐 Pixlr: Photoshop-Like Online Editor
Pixlr is an online editor that operates similarly to Photoshop, using layers for editing. While its basic features are free, it requires an internet connection and doesn’t support RAW files, limiting its utility for photographers who work with RAW images. It’s suitable for simple tasks like building thumbnails or composite images. The free version includes ads, but premium packages remove ads and offer additional AI tools and overlays. However, the author notes that for users who want more comprehensive editing features, Adobe's photo package might be a better investment.
🖼️ RawTherapee: A Complex RAW Image Editor
RawTherapee is described as a highly detailed, open-source RAW image editor. It excels in reading and processing RAW files, offering various advanced features like demosaicing algorithms, hot pixel correction, and pixel shift. However, its interface is less intuitive compared to Lightroom, and the file browser requires more effort for organization. RawTherapee has advanced tabs for exposure, color, and detail adjustments, making it more powerful than Lightroom in some respects but not as comprehensive as Photoshop. It’s ideal for users who are meticulous about RAW file editing and organization.
⚙️ RawTherapee: Detailed Controls and Limitations
RawTherapee offers extensive editing tools and a wide range of sliders for precise adjustments, including exposure, color balance, and more. However, users may experience some lag compared to Lightroom, although it performs faster than Darktable. The filmstrip organization differs from Lightroom, and the user must manage their files carefully as the program doesn't automatically import them. Batch editing and export options are available, and the editing layout is quite different, resembling Adobe Bridge more than Lightroom. RawTherapee is noted for its extensive RAW file support and customization options.
📱 Polar: Basic Editing with Filters and Limitations
Polar is a photo editor that is reminiscent of mobile editing apps, focusing on filters and basic editing tools. It includes useful features like curves, split toning, and local adjustment tools such as gradient and brush tools. However, the free version limits users to one export per day, with a subscription required for more advanced features. Polar is compared to Lightroom CC and positioned as a simpler, tablet-friendly option, but the author recommends programs like Darktable or RawTherapee for more advanced RAW editing.
🖼️ LightZone: Potential but Unreliable on Mac
LightZone promises to be a robust photo editor comparable to Darktable and RawTherapee, but the author faced significant issues running it on their Mac. Despite bypassing security warnings, the program failed to load properly, frustrating the author. They speculate that LightZone may work better on Windows and express hope to try it again on a different platform. The program’s instability and issues with Mac security measures highlight the importance of cross-platform compatibility in software development.
🆓 Conclusion: Free Alternatives to Lightroom
The author summarizes the available free alternatives to Lightroom, ranging from basic editors like Polar to more advanced options like Darktable and RawTherapee. They note that while some programs offer pro-level editing, subscription models for additional features may deter users. The author encourages viewers to explore these free options, emphasizing that they require time and effort to learn, but can offer powerful tools for photo editing without the need for a costly Adobe subscription. They conclude by inviting viewers to share their own experiences with free photo editors.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Lightroom
💡Darktable
💡Raw Files
💡Post-processing
💡Pixlr
💡RawTherapee
💡Free Alternatives
💡Non-destructive editing
💡Subscription Model
💡Export options
Highlights
The video reviews five free alternatives to Adobe Lightroom, helping users decide whether to renew their Adobe subscription or switch to a free software.
Darktable is an open-source post-processing program that supports raw files from over 400 cameras and offers numerous features, though it can be laggy on some systems.
Darktable lacks mobile compatibility and does not sync across platforms, which limits flexibility for users who edit on the go.
One downside of Darktable for Mac users is its reliance on Ctrl instead of Command shortcuts, which disrupts the familiar Mac workflow.
Darktable doesn't support stitched images or panoramas natively, requiring third-party plugins for these tasks.
Pixlr is a free online editor that closely resembles Photoshop in terms of its layer-based editing, but lacks support for raw files.
Pixlr offers a basic free package with ads and two paid subscription models with additional features like AI tools and tutorials.
