RawTherapee
RawTherapee is a powerful free software for editing RAW files. It offers features like deep color correction, histogram matching, high dynamic range (HDR) tone mapping, and other useful adjustments.
If anything, RT is more demanding on the user and less straightforward than DarkTable.
- Pros:
- Open Source: Raw photo editing with an open-source approach.
- Designed Catalog Mode: Supports a wide range of RAW file types and allows practical management and editing in various image libraries.
- Advanced Color Correction Tools: Lots of options for tweaking your photos are available. This is no simple Paint editor!
- Cons:
- Occasional Lag: RawTherapee may lag at times.
- Limited Professional Tutorials: Finding comprehensive tutorials for mastering RawTherapee can be challenging, especially for beginners.
- Interface: The UI is somewhat weird with text and vertical locations, odd placement of tools, too.
- Interface and Modules
- In general, RawTherapee sits somewhere between Photoshop and Lightroom, offering a blend of features within the Adobe Camera RAW shell.
- Optimized for Weaker PCs: RawTherapee is optimized for performance even on less powerful computers.
- Interface seems quite customisable.
RawTherapee is a fantastic option for those seeking a free alternative to Photoshop and Lightroom. While it lacks some organizational features and retouching abilities, its extensive capabilities make it worth exploring for photographers of all levels.
For those looking for a Photoshop-type of granular editor, there are some decent options, too. Most people only think of GIMP, which is a robust editor.