What software do you guys use?

I'm curious - what do you guys (the rebel guys) use on the software side of things?

Particularly, but not limited to, how you organise your photos.

.

Thanks guys.

• Raw processing / editing - darktable, RawTherapee / ART
• Raster editing - Affinity Photo (was GIMP in the past)
• Viewing / organizing / DAM - XnView MP, Fast Stone

Now to explain...

darktable has built-in DAM features such as tagging, metadata, etc., but I don't use them much. I just use it as a raw editor, since it's too slow to be convenient for quick browsing, viewing, etc.

For browsing I use XnView MP the most these days. I tried DigiKam and it's a capable product (moreso than XnView MP) but given my workflow it was more of a solution in search of a problem for me. YMMV.

So, the heart of my management comes from not software but rather how I structure my images:

/images/Our-photos/<date>_<topic>

For example: C:\data\images\Our-photos\20220114_Kincaid_Lake_sunset

Those are the raw files from a sunset shoot at a local lake on January 14, 2022. Under that folder will be one or more folders named exported (output from darktable), converted (output from RawTherapee / ART), cellphone, etc. If I save any edits made in Affinity Photo or GIMP, they'll be in the raw converters' output folders, as well as any social media resized JPGs, etc.

Named in this manner, the folders will always sort in date order.

When I first started using darktable I tagged every image I imported, but that was the last time the tags saw daylight. I just never used them, so I no longer tag. I realize this approach could get clumsy with large image collections but so far it works fine for me. Another advantage is I can find things without having to rely exclusively on some management software. Plus given my personality I would save the images in such a manner regardless, so ... 

I have other images outside the Our-photos directory tree, but virtually none are DSLR shots I want to keep. They're all cellphone or other images from wherever. All my real "photography" shots are somewhere under Our-photos.

Actually I have two Our-photos trees: One on my laptop (partial) and another on my NAS (full). The laptop copy is a subset of the NAS copy and backs up nightly to it. I do this to 1) keep disk usage under control on my laptop and 2) there's just no need to carry every last photo around with me. Plus once it's backed up at any given time, I can delete ancillary files from the laptop knowing a copy is always available from my NAS.

Thanks for taking the time of writing all that detail (that good BTW).

I'm feeling really bogged down with my workflow and DAM. I have several thousand unprocessed RAWs that need doing + DAM. I can't really be bothered.

So you don't use keywords/tags at all?

I used Adobe LrC, but it was too slow. I'm sorta using digikam right now for DAM.

Darktable is sorta my enemy. I want to be sure I really want to overcome it before (if) I do. It's a lot of time to put in, plus it would be slower to do the actual editing. But, perhaps that's a good thing. I feel like I should perhaps focus on taking a few great shots, instead of 40 standard ones.

Anyways, thanks for sharing Len. I really appreciate it. 

Dunlin wrote:

Thanks for taking the time of writing all that detail (that good BTW).

I'm feeling really bogged down with my workflow and DAM. I have several thousand unprocessed RAWs that need doing + DAM. I can't really be bothered.

So you don't use keywords/tags at all?

No but I'm not a high volume shooter at all. It appeals to me from a tech / OCD viewpoint, but I don't end up making use of them.

I used Adobe LrC, but it was too slow. I'm sorta using digikam right now for DAM.

Darktable is sorta my enemy. I want to be sure I really want to overcome it before (if) I do. It's a lot of time to put in, plus it would be slower to do the actual editing. But, perhaps that's a good thing. I feel like I should perhaps focus on taking a few great shots, instead of 40 standard ones.

To be fair, I'm not running a monster computer. It's a 16 GB laptop with an 8 core AMD Ryzen CPU and embedded GPU (shared memory). Hardly a heavy duty graphics machine.

I'm not a darktable evangelist (nor FOSS evangelist) - I just use what works best at the time. I'm not opposed to Adobe products but given how little I shoot paying a monthly fee for them to sit there unused doesn't make too much sense.

But in all fairness, darktable (and to a similar degree RawTherapee / ART) offer a LOT of power for free. Neither of them (especially DT) are 'mass market' products, even in the limited sense LR might be. I'm not a LR user, but they offer some powerful capabilities that from reports by LR users LR often can't touch. That is, in a raw editing context, not necessarily DAM. RawTherapee / ART are DAM-less.

But make no mistake - You'll only benefit from them if you invest the time. In my case I just had to get the bit in my teeth, start reading docs, watching videos, etc., etc., and work with the software. Go to PIXLS.US for their forums.

