[landofcourtness]

Hello,

My monthly subscription to Adobe LR/Photoshop CC just ended, and I am hoping to get away from the subscription model. Was wondering if anyone had any history with any other program, that isn't a subscription??? Is CaptureOne the only option? I mostly edit on PC, and would like it to be something that can at least be used on that.

Thought I would reach out to the community...

[pepperberry farm]

several of these threads already - I use Skylum's Luminar as my primary editor...

[jatrax]

There are currently 3 or 4 different threads running about this. And quite a few others.

In the search box on the top type in "Lightroom alternative" and you should get several hours of reading.

[dsingley100]

Lightroom has a cd/download (no subscription) version. Down side is no updates unless you buy the next version. I’m using the CD version and am happy w/it.

[jatrax]

Lightroom has a cd/download (no subscription) version. Down side is no updates unless you buy the next version. I’m using the CD version and am happy w/it.

This is no longer true. Adobe just released version 6.14 and announced it will be the last stand alone release. In future if you want Lightroom you must buy a subscription. Which is why the interest in alternatives. Personally I think Adobe just sealed their fate but that's just me.

Adobe Just Released the Final Standalone Version of Lightroom

[Tas]

If you haven't done so already, I'd recommend you do a search through this part of the forum as there's a lot already discussed on this topic as well as some ongoing threads about alternatives. And there's definitely more than just Capture One, a good summary of options available are identified here: Testing 10 Photoshop Contenders – The Amazing Sky

I haven't read all of the blog post so I don't know what's being recommend, but like many things finding agreement on the best choice for PP is not likely to happen including the PF suggestions you will hopefully receive soon.

Personally I moved from LR/PS as my primary PP software to On1. It's not perfect but it has a lot of the tools you would be familiar with from using LR/PS. The current version is really good and it's yours to own, though in about 12 months there will be a new version and a final update to the current program will be released. You choose to update or not and to update every year would equal similar costs to a subscription. My plan is to do one more update then sit out a year or two.

Considering you've dropped out of CC and as there's plenty of options the best course of action would be to utilise any free trial periods offered to see what suits you.

Tas

[pentageek]

You may want to try RawTherapee (free), or Alien Skin Exposure (one-off payment). The latter is available as fully functional 30-day trial, so you would have plenty of time to see if it's for you. I think that Exposure resembles LR more, while RawTherapee offers literally tons of options and filters. Both applications are stable, do not cause any technical problems, and support Pixel Shift. Unfortunately they do not offer as good support of Pentax lenses as LR.

[johnhilvert]

There are about a dozen free and relatively cheap alternatives to Lightroom according to my research. Most tend to mimic Lightroom’s interface. Some use similar hotkeys. A few offer similar cataloguing features - vital if you take several thousand images each year.

My counsel is to choose what works for you after a decent 14 day or so free trial.

The better ones offer loads of free tutorials on YouTube.

[SpecialK]

FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer ... is free and has many useful utilities besides raw conversion. I use it for most file handling, and viewing. I have a standalone Elements 15 DVD for processing, however. But yes, read the longer threads - it has all been discussed :-)

[Wasp]

I use Darktable. It is a free open source alternative to Lightroom. It is very powerful and works well but has so far been built for Linux and Mac only. That might be a deal breaker for some...

[AyeYo]

Affinity Photo is an absolute Photoshop replacement that is easier to use and has all the same functionality, but in an interface that, while similar enough to Photoshop to pick up immediately, is also improved enough to be faster and more user friendly. Best part? It's $50 for life, not Adobe's stupid monthly $10.

Replacing Lightroom has proved challenging because I have yet to find any program that comes within a lightyear of Lightroom's outstanding highlight and shadow recovery. Since I primarily process drone photos shot on small sensor cameras with limited DR, recovering shadows and highlights are part of every workflow. No other program does it nearly as well as Lightroom. I'm excited for the day someone finally brings their software up to Lightroom's level in these areas and I can ditch Adobe altogether.

[jlstrawman]

I use Darktable. It is a free open source alternative to Lightroom. It is very powerful and works well but has so far been built for Linux and Mac only. That might be a deal breaker for some...

https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable/releases/download/release-2.4.0/d....4.0-win64.exe

[pentaxfall]

I use Darktable. It is a free open source alternative to Lightroom. It is very powerful and works well but has so far been built for Linux and Mac only. That might be a deal breaker for some...

DT is available on windows too. Few months ago I installed it on Win7.

[automorphism]

DT is available on windows too. Few months ago I installed it on Win7.

Yes, and not only that but the 2.4.0 version has just been released - they have a trend of releasing the next version at Christmas.

[Winder]

Capture One - Excellent control and very powerful.
DxO especially now that they have purchased NIK and are integrating the applications.
Silkypix Studio Pro - powerful software but slow and expensive (last time I tried it)
OnOne Software
Topaz Studio
Darktable
RAWtherapee
Alien Skin exposure X3
Corel Paintshop PRO - Good value for the money