Recently, DJI announced the Mini 2 drone. While it improves greatly upon its predecessor, the Mavic Mini, it won’t exactly replace the Mavic Air 2. To ensure that they can charge roughly $ 300 USD more, DJI has continued to improve upon the drone that falls below its Mavic 2 Pro and is a step above the Mini 2.
With firmware version v01.00.0460, DJI has added support so that the Mavic Air 2’s remote controller can also be used with the Mini 2. It is recommended that DJI’s Fly app v1.2.0, or higher, is installed on your smartphone. Another important update, especially for those flying near buildings or other tall structures, is the default Return to Home (RTH) altitude has increased to 100 meters (400 ft.).
This update also optimizes the downward vision positioning system by increasing the altitude limit to 30 meters (100 ft.). Users can also expect a quieter start-up after powering on their drone.
One question remains: since the Mini 2 also includes OccuSync 2.0 transmission technology, will it eventually be compatible with DJI’s Smart Controller? Time will tell. To get started with this latest firmware update for the Mavic Air 2, check out the tutorial video below. Full firmware release notes follow.
– Added support so the remote controller can also be used with DJI Mini 2. It is recommended to use the remote controller with DJI Fly v1.2.0 or above. – Updated default RTH altitude to 100 m. – Optimized Downward Vision System by increasing the altitude limit to 30 m when the aircraft is only using Downward Vision System for positioning. – Optimized logic of rotational speed of fan after powering on in order to reduce noise and power consumption. – Optimized detection and app alert when propellers are unfolded.
Notes:
If the update fails, restart aircraft, remote controller, and DJI Fly or DJI Assistant 2 for Mavic, and retry.
Canon has announced a full production version (1.0) of its EOS Webcam Utility software for macOS and a version 1.1 update for Windows computers.
Less than a week after Nikon announced its webcam utility was out of beta, Canon has done the same. Canon says its beta program has been downloaded more than one million times around the world and with this new update comes new support for a total of 43 compatible EOS interchangeable lens and PowerShot cameras. Below is a complete list of the cameras currently supported:
EOS 1DX Mark III
EOS 1DX Mark II
EOS 1DX
EOS 1D C
EOS 5DS R
EOS 5DS
EOS 5D Mark IV
EOS 5D Mark III
EOS 5D Mark II
EOS 6D
EOS 7D Mark II
EOS 7D
EOS 90D
EOS 80D
EOS 77D
EOS 70D
EOS 60D
EOS Rebel T8i
EOS Rebel T7i
EOS Rebel T6s
EOS Rebel T6i
EOS Rebel T5i
EOS Rebel T3i
EOS Revel SL3
EOS Rebel SL2
EOS Rebel SL1
EOS Rebel T7
EOS Rebel T6
EOS Rebel T3
EOS Rebel T100
EOS R5
EOS R6
EOS R1
EOS R
EOS RP
EOS M6 Mark II
EOS M50 Mark II
EOS M50
EOS M200
PowerShot G5X Mark II
PowerShot G7X Mark III
PowerShot SX70 HS
Canon has also improved compatibility with third-party videoconferencing and streaming programs. Canon says its EOS Webcam Utility has been tested and confirmed to work with the following programs:
Apple Facetime
Cisco Webex
Discord
Facebook Live
Facebook Messenger
Google Hangouts
Google Hangouts Meet
Microsoft Teams
OBS
Skype
Slack
Streamlabs OBS
YouTube Live
Zoom
Below are two guides from Canon on how to get started with using your Canon camera as a webcam input on macOS and Windows computers:
Canon says it will ‘continue to lean on customers [and] listen to the market’ to improve the utility going forward. You can download EOS Webcam Utility version 1.0 for macOS and version 1.1 for Windows computer on Canon’s website. If you have questions, comments or complaints, Canon has opened up a new forum specifically for discussing its webcam utility.
The post Dare to be Different With Your Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
It’s estimated that over two billion photos are uploaded to the internet every day. We are deluged with images. So if you’re a photographer looking to stand out from the crowd, then going to the same iconic locations, framing up and shooting the same compositions, and looking to emulate the great images you might find from skilled photographers is not what you should do.