I'm no expert at either. It's just been recently when I seem to have turned that "soft" corner from investing to reaping, so to speak. And I have a long way to go.

Anyways, thanks for sharing Len. I really appreciate it.

NP.

DAM Imatch

Raw processor Photolab

When appropriate Nik collection, Affinity Photo, Topaz Sharpen AI

Digirame wrote:

I use the free IrfanView software and only take out-of-the-camera JPEGS. I try very hard to get the exposure, composition correct the first time from my cameras so I have minimal post processing. Of course, something always needs adjusting, but it normally is minor (that's my goal). I only do this as a hobby so I don't have the most expensive gear either. I just enjoy getting outdoors and capturing things that I can see.

I organize my photos by year in Windows. Then each folder has a date and location and the camera that was used. That way, I can quickly find old photos. I make a back up copy. I have to have a system that is fast to process. I'm constantly taking pictures.

Thanks DIg.

The only software ware that I use is the Photo app that came with my Apple Macbook Pro.

Don

Fair enough.

Thanks for replying.

Hi Dunlin,

This is of no use to you I'm afraid, as both my solutions are paid for products that are no longer for sale.

Lightroom 5.7.1 this had the Canon 7D mkII and Canon 70D updates.

Photoshop CS6 this can't directly load the above camera's RAW files but Lightroom can and then it's a matter of passing the photos over to CS6 with Lightroom rendering the file as I have set it up, these files are seen as Lightroom intended with all my editing and colour corrections intact. They are then saved back to Lightroom as 16bit TIFF files.

DxO PureRaw ver. 1, fantastic piece of software that gave my two ageing sensors(7D MkII and 70D) a new lease of life.

Both Lightroom 5.7.1 and Photoshop CS6 can load the *.DNG files created by DxO PureRaw, so win-win with that one.

Apple Photos

Thanks for replying mocha123 & tdbmd.

Hike Pics wrote:

I use Linux and my go-to editor is Darktable. As for sorting I simply use folders with the date, place and camera (plus lens if applicable). I useUbuntu's default viewer (forgot the name).

👍

I use ACDSEE as a replacement for LR 5. I have a Canon6D and 77D and Fuji XT-30. Not as good as LR but good enough for hobbyist needs as I shoot and edit only about 6months in the year so no point subscribing to LR. I mainly output to IG and Facebook and e-mail photos. I am not good at organising my files so best I don’t cover that!!

Do you use standard, ultimate or pro (ACDSEE).

Dunlin wrote:

Do you use standard, ultimate or pro (ACDSEE).

I am using Ultimate only because I thought I might need the extra editing facilities of Ultimate but I rarely do as I am not that good with software. It was a a struggle to learn for myself as it edits in a different way to LR.

I honestly use Canons DPP4 for a lot of my smaller projects. Then I’ll use Capture One 22 when I have lots of work to do for multiple clients. I’m really hoping Canon gets their act together and makes DPP4 much faster sooner than later. I don’t plan on upgrading to C1 23. It is very minimal for $200. I also use FastRawViewer for faster sorting and viewing when I don’t need to make edits or am viewing older photos that aren’t in my C1 catalogue anymore.

CoryS89 wrote:

I honestly use Canons DPP4 for a lot of my smaller projects. Then I’ll use Capture One 22 when I have lots of work to do for multiple clients. I’m really hoping Canon gets their act together and makes DPP4 much faster sooner than later. I don’t plan on upgrading to C1 23. It is very minimal for $200. I also use FastRawViewer for faster sorting and viewing when I don’t need to make edits or am viewing older photos that aren’t in my C1 catalogue anymore.

Yeah, DPP is pretty slow. But most people on the forum seem to think Canon has given up on it. 

Dunlin wrote:

CoryS89 wrote:

I honestly use Canons DPP4 for a lot of my smaller projects. Then I’ll use Capture One 22 when I have lots of work to do for multiple clients. I’m really hoping Canon gets their act together and makes DPP4 much faster sooner than later. I don’t plan on upgrading to C1 23. It is very minimal for $200. I also use FastRawViewer for faster sorting and viewing when I don’t need to make edits or am viewing older photos that aren’t in my C1 catalogue anymore.

Yeah, DPP is pretty slow. But most people on the forum seem to think Canon has given up on it.

It certainly seems that way, fingers crossed for a speedy 5.0 one day. I have read that some users see a bit of a boost with the 4.17 release though. I'm also holding out to see how DPP Express on the iPad does with time. If Canon adds a few things, I might be able to use it full time instead.