This article is regarding Lightroom and Lightroom Alternatives For Amazing Editing. Lightroom is 1 of the most widely used photo editing tools, and for a good reason. Adobe has created software that enables you to seamlessly import, organize, and edit your images without having to switch between different programs.
The difference between Lightroom and Photoshop is 1 of the main questions budding photographers have. While Photoshop is excellent for extremely detailed image manipulation, Lightroom covers all the basics and is more than enough for most photographers. Lightroom is not just a photo editing program; it’s also a wonderful tool for importing, organizing, rating and sorting large batches of photographs.
In short, Lightroom is an amazing all-in-one tool for people who are looking for basic image management and manipulation. On the other hand, Photoshop is excellent for advanced levels of retouching and starting projects from scratch. Both are excellent tools for photographers at every level.
But here’s the puzzle: if you want to use Lightroom or Photoshop, you’ll need to pay $9.99 per month for as long as you want to keep using these programs. Adobe also makes it hard to get out of their yearly contracts, pushing you to pay 50% of the remaining balance if you want to cancel before the year is up.
For beginner photographers or people on a tight budget, it can be hard to maintain the $120 a year price tag. Luckily, there are plenties of Lightroom Alternatives out there — many of which are free!
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Best Lightroom Alternatives For Amazing Editing
This list will take you through 10 of the most popular free Lightroom alternatives and compare them to popular Adobe software.
LightZone
Lightzone is obtainable for Windows, Mac, and Linux. While it gives you rate images, it doesn’t have the choice to add keywords or efficiently organize images.
However, while it lacks an image organization system, LightZone makes it simple to improve your images instantly. It’s geared toward beginner photographers and those who don’t require a lot of Photoshop’s advanced tools. And although the Editor is fundamental, it supports RAW files.
LightZone doesn’t use traditional layers. Rather, it gives an alternative that involves stacking tools on top of each other. You can then add, rearrange, and delete tools in this stack. This is a reliable free Lightroom alternative for people who need basic photo editing tools.
PhotoScape X
PhotoScape X is a free-of-cost image editor for Mac and Windows. The Mac version allows a Photos extension that instantly connects your Photos library for seamless organizing and editing.
The Viewer in PhotoScape X enables you to rate and flag images, although the library isn’t as great as Lightroom. The Editor has over 1,000 filters, effects, and the option to use masks, layers, and brushes. While it’s essentially marketed as a photo editor, PhotoScape can further be used to create animated GIFS, stitch images together, and create collages.
The extensive range of editing tools makes PhotoScape X a compelling Lightroom alternative. The abundance of effects and filters makes it quick and easy for anyone to improve their images instantly.
Darktable
Darktable is an open-source editor that’s usable on Mac, Linux, and Windows. It also happens to be 1 of the only free image editors that double as a space to store and organize your photos. You can add tags to images, organize them into folders, rate them, and mark them by color.
The UI is almost identical to Lightroom’s, which can quickly toggle between your photo library and editing tools. Darktable also allows non-destructive editing, allowing you to convert back to your original image quickly and easily.
While the tools given are similar to those in Lightroom, it does fall short in its ability to handle professional color manipulation. Although it doesn’t give all of the advanced Photoshop tools, it does a great job as a free Lightroom alternative.
Microsoft Windows 10 Photos
Microsoft Windows 10 Photos gets installed on any Windows 10 operating system, simply as Apple Photos does for Mac. Like Lightroom and Photos, Windows 10 Photos acts as an image library and editing program. Sadly, it doesn’t support RAW files.
You can flag, caption, rate, and tag your images in Windows 10 Photos, making it easy to sort through large batches of photos. This software allows a handful of filters and an instant fix button that improves color, brightness, and contrast.
While it doesn’t give many of the advanced tools that Lightroom and Photoshop do, Windows 10 Photos is fine for the novice photographer who only needs to make simple image corrections.
Luminar
Photo editing has never been more comfortable than with Luminar 3, which gives a 7-days free trial. This program is packed full of wonderful Artificial Intelligence-powered filters that enable you to edit photos in mere seconds. Accent AI 2.0, for instance, analyzes a photo and determines the best overall edits. In no time at all, it changes your shot into a fantastic work of art.