You need to dare to be different with your photography – by making the shot in a way people haven’t seen before. If the reaction you want is “Wow!” rather than “Meh,” you need to mix it up.
Not a bad photo of the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, but how different is my shot than the tens of thousands of other shots made from the same vantage point?
Where’d you shoot that?
I belong to a camera club, and we routinely show our images for review and critique. Something I hear too often when a great photo is displayed is, “Where’d you shoot that?”
I guess it’s a fair question. But I’m always concerned that the person asking it is thinking: If I go there, get the same light, perhaps use the same camera settings, and shoot from the same spot, I could make a great photo, too!”
But why would you want to be a copycat?
Sure, we all like to go to the iconic spots, but why not try to make a shot that is different and uniquely yours, one that stands out from the crowd?
No doubt millions of photos have been taken of this iconic location, so kudos to friend and fellow photographer Harold Hall, who found a unique perspective for this familiar New York City landmark.
To be seen, don’t be one of the “herd.”
Go where others don’t
I just got back from a trip to Yellowstone National Park. While I was there, I wanted to see the Grand Prismatic Spring, a very iconic spot and a natural wonder well worth seeing.
Upon reaching the overlook, I had to wait to even get to the edge as dozens of tourists took turns at the rail, shooting with their cellphone cameras, posing for selfies, even asking photographers like me, who were carrying obviously more sophisticated camera gear, if we’d snap their group photo with their cellphone.
Here’s a different abstract take at the Grand Prismatic Spring, and a shot more likely to be uniquely mine. Dare to be different with your photography.
I get it: They wanted a photographic souvenir of being at the Grand Prismatic Spring, a shot they could post on social media to share with their friends.
That’s fine, but what about you? Are you a serious photographer looking to make artistic photographs? Or are you a tourist looking for a snapshot?
Sure, I wanted to see the Grand Prismatic Spring. And yes, I took my camera and made a shot.
In fact, I’ve photographed next to other photographers at similar iconic locations. How could you not photograph the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park, or the Sydney Opera House in Australia (the list goes on)?
So hit the iconic spots, make the usual shot, and check it off your bucket list.
But then find ways to change things up. Go to the lesser-known spots and make some photographs others won’t have considered – images that are uniquely yours.
But how do you make shots that don’t look like the tens of thousands taken by others?
Let’s explore that.
Lots of photos have been done of the Oceanside Pier in southern California, so I tried to make my shot different by shooting a long, 30-second exposure during the blue hour.
I was literally shoulder-to-shoulder with maybe a hundred other photographers while waiting for a sunset that never showed at the Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Acadia National Park in Maine. I tried to be a little different with a six-second exposure to blur the clouds and waves. Canon 6D | Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM | 6s | f/11 | ISO 200
Seek a new perspective
Amateur photographers almost never use tripods. So they often raise their camera to their eye and shoot from a standing position.
Hence, the great majority of their shots are from a five- to six-foot, eye-level height, even when the subject suggests that something else might be better.
A shot of a small child is typically made looking down on the subject, as is a picture of a flower or some other shorter subject. If shooting with a standard digital camera, the great majority of images will be in landscape mode; if shooting with a phone, most shots will be in portrait mode. Little – if any – thought is given to rotating the camera to best suit the subject. The subject will typically be placed dead-center in the frame, so that if the photo is a portrait, then there is an excessive amount of headroom. This type of photographer has never heard of the rule of thirds.
Another iconic location with a couple dozen other photographers shooting at the Grand Fountain Geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Always look for how you can make your image dramatic and different than what the other photographers will make.
We expect student photographers to be a little better, right? They might shoot with a tripod. Yet I have been to plenty of photo workshops where the photographers are lined up like gunners in a firing squad, cameras on tripods but at that same eye-level height, all trained on the same iconic subject. How much different will their shots be? Maybe they ought to just buy a postcard in the gift shop.
“Sometimes, to stand out, you need to sit down.”
Anthony T. Hincks
I’m not sure of the context in which Mr. Hincks was speaking when he authored this quote. But appropriating it so that it applies to photographers, you need to consider various perspectives to better suit your subject and create images that bring new interpretations and compositions. Get up, get down, shoot from a bird’s-eye perspective or a worm’s-eye perspective. Shoot through objects that create natural frames. Try some point-of-view (POV) shots.
