Darktable
Open-source photography workflow application and non-destructive raw developer for managing, editing and exporting digital negatives.
- GitHub stars
- 13k
- Last commit
- today
- Latest release
- release-5.6.1
- Licence
- GPL-3.0
darktable is an open-source photography application that works as a virtual lighttable and darkroom. It keeps digital negatives in a database, lets you browse them in a zoomable lighttable view, and provides a darkroom where raw images are developed and enhanced without altering the original files.
Edited images can be exported to local or remote storage. The project runs on Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Windows 10 and later, and Apple Silicon Macs on macOS 14 and later, and it includes optional AI features. A Lua API is documented separately, and extensions can be obtained from the community. The README is explicit that darktable is not meant to be a free copy of Adobe Lightroom.
The software is written in C and licensed under GPL-3.0. The user manual, Lua documentation and website each live in their own repositories, and the main README covers requirements, building from source, using test or stable versions, and common questions such as camera and lens detection.
Key features
- Non-destructive raw image development
- Lighttable view for managing digital negatives
- Darkroom module for editing and enhancing photos
- Export to local or remote storage
- Lua API for scripting and extensions
- Optional AI-assisted features
Pricing: Free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license.