RawTherapee is a detailed, open-source raw photo editor with excellent raw file support, including advanced features like hot pixel correction and pixel shift.
RawTherapee has a unique workflow where images are not imported into the program but are edited directly from the folder, requiring solid file management skills.
RawTherapee is faster than Darktable but slower than Lightroom in terms of responsiveness when making adjustments.
Polarr is a filter-based photo editor that offers more in-depth tools like curves, brushes, and local adjustments, but the free version limits users to one export per day.
Polarr’s pro version offers more advanced features through a paid subscription, though it's still less powerful than Lightroom or Photoshop.
LightZone is another potential alternative, but the reviewer faced technical issues on Mac, rendering the software unusable.
Free photo editors range from basic to highly detailed programs like Darktable and RawTherapee, making them solid alternatives to paid options like Adobe Lightroom.
The reviewer encourages viewers to explore free photo editors if they can't afford Adobe subscriptions or prefer not to commit to subscription models.
Transcripts
today i'm going to take a look at five
free lightroom alternatives
[Music]
[Applause]
this month my adobe subscription is up
for renewal so i've had a look at these
five free alternatives to lightroom to
see how they compare
i'm not sure whether to renew my adobe
subscription or go
with one of the paid packages or one of
the free packages
so today i'm looking at those free ones
you can download these now and start
giving them a go
the links are in the description and
that's the great thing with these free
bits of software
you don't have to commit or make a
decision in the 7 days or
30 days or however long it is that some
paid programs and apps give you as a
a free trial period so you'll always
have it on your computer
and you can always use it and have
access to it therefore if you don't want
to buy software to edit your photos
or your adobe subscription is up for
renewal like mine
you might want to have a look at these
five now there are plenty more out there
but these seem to be the top ones that
i've found
so if i have missed any that you think
are worthy of looking at
let me know in the comments below dark
table is an
open source post processing program it
supports raw files from over 400
different cameras
and opens a whole host of different file
types when you open it up
it looks a lot like lightroom you have a
film strip along the bottom
which can either be images or a timeline
of when you took the photographs
your selected photo is in the middle
window there are panels
either side and you have the modules in
the top right hand corner when importing
it doesn't move the images or give you
an option to store them in a different
place
it just looks at them and expects them
to be in their current location
so if you have them on your sd card make
sure you copy them to your hard drive
before importing them to dark table
when making changes i found dark table
to be a little bit laggy on my system
compared to lightroom
so if i move one of the sliders it takes
a short while to respond
and show what i've done and those
changes i've made in the image
now this could just be my system but
side by side
lightroom does seem to be a lot more
responsive one thing i do when going
through a lot of images
is to give them a star rating in
lightroom to quickly cull the rubbish
ones
in lightroom i use the left and right
cursors to go through the images
and then the numbers one to five to star
rate them with dark table you can do
this
but you use the space bar to move
forward along the time strip
and delete to move back and then numbers
one to five to star rate them again like
in lightroom but the position of my hand
was a little bit uncomfortable compared
to holding my fingers over the cursors
so for me darktable is a little bit
uncomfortable to do this process
now there are a list of shortcuts which
are customizable
so you could change these to the cursors
if that's something you like to do with
your images and whilst we're on the
subject of shortcuts i use these
all of the time in lightroom and it's
one of the things that once you learn
them
it can really speed up your workflow
however with dark table
it doesn't seem to use the generic
shortcuts on the mac
like command z to undo which seems a bit
weird as
everyone or most people do know about
those generic shortcuts
after a while i worked out that they use
ctrl regardless of whether you are on a
mac
or a pc so if you are a mac user
undo is ctrl z and not command z
now this may not seem much to a pc user
who is used to control zed
but for a mac user when you have built
in your muscle memory to command z
it gets a little bit annoying i found
that when i wanted to undo a task i was
always going for a command zed
the computer wouldn't do anything and
then i had to go right it's
ctrl z so you're kind of switching
backwards and forwards
and then if you're using other programs
on your mac
that use command z that's when it gets
really confusing because you've got to
