Skip to main content

Darktable, the free Lightroom alternative, is available for Windows

A man using a computer.
Dzianis Apolka/123RF / 123RF
Windows users that don’t want to fork over cash for a RAW photo editor and digital asset manager like Lightroom now have access to a free alternative. Darktable, a free photo editor and asset manager, recently updated to 2.4.0 and brought a Windows version, along with expanding the earlier options for Mac and Linux.

Darktable is an open-source software similar to Lightroom with tools for organizing files and processing RAW images. And while the free software has been around since 2009, bringing in a new developer, Peter Budai, allowed the system to expand to Windows platforms as well. After testing a beta version this summer, the official Windows version is now available, though developers note a few shortcomings, including no printing options and some buggy TIFF file management.

Recommended Videos

Like the Mac and Linux versions, Darktable for Windows includes tools for non-destructive editing and organizing large photo libraries. As an open-source platform, Darktable previously didn’t have a Windows version because there wasn’t a developer willing to make the modifications and keep the program current. With a new programmer willing to work on the system, the open-source platform was able to expand to a third operating system.

While Windows users now have a version to install, the Mac and Linux versions just got an upgrade as well. The latest version includes a haze removal tool that can help remove fog and similar distractions. The contrast slider also has a wider range, developers said, and for local adjustments, a mid-tones option was added. Contrast can also now be adjusted through a new local Laplacian filter, a new module that allows photo editors to adjust the detail, highlights, shadows, and mid-tones separately.

A number of other changes allow more control over colors, including support for channel blend modes while using the RGB or Lab color spaces. Another change allows for automatic color adjustments inside the tone curve tool.

Other improvements add support for additional camera file types and profiles, while some tools will see a speed improvement with the update. Other adjustments fix previous bugs in the program.

While open source means Darktable is free to download, like other open-source programs, Darktable isn’t going to offer identical tools and performance of the similar paid programs. One example is that open source tends to be a few years behind in adding new features — for example, the new haze tool that just because available this month has been around in Adobe Lightroom and Camera RAW since 2015.

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
The best Photoshop alternatives
how much adobe photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is the most commonly used photo editing software available today. Not only is Photoshop more expensive than most other editing software, but it’s not the best option for everyone as it’s difficult to master.

To help photographers with their editing tasks, software developers have designed alternatives to Photoshop. These options cost less and have intuitive editing tools. If you are ready for an affordable and easy-to-use alternative to Photoshop, take a look at our list. Our top pick, Affinity Photo, was the first to have a full-featured iPad app to accompany the desktop version, something Adobe is still working to get right for Photoshop.
At a glance:

Read more
Goodbye, Split Toning — full Color Grading is coming to Lightroom
adobe lightroom color grading teaser

Lightroom Sneak Peak: Advanced Color Grading

Adobe Lightroom’s split toning tool will soon be gone -- the tool for adjusting the color tones of the highlights and shadows will instead be replaced by an advanced color grading tool with even more options. On Monday, September 28, Adobe released a preview of Advanced Color Grading, a tool for adding cinematic color edits to still photos that will soon be available in Lightroom CC, Lightroom Classic, and Adobe Camera RAW.

Read more
What Lightroom RAW photo import defaults are and how to adjust them
adobe lightroom feb 13 update performance lifestyle laptop photo toning editing print

A RAW photograph is like a blank color-by-number picture; it's not quite a blank canvas, yet far from being a finished, polished image. When shooting RAW, the screen on the back of the camera doesn’t actually display a RAW image, but an in-camera processed JPEG preview: A color-by-number already colored in. When you import those RAW files into Lightroom, then, the neutral-colored images can often feel disappointing, or even intimidating.

RAW defaults in Lightroom Classic allow you to customize how a RAW file looks when it is imported. You can keep that neutral starting point, or you can start with the preview that your camera showed you, even in some cases keeping the in-camera styles or filters such as black and white. Lightroom even allows photographers to set different RAW defaults for different cameras, or apply more noise reduction to photos taken at a certain ISO.

Read more