There are lots of things to try in order to explore new looks and create interest, excitement, and mood in your photos.
As a photographer, I expect you are more of a visual learner, so here are some shots to help communicate these concepts:
Get down to the ground and get a “worms-eye view” for a perspective the average photographer shooting from eye-level won’t get. The shot on the left is with an LG V30 cellphone.
For the image of the Snow Cone in Craters of the Moon National Park on the left, a cellphone camera was placed on the lava. For the shot on the right, the camera was directly on the stage at “foot level.”
Look down. Sometimes the shot is right at your feet.
Look up. Sometimes the shot is straight overhead.
A high vantage point allowed me to capture much of the long train in the first shot. The low angle for the Union Pacific 844 steam train (in the second shot) emphasized its immense power.
To get this unique angle when photographing the hot air balloons ascending from Ann Morrison Park in Boise, Idaho, you had to be in one of them. My photographer son Mark Ohnsman was, and he got this great shot.
Another way to get high-angle aerial shots is by shooting out the window of a commercial flight. I got these images with my LG V30 cellphone. The shot on the left was made somewhere over the Nevada desert; the shot on the right was made during the final approach to the Boise, Idaho airport.
Drone photography is yet another way to get a high vantage point. This could have been made with a drone (if I had one), but instead was done off a cliff near Cape Arago State Park in Oregon.
When shooting flowers or low vegetation, sometimes you want to get down in it. Get low with your camera and make shots others won’t get from an eye-level perspective.
The “near-far” look is done with a wide-angle lens and a small aperture so that objects from a few feet away to infinity are all in focus. Sometimes, focus stacking might be needed to ensure front-to-back sharpness. The technique produces images with great depth. Photo at left by Rick Ohnsman; photo at right by Dan Mottaz.
For getting low while keeping your camera steady, a tripod with no center column, a tripod (left) with a replaceable short center column, or something like the Gorillapod (right) is the ticket.
Think about “natural framing,” where you use things in the scene that frame your image as a way to make your shot different than what others might get.
Another way to make unique images others won’t get, and also to explore the wonders of an unseen world, is to try close-up and macro photography.
Work a scene, shooting wide, medium, and close-up shots. Digital film is cheap, so never take a “one-and-done” approach to your photography. I made the first shot here on Sand Beach in Acadia National Park. A little while later, I noticed and photographed the interesting patterns in the sand.
Explore various focal lengths and crops when making portraits. From left to right: close-up, medium-wide, medium, and ultra-close-up.
A great way to ensure your photos will be uniquely yours is to embrace abstract photography. There is no end to the possible subjects.
A picture is worth 1000 words, they say. What does your photo say? Try making photos that tell a story; this will better involve your viewer in the image.
Remember to turn your camera to a vertical (portrait) position if the subject dictates it. You’d be surprised at the amateurs who never consider this.
Diagonal lines add drama. When shooting cars, I like to employ a “Dutch tilt.” See if you can discover scenes where tilting the camera will make your images more unique and interesting.
When the weather gets bad, the photos get good. There’s nothing like some fog to add mood to a shot. If you want unique and compelling photos that are different from the rest of the crowd, brave the elements and get out when the weather keeps fair-weather photographers inside.
Morning fog and steam from nearby thermal springs made for the perfect moody shot in Yellowstone National Park.
Dare to be different when editing. This is the same shot of water drops on a lupine leaf, but as a monochrome positive on the left and a negative image on the right.
You can shoot differently when you know your editing options. Here, multiple images taken of the trees at the Boardman, Oregon tree farm were made at various focus points and then focus-stacked with Helicon Focus. Such depth of field would not have been possible in a single shot.
Sometimes, the way to make photos that are uniquely yours is to see common things in different ways. The key, as with all photography, is to look for the light.
Dare to be different with your photos: the next step
People might call me names, but as a photographer, there’s one name I hope never applies:Snapshooter. I consider a snapshooter to be the photographer who sees something that catches their attention, raises the camera to their eye, and takes a snapshot. That is the person who gives no thought to composition, angle, perspective, subject, storytelling, or concept. They don’t understand camera controls, exposure, depth of field, or ways to use the camera as a tool to communicate their vision. They probably don’t even grasp the concept of a vision. They don’t take the time to consider what they might do to make their photographs better or different. Can they even communicate what they are trying to say with their images?