cross between the two so if you are
thinking of coming across from lightroom
you might want to change these shortcuts
to mirror lightroom
this would then make the transition a
little bit easier at the moment you
can't build stitched images in dark
table
so things like panoramas and then
stitched images where you might want to
shoot wider than your lens allows
so you would need a plug-in or a
third-party app to stitch them together
a little bit like pt gui or something
similar
however you can take bracketed images so
you can create hdr blended stacked
images if you tag and put keywords on
your images
you can do this in the light table
module which is similar to the library
in lightroom
now at the moment as of the making of
this video there is no mobile
compatibility
so no syncing across platforms and
continuing to edit your photos on the
way to work
on your tablet or on your phone now it
might sound like a bashing dark table
but it does have some really cool
features
like bloom where it gives you a look
similar to the orton effect
now if you don't know what that is nick
page did a great video on it
so click on the i in the corner or the
link in the description to his video on
the autumn effect
framing is another great one as you can
frame up your shots really quickly and
easily
and this leads me on to the amount of
features in this program
this is where dark table does push ahead
of lightroom there are so many and i
could probably make a video about two
hours long going through each one of
these
but i was surprised as to how much
control you have over
each and every one of the settings now
it's not quite as powerful as photoshop
but some of the settings do look similar
if you're used to that editing program
for instance the color balance tools are
very much like that in photoshop
some features have sliders and others
have much more in-depth features
for example when sharpening you have the
three sliders which have radius
amount and threshold very much like in
lightroom
whereas if you click on the color
balance that i've already mentioned it's
much more advanced than lightroom
overall once i got the hang of it and
i've found all of the shortcut keys i'm
used to
it really did feel very much like
lightroom it just takes a little bit of
getting used to to the different
features
and how they're laid out compared to
lightroom in saying that
back in 2009 when i first got into
lightroom
it did take me a while and it did seem
really daunting
so i can understand how a program like
this might seem
very overwhelming but if you get into it
properly
and learn the program by bringing your
images into that program
and just editing them and exploring them
because it is a non-destructive editor
it's not going to touch your files at
all even if you make lots of different
changes
if you do that you'll be surprised at
how fast you'll actually learn to use
that program properly now if this
is your first editor you're going to get
into i'd say get the manual
and take some time to read through it
properly and then try the different
things you're learning
in your own copy of the program with
your own images
as you go through that manual then
you'll get the best out of it
and before you know it you'll be using
it to really bring out the best
in your photos
pixlr is very much like photoshop in the
way that it works with layers
and that layout is very reminiscent of
photoshop as well
it's an online editor so all you need is
a google chrome browser
with an internet connection now this
gives us our first disadvantage
which is that you do need an internet
connection when you open it up
it does give you a series of templates
so this is also
a little like the website canva another
disadvantage
is that it doesn't allow raw files just
jpegs pngs or photoshop images
so if you do have raw files you could
save it as a psd
file and then bring it into this online
editor
but in saying that you would need a
program to do that conversion in the
first place
so if you shoot raw this probably isn't
a program for you
now in this program they really seem to
push the filters
and layers with the layers you can do
local adjustments
and obviously filters are a bit like the
presets in lightroom
so you have a predetermined look that
you can drop onto your image
and then manipulate with those layers
like i've already said this is very much
a photoshop based editor rather
than a lightroom based editor it is
great for building thumbnails
composite images and basically layering
up your images and your photographs
it's not as detailed as photoshop but if
you're not sure about photoshop
and you find it a little bit daunting it
is worth trying out
as it's free and if you like this layout
you'll probably like and you'll probably
want to get into photoshop over
lightroom
talking of being free the basic package
is free
and you can do a lot with this but they
do have adverts to cover their costs
now if you want to get rid of these
adverts they do have two paid options
and they're a subscription model it's
either 7.99 per month or 29.99 per month
depending on which package you take
or if you pay up front annually it's
4.90 per month
or 14.99 per month this includes their
