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paperdigits merged 1 commit into from
Dec 3, 2025
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FAQ: Rewrite Lightroom alternative #294

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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion content/about/faq.md
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Expand Up @@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ menu: "footer"
## <a name="faq-new-users"></a>New Users<a href="#faq-new-users" class="anchor" title="Link to this FAQ section">¶</a>

### <a name="faq-lightroom"></a>Is darktable a free Lightroom alternative?<a href="#faq-lightroom" class="anchor" title="Link to this FAQ entry">¶</a>
No. Other than both being raw editors with DAM features, and looking somewhat similar, they have very little in common. Darktable is a powerful and flexible raw processing toolbox, that leaves the user in charge of their workflow and provides a level of power and control that few others can match. This also means that the initial learning curve can be steep, since very little workflow and tool knowledge can be transferred from other programs.
Yes and no. Darktable is an alternative to Lightroom the same way any other raw editor is, since it edits raw files, but it would be a mistake to think it's a direct replacement. Other than both being raw editors with photo library management, and looking somewhat similar, they have very little in common. While Lightroom aims at making raw processing accessible to anyone, regardless of technical skills, darktable is a powerful and flexible raw processing toolbox that leaves the user in charge of their workflow and provides a level of control that few others can match, often by exposing the full power of the underlying algorithms to the user. This also means that the initial learning curve can be steep, since very little workflow and tool knowledge can be transferred from other programs.

### <a name="faq-presets"></a>Is darktable compatible with presets from other programs?<a href="#faq-presets" class="anchor" title="Link to this FAQ entry">¶</a>
No. Presets (what darktable calls styles) are specific to the program that created them. It can, however, use LUTs in several different formats, so that may be a solution if cross-program compatibility is needed.
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