But that’s not you, right? You have come to a place called the Digital Photography School, presumably as a person looking to learn how to make better images.
So I challenge you: Dare to be different with your photos. Make photographs that are intentionally creative, unique, tell a story, and show the viewer something in a way they may not have seen it before.
“You walk like others? You talk like others? You think like others? Then the world doesn’t need you, because others are already abundant in the world! Be original!”
Mehmet Murat ildan
The post Dare to be Different With Your Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
Take a black and white journey through southern Alberta with the Leica Q2 Monochrom, courtesy of our team at DPReview TV. We knew Canada was cold, but penguins?
Android Police is reporting that Google Photos has been asking its users to help improve its algorithms. While this is not Google’s first foray into crowdsourcing help in improving its recognition software, the latest survey, which is rolling out to users on Android, is asking for volunteers to label their images.
Last year, Google Photos asked users to identify faces in images to help improve its facial recognition technology. More recently, Google added a survey to the app, asking users to confirm the accuracy of search results. The latest addition to Google Photos takes it a step further. As Rita El Khoury at Android Police writes, ‘Basically, you’ll be doing some work for free, if you feel like it, and the end result is everyone gets better image and object recognition.’
Machine learning requires a large, accurate data set to help train algorithms. The more data, the better an algorithm can be tuned and trained. For Google Photos, the algorithm needs as many labeled images of as many subjects as possible. Further, not only do people have many different photos in their Google Photos library already, we all capture images differently. A proper training data set doesn’t just include many images, it includes variety of subjects, light, angle, color and more. Ideally, with the help of users, Google Photos will be able to produce more accurate search results.
Screenshots of the ‘Improve Google Photos’ option in the Google Photos app, used with permission from Dr. Rita El Khoury, Managing Editor at Android Police.
If you’d like to participate and help shape the future of Google Photos, you can find a dialog box at the bottom of the ‘Search’ tab in the Google Photos application. The text reads, ‘Help improve Google Photos’ and when you click on the box, you then ‘Get started’ by answering questions about your photos. Google Photos will present images to you and you type what you consider important in each of the selected images. The first batch includes 10 images, but you can skip images or do more if you’d like.
After the labeling exercise, you can participate in additional training exercises, including one in which you determine if certain photographs are worthy of being printed. This is an interesting task given that Google Photos recently began offering a monthly premium print subscription. This subscription sends users 10 photo prints per month for $ 6.99, shipping included. Another addition to Google Photos includes asking users to identify which photos show a certain holiday or event.
9to5Google links to a Google Photos Help document about the latest addition to the Google Photos app. In its document, Google states that ‘It may take time to see your contributions impact your account, but your input will help improve existing features and build new ones, like improved suggestions on which photos to print or higher quality creations that you would like.’ As of now, this feature is only available on Android devices.
For many in the northern hemisphere, winter’s cold grip is just around the corner. With the cold comes snow, a beautiful photographic subject. Few photographers capture snow quite like photographer Nathan Myhrvold. His microscopic images of snowflakes showcase extraordinary detail and natural beauty.
Of his snowflake subjects, Myhrvold says, ‘Snowflakes are a great example of hidden beauty. Water, an incredibly familiar thing to all of us, is quite unfamiliar when you see it in this different view. The intricate beauty of snowflakes derives from their crystal structure, which is a direct reflection of the microscopic aspects of the water molecule.’
Myhrvold faced numerous challenges when photographing snowflakes. They are small, fragile objects only a few millimeters across. Further, snowflakes of course melt, but they also sublimate. Both processes break down the structure of snowflakes and reduce their sharp edges and details. Time and temperature both acted against Myhrvold, so he had to come up with solutions.
‘No Two Alike’ by Nathan Myhrvold
Over about 18 months, Myhrvold designed and built a custom snowflake camera. His camera, which he states is the highest-resolution snowflake camera in the world, uses a 100MP medium format Phase One image sensor adapted to a microscope objective. Myhrvold designed an optical path to fill the image area of the large medium format sensor, allowing him to capture large, sharp images.