ai tools
overlay stickers different texts
tutorials and support
in the premium plan so as they don't
allow you to work with raw files
if you were thinking of paying for this
it'll be worth getting
the photo package from adobe instead as
you get
so much more with that you get photoshop
and lightroom
and you don't have to convert your raw
files before editing them
raw therapy is another very detailed
open source post
processing program it can be used as a
standalone editor
or as a raw loader for programs such as
once again
it's a non-destructive program so your
starting images won't be touched
just red it looks a little bit different
to lightroom but has very similar
features
in their about section on their website
it does say
raw therapy benefits users who take the
time to learn what it can do
so this implies that it's a complex
program it does concentrate on raw files
but also reads other formats as well and
the raw support it gives is outstanding
from using two demosaicing algorithms on
the same image
compositing pixel shift raw files
multiple frame raw files
dart frame subtraction and hot pixel
correction it definitely does a lot
so basically it blends raw files looks
at raw files
reads them really well and removes a lot
of the imperfections that might be
in those raw files which is all welcomed
over on the left hand side
you have what would be modules in
lightroom and this consists of the
editor
the queue and the file browser i keep
all of my images on an
external hard drive and it did have a
hard time reading that
i couldn't get it to see the files on
the hard drive which was really annoying
if you are looking for your external
hard drives they'll be located
in the volumes folder i ended up having
to transfer them to the hard drive on my
computer
to get the program to see them the file
browser is a bit like the library module
in lightroom
but it's very different it looks at the
files in the folders
on your hard drive but doesn't import
them into the program
once you see your images in the middle
in the file browser
you double click on them and then it
opens them in the editor module
it reminds me of adobe bridge which is
the file manager from adobe
and was very popular before lightroom
came along like in the lightroom library
module
you can rate search as well as some
other basic editing processes
and you can also find your camera
settings used for each image
one thing i liked about this is the
inspection tab
this zooms in and allows you to look at
the image closely
and it's really quick i didn't see any
lagging when using this function
so when rating your images you can very
quickly use this to see if you've got
the focus right
in each and every shot there are also a
few other tabs next to inspect
these are filter but not as in preset
filters this is to filter through your
images to find what you're looking for
from a specific setting to a given lens
then there's batch edit
which does exactly that you edit a
series of images with the same settings
also there's fast export so this is
where you could quickly export your
images if you need some to show
your friends family or a client that
you're working for
now with lightroom you input the image
into the catalog
and it keeps a reference file in that
catalog but
with this it just seems to look in a
specific folder you've told it to
so if you have your images all over the
place or on different hard drives
this could be an issue so you really do
have to be good with your file
management on your hard drives
whereas with lightroom you bring them
into lightroom and it shows them up on
the film strip
no matter where they are in your system
now the cue tab
on the left hand side gives you your
export options
whether you're going to do bulk
exporting or just doing the odd file
this is where you would set your export
parameters depending on what you were
going to use the image for
the editor tab is obviously where you
edit your photos
and when you click on an image and open
this up this is quite different from
lightroom the film strip is along the
top
the photo you work on is in the middle
and then there are two panels down
either side
on the left hand side you have the
histogram navigator history and
snapshots
and on the right hand side you have all
of your editing tools
above and below the main image you have
a set of tools that you might use more
often than others
from showing your clipped highlights and
crushed shadows
to the current size you're zoomed in on
and plenty more
when it comes to editing your photos the
panel down the right hand side
is extensive to say the least there is a
slider for pretty much
anything you would ever want you have
seven tabs along the top of the right
hand panel
including exposure detail color advanced
transform raw and metadata it does have
more features and refined controls than
lightroom
but not as many as photoshop above this
there is the profiles panel
and this is where you can drop certain
edits onto a photo
these are very much like the presets in
lightroom you can load up profiles from
other people
create your own or copy and paste them
from other images
again this is a very detailed editor and
