There are a lot of different tools full of sliders, drop down menus, presets and options. It can be very intimidating to new users. I didn’t fall in love with darktable right away. However, it goes beyond that allowing for advanced selective editing with drawn masks, precise control over adjustments (I am particularly fond of the “bauhaus sliders”) and blend modes. For me, darktable is the best option.ĭarktable covers all of the basics like white balance, exposure, curves, shadows and highlights. There is a surprisingly high number of good RAW photo editors available to Linux users, including digikam, RAWtherapee and darktable. The lighttable view allows you to filter your images through many variables such as: rating, keywords (aka: tags), date, color label, iso, camera model, etc. IPTC metadata such as keywords, description, copyright information and photographer credit can also be added here.Īn important part of photo management is being able to quickly and easily retrieve images from a large collection. I can quickly review a collection of images, add a star rating of 1 – 5 and then filter the results to only show what I what. The lighttable view in darktable allows me to do just that. Photo and Metadata Management darktableīefore I begin editing my RAW photographs, I need to cull the images using ratings and add important metadata. It would be great to see someone in the community picked it up. There used to be a Linux version of CoCa, a GUI to make this camera color calibration process easier, but it appears to have been dropped. This can lead to many failed attempts even after you think you have mastered it. Unless the photo has been taken in a very specific way, Argyll will not properly recognize it. Unfortunately, this step is often frustrating. I am using the ColorCheker Passport target, but enthusiastic FOSS users might prefer Wolf Faust’s color targets which are released under a Creative Commons license. I do this by taking pictures of a color target in different lighting conditions and using ArgyllCMS to generate an icc color profile. I create custom color profiles for my camera to produce consistent, accurate colors and to speed up my workflow. I just prefer Rapid Photo Downloader for its automation and features.
Rapid Photo Downloader can also create backups to a destination of your choice during the download.ĭarktable has an option to download and rename your photos as well. My folder, sub-folder and photos will automatically be renamed. Rapid Photo Downloader automates this process for me.ĭepending on my needs and settings, I can often just insert my memory card, type in a description (job code) and click download. Renaming my folders and photos makes finding them so much easier. I keep all my photos and folders organized by using specific naming conventions that include the date and a description, ie: Download and Rename Photos Rapid Photo Downloader Below is not a technical review, just a brief summary of my own personal experiences with them.ģ. I have used several different monitor calibration instruments in Linux. It is also easily found in most popular Linux distribution’s repositories or already installed by default. If you are looking for something quick, and don’t want to be overwhelmed with options, Gnome Color Manager is excellent. If you are an enthusiast or professional, dispcalGUI is probably the best option for you. If they aren’t, you can’t properly correct color and exposure.ĭispcalGUI has more advance features, such as measuring ambient light and a test chart editor, than Gnome Color Manager. This is necessary for the colors on your screen to be accurate. Whether you’re a hobbyist or a professional, the first step in your photography workflow should be to calibrate your monitor’s color with a device called a colorimeter (or a spectrometer). 2: Monitor Calibration dispcalGUI or Gnome Color Manager Since color management is a priority for me, popular applications like Shotwell and Eye of Gnome aren’t even a consideration.Īlthough Geeqie can display EXIF data, histograms and more, I usually remove all the sidebars and widgets so I just get a quick, clean look at my photos. The image viewer just needs to be able to open all major photo formats quickly, so I can review my exported images. I don’t need a photo manager, darktable already has that covered. Image Viewer Geeqieįor an image viewer, I am just looking for something simple, fast and color managed. It’s a pure FOSS photography workflow running in Linux. There is no need to dual boot, use WINE or a virtual machine.
The applications in this workflow aren’t just native to Linux, they are also free, open source software (FOSS).
After several years of trial and error, I finally have a complete RAW photography workflow in Linux that I am happy with.