Free Lightroom Clone... Cancel Adobe subscription?
Tony Photo Pilot
134,156 views
Stop paying Adobe every month?
In this video I test whether darktable — the free open-source RAW editor — can realistically replace Adobe Lightroom.
Instead of a feature tour, I run a real-world workflow test: import, cull, edit, sync, and export a full photography shoot.
The images come from one of my recent air-to-air aviation photography shoots, featuring the Pipistrel Velos Electro electric aircraft. Using a real shoot makes it possible to see whether darktable can actually support a practical photography workflow.
Along the way, I also highlight several things that darktable genuinely does better than Lightroom, as well as a few areas where the experience still needs improvement.
To make the test fair — and to avoid the frustration many new users experience — I created a structured Demo Guide that walks through the setup, module selection, and workflow step-by-step.
🔗 Free Darktable Workflow Guide:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mAT2...
The Demo Guide walks through the entire workflow step-by-step so you can test darktable with your own photos.
If you're thinking about switching away from Adobe, or you're curious about what a serious free RAW editor can do, this video will show you exactly what the experience looks like.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:34 Why Photographers Are Leaving Lightroom
02:20 The Real-World darktable Workflow Test
03:33 Installing darktable on Mac (Quick Start)
05:15 Making darktable Feel Like Lightroom
08:02 Importing & Culling a Real Shoot
09:50 Editing a Hero Image in Darkroom
14:33 Creating Your Own Style (Preset)
15:09 Batch Editing — What Works (and What Doesn’t)
17:23 Exporting Finished JPEGs
19:54 What darktable Does Better Than Lightroom
20:27 Where darktable Still Needs Work
21:18 Final Verdict — Can darktable Replace Lightroom?
Resources Mentioned
darktable official websitehttps://www.darktable.org
Free Demo Guide for this video
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HPtY...
About This Channel
This channel explores photography tools, workflows, and techniques, with a focus on practical real-world use. Topics include RAW editing, photography software, aviation photography, and astrophotography.
Discussion
If you've been using darktable for a while, I’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts.
What parts of the workflow work best for you?
What features do you think Lightroom users often overlook?
Let me know in the comments.
Search Topics
darktable tutorialdarktable vs lightroomlightroom alternativefree RAW editoropen source photo editingstop paying adobe photography plandarktable workflowdarktable reviewdarktable for beginners
20 Comments
I'm a terminal jockey, but not everybody is (nor should they need to be). This is UI work around that gives the same result as using the Terminal command.
Apparently, I had forgotten that the Mac version opens to a full set of modules. The Linux version opens to a selected subset of modules that makes everything look a little cleaner. I needed to add some modules to my workflow to get it up and running the way I wanted it, but now that I have it setup I find it much easier to work in than Lightroom, and it gives better results.
I have really come to hate Adobe and their continued insistence on AI - which I feel is starting to ruin photography in many ways by taking the power out of the hands of the artist and handing it over to computer algorithms.
But that's a whole different conversation.
Free Lightroom Clone... Cancel Adobe subscription?
Tony Photo Pilot
134,156 views
Stop paying Adobe every month?
In this video I test whether darktable — the free open-source RAW editor — can realistically replace Adobe Lightroom.
Instead of a feature tour, I run a real-world workflow test: import, cull, edit, sync, and export a full photography shoot.
The images come from one of my recent air-to-air aviation photography shoots, featuring the Pipistrel Velos Electro electric aircraft. Using a real shoot makes it possible to see whether darktable can actually support a practical photography workflow.
Along the way, I also highlight several things that darktable genuinely does better than Lightroom, as well as a few areas where the experience still needs improvement.
To make the test fair — and to avoid the frustration many new users experience — I created a structured Demo Guide that walks through the setup, module selection, and workflow step-by-step.
🔗 Free Darktable Workflow Guide:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mAT2...
The Demo Guide walks through the entire workflow step-by-step so you can test darktable with your own photos.
If you're thinking about switching away from Adobe, or you're curious about what a serious free RAW editor can do, this video will show you exactly what the experience looks like.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:34 Why Photographers Are Leaving Lightroom
02:20 The Real-World darktable Workflow Test
03:33 Installing darktable on Mac (Quick Start)
05:15 Making darktable Feel Like Lightroom
08:02 Importing & Culling a Real Shoot
09:50 Editing a Hero Image in Darkroom
14:33 Creating Your Own Style (Preset)
15:09 Batch Editing — What Works (and What Doesn’t)
17:23 Exporting Finished JPEGs
19:54 What darktable Does Better Than Lightroom
20:27 Where darktable Still Needs Work
21:18 Final Verdict — Can darktable Replace Lightroom?
Resources Mentioned
darktable official websitehttps://www.darktable.org
Free Demo Guide for this video
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HPtY...
About This Channel
This channel explores photography tools, workflows, and techniques, with a focus on practical real-world use. Topics include RAW editing, photography software, aviation photography, and astrophotography.
Discussion
If you've been using darktable for a while, I’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts.
What parts of the workflow work best for you?
What features do you think Lightroom users often overlook?
Let me know in the comments.
Search Topics
darktable tutorialdarktable vs lightroomlightroom alternativefree RAW editoropen source photo editingstop paying adobe photography plandarktable workflowdarktable reviewdarktable for beginners
If you’ve used darktable for a while, what’s the one feature you think Lightroom users consistently overlook?
And if you’re coming from Lightroom — what’s the biggest friction point stopping you from switching?
I tested a full real-world workflow here (import → cull → edit → sync → export), but I know every photographer’s process is different.
Interested to hear your experience...
If you want to know how to use Lightroom Classic for Free, see my previous video:
https://youtu.be/PHv6984Fh-U