Lightroom replacement

I refuse to buy Lightroom by subscription, so I'm interested in peoples opinions on a good replacement that would be good with either Sony, Nikon, or Fuji?

Unless you're maniacally buying new gear, get the standalone LR6, take the last update(standalone LR6.13 this week) and hold. Adobe's competition presently offers lots of options and there are bound to be even more when/if you add new cameras/lenses to the shelf down the line.

You could give Darktable a try. Designed for Linux, you also get it for Apple and, since recently, for Windows. A free and powerful open source programm. The UI is different, also it looks a bit like LR. You get used to it and there is much support in the net.

Recommended apps for rendering NEF files

 

Some years ago when adobe started the subscription model for photoshop I acquired LR as an alternative to avoid paying a monthly software rent and upgraded to the latest LR 6 version. Unfortunately, I don't like the software at all - in particular the tedious import and preview generation; I also have no use at all for the catalog functions. I also looked at a couple other options:

 

About a year ago, I gave up and started a subscription for PS/LR but most recently picked up the evaluation of DxO Optics Pro, Capture One (for Sony), and most recently, ON1 Raw. A couple of things I don't like so far: the need of an intermediary file when transferring images to photoshop which I use for some plugins and the final finish of the images. And the rather steep learning curve with either package - given that I have a somewhat decent handle on ACR/photoshop.

I presently use Lightroom 6 which I did update this week, but I'll probably be getting a new camera in a couple of months, either the new Sony, or possibly the new XT2s. Hopefully I'll be able to continue using my Lightroom, but if not I'll need something else. Thanks for the suggestions.

Hopefully I'll be able to continue using my Lightroom, but if not I'll need something else.

Adobe would want you to use the DNG converter - it just adds another step to the workflow.

I use the Affinity Photo software.

When I bought it it was only Apple, but I think it supports Windows now too.

The new update into lightroom classic and Lightroom Cloud is another way to give away all right to use the software as you used to before but they lead you to do everything on their own terms.

You could give Darktable a try. Designed for Linux, you also get it for Apple and, since recently, for Windows. A free and powerful open source programm. The UI is different, also it looks a bit like LR. You get used to it and there is much support in the net.

The only problem I see here is that such apps may not have modules for camera-lens combinations. DxO has that. But I'll investigate Darktable - it could be very useful.

Darkroom recognizes my Lumix GX7 and my Pana and Olympus lenses and corrects them, when I wish to. So I don't see a general problem, but the upgrade rate of the lens correction module maybe slower than with LR.

CaptureOne Pro - it's not exactly cheap, but very competent software with very good results. Affinity Photo mentioned above is a great piece of software, but more a replacement for Photoshop; its RAW module leaves a bit to be desired but otherwise it's a bargain.

$10 a month for Photoshop and Lightroom always up to date is too steep? Yet you are buying a new camera. Sorry, but this is weird.

$10 a month for Photoshop and Lightroom always up to date is too steep? Yet you are buying a new camera. Sorry, but this is weird.

 

Not too weird. $10 a month may be ok but in the future there may be other issues. Adobe is moving to the cloud which may raise issues of bandwith. Also storing large amounts of pictures may raise the price significantly. With this in mind I think looking for alternatives makes sense.

If you don't want Photoshop or Adobe's overpriced cloud storage this is a big price hike. The cost of a perpetual LR6 licence on Amazon UK would only buy 10 months of one of the rental plans, and standalone version upgrades used to be cheaper than the initial purchase (and were of course optional, especially if you hadn't upgraded your camera and didn't need to support a new raw format).

Adobe has two new versions of Lightroom - Classic and Cloud. There are no process changes in the Classic version, other than being offered on a subscription basis. The Cloud version stores your images in the Cloud, where the original images can be accessed from any location or device. The Cloud version is designed for people on the road or who work in collaboration with others. Adobe says they have no plans to discontinue the Classic version. Considering the needs of most photographers, amateur and pro alike, the natives would be raiding Adobe with torches and pitchforks.

 

You have the ability to assign photos to collections in the Classic version, and make them available to remote stations, including iPads. Collections contain pointers to the original images, not copies which would take up much more space. Any changes you make remotely are non-destructive and completely reversible, just as in the desktop copy. While you can use mobile devices for editing, I find mobile collections more useful to selectively display my work.

 

The subscription price for both Lightroom and Photoshop, $10 per month, payable on a yearly basis, is less than the cost of periodic upgrades in the past. If you haven't read the fine print, you never owned software that you didn't write yourself (even then, not the libraries used to write them). You could, of course, continue to use licensed products without upgrades, until they are completely obsolete. I think subscriptions are a win-win situation. Adobe evens out their cash flow, which they can use to provide better service. The user get the sine qua non imaging software at a bargain (over time) price.

