Terrified of RAW but want to try out something that's easy to use

**GUB** · 05-22-2021, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by cartesio

I have very little experience with RAW editing. I have an old copy of Affinity I have not used for years. Does anyone think it is better to start using it again or switch to Raw Therapee or Darktable or else?

All three are great - just depends on your personal preferences which one you are going to prefer. I imagine you would have to start anew with Affinity rather than upgrade but if it is a workflow you are familiar with then it is likely to be your preference. I presume you can do a trial with it.

**jatrax** · 05-23-2021, 05:42 PM

Originally posted by cartesio

I have very little experience with RAW editing. I have an old copy of Affinity I have not used for years. Does anyone think it is better to start using it again or switch to Raw Therapee or Darktable or else?

My personal feelings are that the time investment in learning a software program far exceeds the monetary cost of purchasing it. So if you already feel comfortable with Affinity I would go with that or an updated version. On the other hand if you never spent a lot of time with Affinity or have forgotten it then pick a program and spend the time to learn it.

For me the Adobe Lightroom / Photoshop package is well worth the cost as I have a decade of Lightroom experience. But if I was starting out or did not expect to use it extensively I would trial Darktable and Luminar. See which you like better and then spend the time to learn it.

The key metric for me is the indexing of images provided by Lightroom, so I stick with that. But if that is not a concern for you then you have many options.

**GUB** · 05-23-2021, 06:03 PM

Originally posted by jatrax

My personal feelings are that the time investment in learning a software program far exceeds the monetary cost of purchasing it. So if you already feel comfortable with Affinity I would go with that or an updated version. On the other hand if you never spent a lot of time with Affinity or have forgotten it then pick a program and spend the time to learn it.

For me the Adobe Lightroom / Photoshop package is well worth the cost as I have a decade of Lightroom experience. But if I was starting out or did not expect to use it extensively I would trial Darktable and Luminar. See which you like better and then spend the time to learn it.

The key metric for me is the indexing of images provided by Lightroom, so I stick with that. But if that is not a concern for you then you have many options.

Originally posted by jatrax

The key metric for me is the indexing of images provided by Lightroom, so I stick with that. But if that is not a concern for you then you have many options.

Ahh yes that is the difference with open source software. There doesn't tend to be a "Jack of all trades" approach. So in my case I use "Digikam" to handle my archive including tags. It can also develop raws but I prefer to use Darktable which specialises in Raw developing. It is just a case of "open with". Once you are used to this approach it is simple.

SpecialK · 05-23-2021, 06:30 PM

Originally posted by Paul the Sunman

Raw is not terrifying. It gives you all the data. You can use as much or as little of it as you want. Just hitting the Auto button will probably give you something you are happy with 80% of the time.

Yep, that. I started with Elements 6, and am holding on Elements 15. Faststone.org is free and has a lot of handy uses beyond conversions.

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05-22-2021, 02:55 PM	#46
GUB Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Wanganui Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,342	Originally posted by cartesio I have very little experience with RAW editing. I have an old copy of Affinity I have not used for years. Does anyone think it is better to start using it again or switch to Raw Therapee or Darktable or else? All three are great - just depends on your personal preferences which one you are going to prefer. I imagine you would have to start anew with Affinity rather than upgrade but if it is a workflow you are familiar with then it is likely to be your preference. I presume you can do a trial with it.

05-23-2021, 05:42 PM	#47
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Originally posted by cartesio I have very little experience with RAW editing. I have an old copy of Affinity I have not used for years. Does anyone think it is better to start using it again or switch to Raw Therapee or Darktable or else? My personal feelings are that the time investment in learning a software program far exceeds the monetary cost of purchasing it. So if you already feel comfortable with Affinity I would go with that or an updated version. On the other hand if you never spent a lot of time with Affinity or have forgotten it then pick a program and spend the time to learn it. For me the Adobe Lightroom / Photoshop package is well worth the cost as I have a decade of Lightroom experience. But if I was starting out or did not expect to use it extensively I would trial Darktable and Luminar. See which you like better and then spend the time to learn it. The key metric for me is the indexing of images provided by Lightroom, so I stick with that. But if that is not a concern for you then you have many options.

05-23-2021, 06:03 PM	#48
GUB Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Wanganui Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,342	Originally posted by jatrax My personal feelings are that the time investment in learning a software program far exceeds the monetary cost of purchasing it. So if you already feel comfortable with Affinity I would go with that or an updated version. On the other hand if you never spent a lot of time with Affinity or have forgotten it then pick a program and spend the time to learn it. For me the Adobe Lightroom / Photoshop package is well worth the cost as I have a decade of Lightroom experience. But if I was starting out or did not expect to use it extensively I would trial Darktable and Luminar. See which you like better and then spend the time to learn it. The key metric for me is the indexing of images provided by Lightroom, so I stick with that. But if that is not a concern for you then you have many options. Originally posted by jatrax The key metric for me is the indexing of images provided by Lightroom, so I stick with that. But if that is not a concern for you then you have many options. Ahh yes that is the difference with open source software. There doesn't tend to be a "Jack of all trades" approach. So in my case I use "Digikam" to handle my archive including tags. It can also develop raws but I prefer to use Darktable which specialises in Raw developing. It is just a case of "open with". Once you are used to this approach it is simple.

05-23-2021, 06:30 PM	#49
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,453	Originally posted by Paul the Sunman Raw is not terrifying. It gives you all the data. You can use as much or as little of it as you want. Just hitting the Auto button will probably give you something you are happy with 80% of the time. Yep, that. I started with Elements 6, and am holding on Elements 15. Faststone.org is free and has a lot of handy uses beyond conversions.

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