To slow down the natural melting and vaporization process of snowflakes, the microscope has a cooling stage, allowing Myhrvold to capture enough images to create a focus stacked final photograph. Further, the camera is paired with high-speed LED lights to reduce the heat output of the lights and allow Myhrvold to quickly capture his images. The camera has a minimum shutter speed of 500ms.
Building the equipment is only one part of the challenge, you must also have beautiful snowflakes to work with. Myhrvold shot on location in Fairbanks, Alaska and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. He says that some of the best snowflakes found were between -15° and -20° F (-26 to -29° C). In the images in this article, we see the following types of snow crystals: sector plates, stellar dendrites and fernlike stellar dendrites.
‘Yellowknife Flurry’ by Nathan Myhrvold
To view more of Nathan Myhrvold’s work, which comprises a wide range of subjects from landscapes to food and much more, click here. He also has galleries in Las Vegas, New Orleans, Seattle and San Diego.
Image credit: All photos captured by Nathan Myhrvold and used with permission
A composite of two of the formations seen in the drone show Saturday, following the announcement that Joe Biden was projected to become the next president of the United States.
This past Saturday, major news outlets announced former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate and senator Kamala Harris as the projected winners of the 2020 presidential election. Biden and Harris addressed the world later that evening with speeches that concluded with a drone and fireworks light show.
The drone show especially excited many in the rapidly-growing industry, after years of negative media coverage and concerns about overregulation. Numerous unconfirmed sightings of drones near airports and aircraft, in addition to rulemaking proposed for Remote ID, reportedly set to be decided by year’s end, are a clear indicator that drones continue to be controversial.
Drones in a national security TFR isn’t a small deal. Someone slogged through a ton of paperwork. Kudos. https://t.co/pwSQUUtHkF
— Brendan Schulman (@dronelaws) November 8, 2020
That’s why it’s such a big deal that a formation of drones was used on Saturday night, so close to two people about to become among the most powerful (and most closely-guarded) in the world. After a bit of sleuthing, we were able to confirm that the company responsible for the light show was Verge Aero, based in Pennsylvania.
‘This event is certainly a first on many fronts,’ Nils Thorjussen, Verge Aero’s CEO, tells DPReview. ‘While I’m unable discuss the event in detail, there were many unique challenges we’ve never faced before, as you can imagine.’
Drone light shows have been around for several years, but they don’t come cheap. It takes anywhere from fifty to tens of thousands of drones to form illuminated shapes in the sky, and when the cost of setup, plus travel and accommodation for a staff of trained professionals is factored in, they’re typically very expensive.
And it raises awareness. Drones are becoming less and less seen as this really bad thing in the sky but are now seen as a tool; a tool to improve entertainment, science and research, public safety, agriculture, inspection and STEAM education. #UAVsForGood https://t.co/TD61rtIffP
— Romeo Durscher (@romeoch) November 8, 2020
Mass light shows with hundreds of drones might be beyond the means of most of us, but, says Thorjussen, ‘we’re developing the tools to make drone light shows more accessible.’
He predicts that ‘soon enough, as with other technologies in the past, they’ll become more affordable and mainstream.’ Good news for an industry that all too often is on the wrong side of the headlines.
To learn more about all the components that go into a drone light show, head over to Verge Aero’s blog.
Google has announced that it is ending its unlimited free photo and video storage through Google Photos. On June 1, 2021, users will be capped at 15 GB of free ‘high quality’ photo storage per account. This change will take place alongside additional changes with Google Drive’s storage programs, including counting Google Workspace documents and spreadsheets against the same cap, per The Verge. Google will also begin deleting data from inactive accounts (accounts that haven’t logged in for at least two years).
While it’s unfortunate, if not understandable, that Google will be changing its storage policy, the company has given users plenty of time to determine if they are willing to pay for additional storage beyond the 15 GB cap or find photo storage solutions elsewhere. Further, any photos and documents you upload before June 1, 2021, will not count against the 15 GB cap. The cap will come into effect with files uploaded after this date. Additionally, it is worth noting that the existing storage is only unlimited for ‘high quality’ files, not ‘original quality’ files. Google has long been compressing photos and videos as part of its unlimited storage program.