Luminar makes edits automatically while providing you as much control as you like. You can adjust contrast, temperature, exposure, and clarity. Furthermore, Luminar includes a myriad of presets and image retouching tools. This mixture of features makes Luminar one of the best Lightroom alternatives available to try.
Photo Pos Pro
Photo Pos Pro is free of cost photo editing software for those who want to both edit photos and build projects from scratch. It gives the ability to create collages, design business cards, and make other graphics. RAW, GIF, JPEG, and many other file types are supported.
When you 1st open Photo Pos Pro, you’ll have the option to decide between a simple and a professional interface. For most basic adjustments, the simple UI offers all the tools you’ll need. Unfortunately, if you desire to unlock more tools, you’ll need to fork out some cash for the Pro version.
Photo Pos Pro is a great Lightroom alternative for newcomers who don’t need their photo editor to double as an image organizer. It’s straightforward, allowing quick and easy image adjustments.
Apple Photos
Apple Photos is installed on all Mac computers, and it can be set up to sync with your other Apple devices through iCloud. This is excellent for people who use all Apple products.
Apple Photos gives a simple, streamlined way to organize and edit your photos all from 1 application. It supports RAW files and gives a handful of tools for simple editings, such as levels, curves, and selective color. You can likewise use it to create photo books, greeting cards, calendars, and more.
Where it drops short of Lightroom is in its incapability to edit certain parts of an image. If you require to make the sky brighter, for instance, you’ll have to make the entire image brighter. While you can adjust highlights and shadows individually, Apple Photos is best for people who don’t need heavy expert editing.
Raw Therapee
Raw Therapee is free, open-source software that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The UI and tools are a cross between Photoshop and Lightroom, yet the learning curve is not nearly high.
Like Lightroom, Raw Therapee allows quick and easy RAW image processing. It also allows non-destructive editing, meaning the original file can be brought back with a simple click. While it does give a way to rate, color tag, and sort images manually, the library lacks comparison to Lightroom.
This software is great for simple photo editing and basic color correction. It’s a free Lightroom alternative for consumers who want advanced tools without the learning curve of Photoshop. Sadly, the tools themselves aren’t as powerful as their Adobe counterparts, and there aren’t many tutorials online.
GIMP
GIMP is an open-source raster graphics editor. It was created as a photo editor for those on Linux systems since Photoshop was not supported. Nowadays, GIMP is possible for Linux, Windows, and Mac.
GIMP seems and feels a lot like Photoshop and gives a lot of the same tools. It can also read. PSD files can come in beneficial if you’ve stopped paying for Adobe products but still want to access your files.
Sadly, GIMP doesn’t offer any photo organization. If you decide to move this route, you’ll need to organize your photos outside of the application, then import them for editing purposes only. But as far as photo manipulation goes, GIMP can do almost everything that Lightroom and Photoshop can. It’s an excellent alternative for those looking for high-end photo manipulation tools.
Paint.NET
The last on our list of the best Lightroom Alternatives is Paint.NET. Paint.NET is free of cost and easy-to-use photo manipulation software. It’s an open-source image editor designed specifically for Windows operating systems. Sadly, it’s not available for Mac or Linux.
The UI is a bit old-fashioned, and the software doesn’t give any photo organization system. Paint.NET is designed as an uncomplicated photo editor and is geared toward beginner photographers who don’t need any complex tools. It can also edit only 1 image at a time; therefore, it won’t work for those who need to perform batch editing.
The tools in Paint.NET are straightforward and easy to understand. This free Lightroom alternative is a great choice for those looking for basic image manipulation on Windows without any frills.
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Final Thought:
Lightroom is special in the fact that it’s an all-in-one program to organize and edit your photos. While some free alternatives, such as Darktable, give many of the same tools, others only allow simple image adjustments.
Depending on your editing technique, you may need to download some of the different free programs to get all the tools you need. Nevertheless, free editing programs have come a long way in the past decade. Whether you’re a newcomer or a professional, you’re sure to get one that fits your needs.