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With the 50% worth improve within the month-to-month Inventive Cloud Images Plan, whereas the annual possibility stays the identical price as earlier than, some photographers are reconsidering their picture modifying choices. Since many photographers solely use Lightroom with little to no want for Photoshop, free Uncooked processing software program corresponding to RawTherapee affords related performance to Lightroom with out the expense of a subscription. It virtually sounds too good to be true.
The software program affords an enormous quantity of management over picture processing together with localized adjustment instruments, however the changes are complicated because of the sheer variety of controls obtainable. It is not typically I discover myself saying this, if ever, however the complexity of the software program partly comes from probably having too many controls. That is to not say it is unusable as a result of there are elements of the software program that in some methods make modifying simpler, however the consumer workflow undoubtedly takes some getting used to.
RawTherapee is a good Uncooked processing software program resolution should you use the free picture modifying software program GIMP since it really works as a Uncooked plugin; GIMP doesn’t provide Uncooked help natively. Plus, should you use Affinity Photograph 2, which does provide Uncooked Processing, the Develop Persona doesn’t provide a picture browser and the controls obtainable are minimal compared to RawTherapee. The Develop Persona is, nevertheless, a lot simpler to make use of and outcomes can’t be faulted.
Contemplating RawTherapee is free and the controls and instruments which are on provide, it may very well be one of many greatest picture modifying software program applications obtainable primarily based on these factors alone. It is actually not as slick as business software program, however it might produce nice picture high quality should you’re keen to spend a couple of hours attending to grips with the way it works.
RawTherapee: Minimal System Necessities
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Working system |
64-bit Home windows 7 and above / Intel macOS X 11.7 or later 64-bit, M-series mac OS X 13.3 or later / Linux GTK+ model 3.22 or later |
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RAM |
4GB RAM |
RawTherapee: Value
RawTherapee is totally free open-source cross-platform Uncooked processing software program obtainable for Linux, macOS and Home windows. You possibly can obtain the newest model for every platform from the official Rawtherapee web site.
The software program is out there in over 15 languages and is suitable with a variety of Uncooked information, though throughout testing model 5.11 wasn’t suitable with Canon EOS R1 Uncooked information. This model was launched in August 2024, so the subsequent launch could provide help.
RawTherapee actually isn’t as quick or as intuitive as Adobe Lightroom plus, it is extra sophisticated to make use of. However let’s not neglect that it is free and the controls on provide are in depth. The supply code can also be obtainable to obtain so you may alter the software program if you understand how to code.
RawTherapee: Design & Interface
The RawTherapee interface is actually break up into three sections: Editor, Queue, and File Browser. While you open the software program, you are taken to the File Browser the place utilizing the file tree on the left, you may navigate to the specified folder of photos and examine thumbnail photos. These will be zoomed out and in to alter their dimension, star-rated, color-labeled, deleted and rotated – what you’d anticipate. It is actually not as slick as Lightroom’s catalog however it works with none main points.
While you open a brand new folder, loading photos into the File Browser isn’t in any respect quick so you will want a level of persistence. Particularly for folders containing bigger numbers of photos. Then, as soon as able to edit you may double-click a Uncooked file, which takes a couple of seconds to open within the Editor. When you’re searching for instantaneous loading you actually gained’t discover it right here.
The Editor part of the software program is usually laid out the way you’d anticipate with a histogram within the high left of the interface, which may also be modified to different varieties of scopes together with vectorscopes, so you may work with what fits you greatest. Under that is the Navigator with detailed picture info offered for the place of the mouse pointer over the picture, a primary picture window, a filmstrip exhibiting thumbnails alongside the highest, changes on the correct and varied instruments above and beneath the picture window.
We’ll go into extra element in regards to the modifying controls within the subsequent part, however one factor that RawTherapee does when a brand new picture is loaded into the Editor is to use a Processing Profile that goals to robotically course of the Uncooked picture the way in which it might have been processed in-camera as a JPEG. This exhibits up as (Final Saved) however there are different Processing Profiles you may select from. This gives a place to begin for additional modifying or will be an finish in itself should you’re proud of the outcome.