Image credit: Google
As The Verge points out, the change takes away one of the best features of Google Photos. The website wrote an article in 2015 about the significance of Google Photos and how important the service’s storage solution proved to be.
Looking ahead to next June, how will Google Photos look relative to its primary competition with its 15 GB cap? As of now, Apple’s iCloud service offers only 5GB of free storage, so Google will maintain its advantage there. Google also claims that upwards of 80 percent of users won’t hit the new 15 GB cap for three years. For heavy users, a new alert system will help you stay aware of your free storage limit. Google offers a ‘personalized estimate’ to help users determine how long their storage will prove sufficient.
To help save space, Google Photos will incorporate tools allowing users to easily find and delete blurry and dark images. Image credit: Google
Google Photos will include new storage management tools, such as one that helps you locate photos you likely don’t want to keep long term. Google states, ‘This tool will help you review the memories you want to keep while also surfacing shots you might prefer to delete, like dark or blurry photos or large videos.’ Perhaps Google’s machine learning will come into play here as well, letting you find and delete more specific images.
If you own a Google Pixel smartphone and currently store images in ‘high quality’, today’s announcement doesn’t impact you. Google says that ‘Photos and videos uploaded in High quality from [Pixel 1-5 devices] will continue to be exempt from this change, even after June 1, 2021.’
For users needing more than 15 GB of storage, Google will be heavily pushing its Google One membership. Image credit: Google
If you want to continue to use Google Photos for your photo/video backup needs and need more than 15 GB, plans through Google One will start at $ 1.99 USD per month for 100 GB of storage plus additional benefits
Profoto has announced the release of the OCF Adapter, a new adapter that makes it possible to use all of Profoto’s OCF light shaping tools with any of its A-series flash units.
Image credit: Profoto
The OCF Adapter looks similar to many other speedlight to speedring adapters: it has a coldshoe mount for securely attaching a Profoto A-series flash and a mounting point for any of Profoto’s OCF light shaping tools, which the head of the flash fits into. Profoto has over a dozen OCF light shaping tools, including the OCF Magnum Reflector, a 24” OCF Beauty Dish, an array of OCF Grids and plenty of OCF Gel attachments.
The unit isn’t necessarily small (120mm (4.7”) wide, 280mm (11”) tall and 90mm (3.5) deep), but it’s certainly a more compact solution than carrying around a larger monolight when an A-series flash will get the job done with an OCF light shaping tool. Below is a hands-on with the OCF Adapter by Adorama:
Being Profoto, it shouldn’t come as a surprise the OCF Adapter isn’t cheap. The 750g (1.65lb) piece of plastic and metal will set you back $ 299 (Adorama, B&H). For a little context, Godox/Flashpoint’s Profoto A1 knock-off can be purchased, with accessories, for $ 229 (Godox at B&H, Flashpoint at Adorama).
The post Darktable: Is This Free Lightroom Alternative Right for You? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
When most people think about software for managing and editing their photographs, the most prominent program that comes to mind is Adobe Lightroom.
And while there are other options, such as Capture One and Apple Photos, there’s another program worth considering:
Darktable.
Darktable is an open-source alternative to the mainstream options, and while it might not have every single feature of its counterparts, it does have one enormous advantage: it’s free. That alone makes it worth checking out, but is it the right solution for you?
Read on to find out.
The Darktable interface will seem familiar to users of Lightroom and Capture One.
What is Darktable?
Darktable might be a new name for you, but it has been around since 2009 and has been steadily growing in popularity ever since. In an era where software costs are skyrocketing and more programs are moving to a subscription model, Darktable’s approach seems almost quaint.
Anyone can use Darktable for free – with no worries about contracts, upgrades, or missing features. This alone makes it a highly compelling editing solution, and certainly one worth considering for photographers without an unlimited budget.
There are some important tradeoffs with Darktable, especially if you are used to using Lightroom or another commercial program. Keep your expectations in check, and remember that the phrase “You get what you pay for” is popular for a reason.
That’s not to say you should ignore Darktable, but just be aware of what you are getting into.
Darktable is great, if you can live with some of its quirks.
Darktable overview
At its core, Darktable is similar to other programs you might already use. It’s a non-destructive image editor (it can handle RAW, JPEG, and many other formats) with a bevy of tools and options to edit your images.
