Originally posted by vijaykishan +2 for Darktable. An opensource software that I use on my main Linux machine as well as on the Windows laptop on the go. A full fledged RAW processor that meets all my needs and wants out of a RAW developer. Combined with GIMP (another OpenSource program that works on practically all OS), which I use for advanced image manipulation, it is a formidable combination to beat.
Actually, that reminds me of something. I primarily use Linux as my daily driver, but dual boot with Windows for some specific (work related
) tasks. I noticed that darktable runs quicker on Linux than Windows, with the exact same hardware. Your mileage may vary, but I think I've read this somewhere online too - it was optimized for better hardware usage in Linux, but that can depend on the hardware you're running. Not to say it's slow in Windows, just a point to note.
As far as GIMP, I have that installed, but I don't do any image manipulation I can't do in darkroom (or Hugin for panorama stitching). And I find that it's way too complicated to understand