In my expertise of utilizing the software program, the Processing Profile by no means gave me a outcome I used to be proud of so additional processing was at all times required. It was typically a great start line, however actually not a remaining edit. For inexperienced persons, it could be helpful as a result of you may shoot in Uncooked and obtain an identical automated outcome to in-camera JPEGs with Uncooked information obtainable for guide processing as your modifying abilities improve.
There’s additionally a Impartial Processing Profile that is aimed toward use with JPEGs, TIFFs and PNG information the place no processing is robotically utilized. This may also be used as a place to begin for Uncooked Processing the place the picture is left utterly unprocessed and prepared for totally guide changes. For extra superior photographers, you may create your personal Processing Profiles to take care of a constant look in your pictures through the use of a customized start line for additional changes. That is primarily the identical as making use of import changes in Lightroom.
As soon as a picture has been processed, you may right-mouse-click on the lively thumbnail on the filmstrip and choose Put to queue, by clicking on the cogs icon beneath the primary picture window or utilizing a keyboard shortcut. You possibly can wait till a number of pictures are within the Queue part of the software program earlier than exporting to the specified file format (JPEG, TIFF or PNG) or export individually. Alternatively, you may click on the save icon – the floppy disk – for particular person picture exports.
RawTherapee: Efficiency
Similar to different Uncooked processing software program, changes made to pictures are non-destructive so the underlying picture file is left untouched. RawTherapee helps most Uncooked file varieties, though as beforehand talked about Canon EOS R1 Uncooked information have been unsupported on the time of testing. Different supported file codecs embrace HDR DNGs, JPEGs, TIFFs and PNGs.
RawTherapee incorporates a 32-bit (floating level) processing engine and demosaicing algorithms. This sounds fairly fancy, however whereas the picture high quality potential with the software program is nice, it is nonetheless not fairly on the degree of Adobe Digital camera Uncooked and Lightroom. For instance, I might see extra luminance noise in a shot processed with RawTherapee than in the identical picture processed with Lightroom. This was seen within the blue sky of a photograph taken at ISO 100.
RawTherapee can, nevertheless, merge pixel shift Uncooked information with automated ghost masking, darkish body subtraction (typically utilized in astrophotography) and affords flat discipline correction and sizzling pixel correction. These particular options weren’t examined as a result of the main target was on commonplace processing duties that almost all of customers would sometimes undertake.
The adjustment controls obtainable are in depth, and the extent of management obtainable is spectacular, however there may be a lot management there could also be an excessive amount of. When you’re uncertain of something you may keep away from the controls you don’t perceive or want. The controls are break up into tabs/palettes and encompass Publicity, Element, Color, Superior, Selective Enhancing, Rework, Uncooked and Metadata. Any controls with 1:1 subsequent to the title require you to be zoomed into 100% / 1:1 to have the ability to clearly see the outcome.
Different options embrace localised changes together with a Graduated Filter, Spot Removing and lens corrections to call however a couple of. Every little thing you want and way more is out there. The principle points with RawTherapee are the velocity at which photos load, the slight lag between transferring sliders earlier than the impact is seen and the quirky workflows and processes that spring up. For the latter, it is not an enormous challenge however you do must get used to the way in which RawTherapee works, notably should you’re used to different Uncooked processing software program.
RawTherapee: Verdict
I discovered RawTherapee took various getting used to by way of the workflow and sheer variety of changes obtainable. Some are nice and supply way more management than Lightroom, though I can not assist however suppose that the software program is overcomplicated in some areas. Some controls are additionally scattered round in what doesn’t at all times really feel like a logical approach.
It could’t be forgotten that that is free software program, so regardless of the efficiency points and the quirks of RawTherapee, you are getting a whole lot of management. The standard of outcomes is not fairly on the degree of Adobe Digital camera Uncooked and Lightroom, however it’s not too far off and RawTherapee is vastly spectacular contemplating its free software program.
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Options |
Spectacular options though probably an excessive amount of management. |
★★★★☆ |
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Design |
The consumer interface is intuitive total. |
★★★★☆ |
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Efficiency |
The software program is gradual and laggy in some areas. |
★★★☆☆ |
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Worth |
The extent of management obtainable is superb totally free software program. |
★★★★★ |