 

Me use the Cloud? I just rebuilt my desktop Lightroom library of about 190,000 images, 3.8 TB. It took 30 hours. Imagine uploading to the Clout - a month maybe (at Suburban speeds).

Edited November 3, 2017 by Ed_Ingold

If you don't want Photoshop or Adobe's overpriced cloud storage this is a big price hike.

 

First of all, there is no price hike for the new version from previous versions of CC. The standalone version still works fine.

 

Second, Adobe's cloud storage is not out of line. Google and Dropbox cost the same. Amazon is less right now and Microsoft appears to be higher.

Where I live, Office 365 with 1TB of storage is half the price of the LR CC subscription with 1TB, or of the 1TB upgrade to the PS+LR plan. Yes, it goes without saying that LR6 will continue to work (though not, of course, directly with any new raw format from now on). The price hike is relative to what Lightroom-only users have been paying for the last decade. The annual subscriptions are more expensive than the initial purchase of a perpetual licence at current prices, and the old upgrades (every 1-2 years) were about half the price of either of the current lowest-tier plans that include one or both versions of LR, while minor raw format updates were free. Yes, you get PS or cloud storage rental included, but you may not want either of these. People who used to buy every upgrade to both PS and LR may well be paying less per year than they were in the CS days (and good luck to them). People who were happy with just LR (especially but not only if they skipped versions until they bought a new camera) will be paying substantially more.

LR has been out for, what, 10 years. So that’s £150 for V1 and then 5 upgrades at, say, £80 which works out at £550. Say £600 to allow for inflation. Under the subscription model I will have to pay £1200 (twice as much) for the next 10 years which includes paying for an app I don’t want (PS). Only one winner here.

 

Oh, I forgot the generous storage option of the sub model which is an absolute steal given that desktop storage is sooooo expensive and bandwidth is practically free o_O

Edited November 4, 2017 by Norman 202

You also forgot Photoshop. That was close to $1000 for the last non-subscription version, plus $200 every year or so for upgrades ;)

 

I don't care much for the way Office 365 works on a Mac, but it's the best collection on the market. You just have to beat it into submission when opening a document created by another program. The stand-alone version has one install and you pay for all updates. 365 includes Word, Excel and Powerpoint, all the updates, and has 5 installs. I have used 3 installs so far, so it's a bargain. I can use Office 2007 on my Win7 partition, or 365.

 

The Cloud version of LR makes sense if you collaborate with others, or spend a lot of time on the road. It's not be best choice for loners and anchorites.

Edited November 4, 2017 by Ed_Ingold

You also forgot Photoshop

 

No one forgot PS. This thread is about LR o_O

 

The Cloud version of LR makes sense if you collaborate with others, or spend a lot of time on the road

Can’t comment on collaboration but I wouldn’t recommend LR Cloud for the road where networks are not as reliable, fast or secure.

Lightroom and Photoshop are bundled together in the $10/mo deal.

 

I didn't say Lightroom Cloud was for everyone. For some, it might be the best choice.

You also forgot Photoshop. That was close to $1000 for the last non-subscription version, plus $200 every year or so for upgrades ;)

Really, how close? Seems more like $695 new, $149 upgrades?

$700 is still a piece of change. Lightroom hit $300 at some point in time. Haven't given it much thought since CC.

About 6 months ago I came to the conclusion that Adobe was going in a direction I didn't want.

I downloaded and started to learn Darktable. Took my time. Created a table in MS Word with LR actions i frequently use on the left and the DT method for doing the same thing on the right. DT has extensive Help on the web and many youtube videos - both of which helped.

When I got to the printing stage I added Epson Print Layout (I use a p800). It works great and supports all the settings I need - ABW mode for black and white, platen gap, width, etc. Everything...and very easy to use.

 

Bottom line: I love DT and EPL. Even if LR went back to desktop I wouldn't switch back. DT is more powerful and almost as easy to use...once you take a little time to get the hang of it. Much better masking, better color balance, better split toning...and that's for starters. Lots of stuff is just better.

 

My freedom from the Adobe Lightroom Captive Cloud comes in 3 phases:

Phase 1: All new photos are done in DT. No new photos started in LR. Achieved two weeks ago.

Phase 2: All photos currently being edited in LR are completed. I have about 20 that are in process...I finish 2 a week...so i should be free by end of year or so.

Phase 3: Convert all LR finished images to high res TIFF or JPG so that in future I can easily print them in EPL again if I want, or edit further in DT if I want. Obviously i can also edit the original image in DT anytime as well. I anticipate being done in February.

 

If I can do this transition you can do it. No reason to pay a new utility bill for the rest of your life when there is a better alternative out there. Just be systematic in your approach, take your time, learn DT and EPL, and plan your transition as I have done.

I’m not goin* to try to anticipate what Adobe might do. I’m going with Classic, and if they do something’s no different down the road, I’ll deal with it then.