Darktable has two central modes:
Lighttable and Darkroom.
These function much like the Library and Develop modules in Lightroom. Darktable lets you import, categorize, sort, rate, flag, and tag images just like most other programs. Even the name Darktable is a play on the word Lightroom.
That said, there is a bit of a learning curve to Darktable because the features it offers are so overwhelming. Some new users are put off by this at first, but it doesn’t take much time to pick up the basics and start editing.
One additional thing worth noting:
I have found Darktable to be noticeably slower than Lightroom. Edits are shown in real time, but there is just a bit of lag as you drag sliders and change values. It’s not a dealbreaker, but something to be aware of.
Many of the editing tools in Darktable are highly detailed and quite powerful.
In order to find out if Darktable is right for you, it’s helpful to understand precisely how its two main components, Lighttable and Darkroom, function.
Lighttable
In a broad sense, the Lighttable mode is similar to Lightroom’s Library module. You use Lighttable for importing images as well as tagging, rating, sorting, and general organizing.
The Import dialog lets you select files or a folder of images from your computer that is then loaded into the application. You can select multiple files and perform batch operations such as adding keywords, assigning color labels, and even applying GPX files for location data.
The sheer number of options is a bit overwhelming at first, but like any program, the more you use it the more it makes sense. Much of the Lighttable interface will be familiar to longtime Lightroom users, though the program does not strive for 1:1 feature parity. Instead, Darktable presents a logical series of actions and options designed to help photographers manage and import images.
Note also that the Export panel is in the Lighttable module, which is one way in which Darktable differentiates itself from Lightroom and other programs. In the screenshot below, you can see some of the many options available for exporting, which gives you a sense of the sheer depth offered by Darktable:
You can customize many different elements of the export process.
While things seem great up to this point, I do need to temper your expectations a bit. My biggest issue with Darktable is evident just from using the Lighttable module: overall responsiveness is not great. Scrolling through images, selecting pictures, editing metadata information, and other simple operations take far longer than other programs. Not that Lightroom and Capture One are speed demons – but comparing them to Darktable is like comparing a Ferrari to a Toyota Corolla. The latter will get the job done, but the former will do it way faster.
That’s not necessarily the only peg to hang your editing hat on, though. While speed is important, it’s not everything, and many quibbles with Darktable are mitigated by its price.
After all, despite my issues with Darktable’s user interface and lack of polish, it’s impossible to overlook the cost. I am still kind of amazed that all these features are in a free program that continues to be actively developed. For frugal photographers, it would be difficult not to recommend Darktable, and for everyone else, it just helps to have some patience.
Lighttable allows you to assign color labels, star ratings, flags, and more.
One note for more technical users: Darktable doesn’t operate with a catalog like Lightroom.
Instead, the program stores all metadata in sidecar XMP files that reside next to your images on your computer. That means any information, such as keywords, star ratings, color tags, and edits, can be transferred along with your images just by copying the XMP files.
Some people find this more freeing than the catalog system in Lightroom, and while I have never had any issues with a catalog system, I do see the benefits of this approach.
Darkroom
While the Lighttable module is used for sorting and organizing your images, Darkroom is designed for the type of in-depth editing you would expect from a program that caters to the most demanding photo editors.
In fact, in terms of sheer editing prowess, Darktable blows Lightroom clear out of the water.
The Darkroom interface is where you edit your photos, much like the Develop module in Lightroom.
On the left side of the Darkroom interface, you will find elements that operate similarly to Lightroom and other editors. Darkroom contains a history panel, a system for managing duplicate images, a snapshot browser, and more. Across the bottom is a series of thumbnails for selecting images. The right side shows a histogram and a series of modules for editing things such as white balance, tone curves, sharpness, lens imperfections, and more.
The final two words of the previous paragraph hide the true strength of Darkroom: the sheer quantity of editing options available is absolutely stunning. Whereas Lightroom has nine modules to choose from, Darktable has dozens. So many, in fact, that most of them aren’t even shown by default and are instead kept tucked away under a module called “More Modules.”
If the default set of modules isn’t enough for you, there are plenty more to choose from.
Beneath the histogram are icons that let you choose from a default set of modules most photographers find particularly useful: Basic, Tone, Color, Correction, and Effects. Click any of these to load modules that correspond to that type of edit.
