Darktable
Open-source RAW photo editor and digital darkroom for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
HN commenters like Darktable for its deep editing control and output quality1234, and many use it as a Lightroom replacement, especially on Linux.5678 The most common complaint is a steep learning curve91011 and an interface that some find hard to settle into.1213
Why people recommend it
Editing control · 3
Commenters say it offers more control and features than other RAW editors.
“it has far more control”
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“I can only recommend it, and there's nothing missing for me”
Linux support · 3
Commenters use it as their main RAW editor on Linux, including for printing.
“Really like Darktable”
“Have been begrudgingly using Darktable since that seems to be your best option on Linux, but the UI/UX never really clicked with me.”
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“I use Flatpaks to install many GUI apps, such as FreeCAD, KiCad, Darktable, Steam, Reaper, and a lot more.”
Lightroom alternative · 3
Several commenters switched to it from Lightroom or list it as a Lightroom alternative.
“Really like Darktable”
“Darktable, RAWTherapee, DaVinci Resolve, AfterShot Pro, and the unhelpfully named "Art"”
Show 1 more
“I’m losing quite a bit as I migrate to Darktable.”
Output quality · 3
Some users describe the results as excellent, with one calling the output better than Lightroom's.
“i use darktable but the way the interface is laid out is antithetical to getting into an efficient flow state”
“I can only recommend it, and there's nothing missing for me”
Show 1 more
“I found Darktable absolutely amazing, although the learning curve is incredibly steep.”
Ongoing improvement · 2
Long-time users say it has improved a lot over the years.
“Darktable (https://www.darktable.org/) has become very good and continues to be my go-to solution for digital photography.”
Caveats and dissent
Learning curve · 3
Several commenters call the learning curve steep, and one found the documentation dense.
“I found Darktable absolutely amazing, although the learning curve is incredibly steep.”
“it has far more control”
Show 1 more
Interface flow · 2
Some users say the UI never clicked or gets in the way of an efficient workflow.
“Have been begrudgingly using Darktable since that seems to be your best option on Linux, but the UI/UX never really clicked with me.”
“i use darktable but the way the interface is laid out is antithetical to getting into an efficient flow state”
Performance · 2
Users report slow performance, including a slow OpenCL implementation.
Library management · 1
One commenter says its photo library management is an afterthought and it is not a direct Lightroom replacement.
“its "library management" is such an afterthought that I would challenge whether it even deserves to be called library management.”
Upgrade breakage · 1
One user says a major version change broke the rendering of old edits and made modules obsolete.
Missing features · 2
Commenters mention weak AI denoise, no manual barrel distortion correction, and feature creep.
Often compared with
2 moved from Adobe Lightroom to Darktable
1 moved from Darktable to Adobe LightroomRawTherapee4 comments mention both
1 moved from RawTherapee to DarktableAnsel3 comments mention both
1 moved from Ansel to Darktable
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Darktable 11 mentions
- GIMP Development Update 2 mentions
- 2026 will be my year of the Linux desktop 2 mentions
- Show HN: Free open source Adobe Lightroom alternative, completely local with AI 1 mention
- ArtCraft Apps – open-source Adobe compatible suite written in Rust 1 mention
- An Infuriating Goodbye to Photoshop 1 mention
Also written as darktable. Data: darktable.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 24
“it has far more control”
“i use darktable but the way the interface is laid out is antithetical to getting into an efficient flow state”
“even Darktable ended up making sense”
“other software like Blender or Darktable (or even Davinci Resolve)”
“I did not have a good time with Darktable.”
“Really like Darktable”
“I use Darktable a lot for 10 years.”
“But when I switched to Darktable, I didn't really miss it.”
“I've been liking Darktable”
“I found Darktable absolutely amazing, although the learning curve is incredibly steep.”
“and I went back to Darktable.”
“I use it on Mac - I didn’t notice too much.”
“over a decade ago I used digiKam in parallelle with Darktable.”
“I can only recommend it, and there's nothing missing for me”
“its "library management" is such an afterthought that I would challenge whether it even deserves to be called library management.”
“Darktable (https://www.darktable.org/) has become very good and continues to be my go-to solution for digital photography.”
“Ones I actually use.”
“Darktable, RAWTherapee, DaVinci Resolve, AfterShot Pro, and the unhelpfully named "Art"”
“Personally, I use Affinity, Resolve, Darktable, Blender, and Figma.”
“I’m losing quite a bit as I migrate to Darktable.”
“Have been begrudgingly using Darktable since that seems to be your best option on Linux, but the UI/UX never really clicked with me.”
“awesome RawTherapee and DarkTable software”
“I tried Lightroom, darktable, and a few other pieces of software, but I kept going back to PhotoLab.”
“I use Flatpaks to install many GUI apps, such as FreeCAD, KiCad, Darktable, Steam, Reaper, and a lot more.”