Photo editing software for Lightroom alternative

Many people think that Photoshop means image editing and you can use it for that purpose, but for some people use Lightroom instead of Photoshop. Indeed, with a little practice and knowledge, you will find it quite amazing.

As you would expect, these alternatives are quite good but they are not so vivid that they are full of Lightroom's power and flexibility. But if you like something simple with standard edits, then these are more than that.

Raw Therapee (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Although its name is not appealing but Raw Therapee is surprising and is arguably the best replacement software for Lightroom. The interface is not beautiful, but it is updated regularly and has complete features.

One drawback is that it is slow to support camera model updates but the camera is just released regularly and DSLRs are often upgraded so this is not a big deal for anyone who likes it.

Darktable (Mac, Linux)

If you ask someone about software that replaces Lightroom if they do not mention Raw Therapee, I assure them they will mention the name Darktable. Open source RAW image design software not only has a dozen great features but also a neat and easy-to-operate interface.

The only reason why we listed it after the Raw Therapee is that Darktable doesn't support Windows.

Photoscape (Windows, Mac)

If you don't like Raw Therapee or Darktable for some reason, there won't be many other good options for you to choose from. Photoscape may be the last choice. The latest version is released in 2014.