For instance, click the Basic Group icon to access modules such as Base Curve, Tone Equalizer, Crop and Rotate, Exposure, and White Balance. You can also create your own custom set of editing modules and use the “Search Module” feature to locate a particular module just by typing its name.
Below the histogram is a row of icons that let you switch between sets of commonly-used editing modules. The search bar helps you find a particular editing module quickly.
Click any of the module titles to open its editing parameters, and you will see a familiar set of sliders and numerical values. The key difference with Darktable is the sheer quantity of sliders, values, and editing options at your disposal.
For instance, the Color Balance module contains sliders such as Input Saturation, Output Saturation, Contrast Fulcrum, and Contrast. In addition, there are three separate values (Factor, Hue, and Saturation) for Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights.
Darktable offers fine-grained control over many aspects of photo editing.
Compare this to the options in Lightroom, and you’ll quickly see that Darktable clearly pulls ahead in terms of editing efficacy. And Color Balance is just one of the editing modules available to you. Some of the modules are so technical that Darktable lets you adjust their parameters but actively discourages you from doing so:
Some editing options are so specialized that Darktable warns you against using them. However, these tools are a boon for editors who want the maximum amount of control over their images.
Another powerful feature in Darktable is its implementation of custom masks. Most of the editing options can be combined with masks that can be accessed in the Mask Manager on the left side.
This lets you use common shapes, such as a brush or a circle, to create masks. However, Darktable goes one step further by letting you draw custom masks. This is helpful for anyone whose editing has been stymied by the comparatively limited options available in Lightroom.
You can create masks of all shapes and sizes in Darktable, which are useful for applying edits in specific image locations.
Again, I need to temper expectations. Performing many of the editing maneuvers is an exercise in patience, even on a newer computer. Drawing a mask, moving a slider, or even cropping an image often involves precious seconds of wait time, which can really add up when going through hundreds of images.
There is also no mobile support, meaning photographers who rely on tablets or phones as essential components of their editing workflow will be left out in the cold.
Proceed with caution
At this point, you might be ready to cancel all your editing software subscriptions and jump on the Darktable bandwagon.
But before you take the leap, I need to offer a few words of caution. This article is not meant to be a review of Darktable, but rather a tool to help you decide if this program is right for you. And while there is no doubt that Darktable can handle any image editing tasks you throw at it, including more advanced options such as tethered shooting, slideshows, and printing, there are a host of drawbacks, as well.
As much as I want to like Darktable, I just can’t get around its overall sluggishness and lack of polish. Implementing edits is slow, and drawing custom masks can be a patience-draining exercise. Odd interface quirks abound, like truncated slider names and weird thumbnail resizing when switching in and out of the Lighttable mode.
Glitches like this show up far more than I’d prefer. Here, the Lighttable interface is unusable until all the thumbnails can be properly re-loaded by the program.
The sheer level of complexity can also be a significant detriment. It takes a great deal of experimentation, trial and error, and online searching to figure out all the tools at your disposal. While this is true of any image editing program, the relatively small Darktable user base means that there just aren’t as many resources available to aspiring users compared to Lightroom and others.
Is Darktable right for you?
The best person to answer that question is you, and since Darktable is free for anyone to download, I recommend you give it a shot and see what you think.
However, if you want a bit more guidance, the following information might help.
I recommend Darktable for:
Photographers on a budget who still want powerful editing software
Highly technical editors who enjoy really digging into the editing process and don’t mind some software quirks
Users who are unsatisfied with current offerings from Adobe, Capture One, and others, and want to try something different
I do not recommend Darktable for some people, including:
Photographers who value speed and efficiency in their workflow
Editors who want robust software that gets regular, substantive updates to fix bugs and add new features
Casual users who value simplicity and user-friendliness over sheer editing power
Mobile-centric photographers who prefer solutions that work on phones and tablets
For many photographers, Darktable is the best-kept secret in image editing.
Where you fall along this spectrum is up to you to decide. You can’t lose anything just by downloading Darktable and taking it for a test drive.
You might very well be surprised by what it can do for you!
You can download the latest version of Darktable here.
The post Darktable: Is This Free Lightroom Alternative Right for You? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
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