the best way to learn it fully is to
read through the manual
and then try out the things it teaches
you there is also an extensive online
community around this program
so if you did start using it and had a
few issues
i'm sure you'd be able to find a
solution to the problem after editing
with raw
therapy i found that there was a little
bit of a lag when moving the sliders
a little bit more than lightroom but not
as much as dark table
so it's faster than dark table but
slower than lightroom
the polar photo editor is very much like
a tablet
or phone editor it is based around
filters
but does have some deeper editing tools
but these are similar to the tools in
the basic panel in the lightroom develop
module
you do have curves and split toning
which is really good then there's a
distortion tool
to correct your lens imperfections and a
border tool to frame your shot
it also has a gradient tool and brushes
to do local adjustments
so again this is really powerful and you
can really make parts of your image
stand out
now there is a caveat to this a lot of
these are pro
features and have limits with the free
version you can only export
one image per day unless you upgrade to
polar pro
which is again a subscription based
model with a price of 3.99 per month
or 1949 per year so it's quite
reasonable
but it's still that subscription model
lightroom classic does make this look
very basic
but it does remind me of lightroom cc so
if you want a lot of decent editing
tools for raw files
i'd go with either dark table or raw
therapy and take the time to learn that
program you choose properly
however with the likes of snapseed being
free if you do like
this type of editor that seems to be the
one that would be
well worth going for because it has all
of those pro tools
and it's completely free the only thing
to take into consideration with snapseed
is that you can't edit on the mac there
was i think one for the pc
but you can't edit on the mac unless you
get i think there was a plug-in or
something like that
it just seemed a little bit too
complicated but if you do use a tablet
and you do like editing on a tablet i'd
go for snapseed
over this program
now light zone looks like it could be a
good editor on the same level as dark
table and raw therapy
however i couldn't get it to work on my
system
and looking at the comments for the
4.2.2 release
it looks like i'm not alone it took me a
while to find the download files
my mac said there could be malware as
it's not a trusted website
but i kind of bypassed that anyway and
opened it on my computer and this is
where it opens the program with the
start page
but then doesn't open a window it just
flashes a scanning pictures pop-up
this then disappears and it never opens
a window
this is really annoying as i was looking
forward to using this editor to see what
it could do
if anyone has successfully got this to
work let me know your thoughts on it in
the comments below
and i'll pin your comment if you've got
some good points and also
let me know how you got it to work i'd
really like to get it to work on my mac
but it doesn't seem to work on it at the
moment now the one thing that developers
really need to do
is to make sure the software is stable
and it works on all of the platforms
that they say
it's meant to work on once i build my
windows machine
i'm going to try this again on that
platform now i'm guessing that the
developers are mostly windows users
so this might be the issue where they're
not paying as much attention
with the mac version but on the other
hand as
all of you that are sony users are
finding with the mac systems in
upgrading the firmware it could be the
mac system rejecting it
as their security systems are getting
stronger and they're getting harder to
work around
either way it was frustrating to go
through the whole process of installing
it
to have it not work all in all there are
some great free photo editors out there
they range from the very basic editors
like polar through to the very in-depth
dark table and raw
therapy or pixlr if you're used to the
photoshop way of editing
but don't want the monumentally powerful
and daunting program that is photoshop
now some of them do offer pro level
editing on a subscription model
but i'm guessing as you're watching this
video that is not what you're after
however you edit your photos is up to
you but the great thing with all of
these is that they're all
free so if you can't afford the adobe
photo package
or just don't like signing up for the
subscription packages that we keep
getting bombarded with you might as well
try some of these
as they all are free so with a little
bit of time and effort
you can learn them and really start
getting the best out of your photographs
now what do you edit in do you edit in
lightroom or photoshop or another
program altogether
and have you tried any of these free
programs or do you use one of these as
your main editing program
if so let me know in the comments below
it'll be great to hear your thoughts
and if you like this video and want to
learn more click here next
or if you're a binge watcher like i am
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