You’ll find the free apps at the end of the review. It’s inevitable that with such complex software, you will probably have to pay to get a full range of features. Our top paid-for choice is Capture One Pro. It offers sophisticated features and accepts Lightroom catalogs and presets. [Note: ExpertPhotography is supported by readers. Product links on ExpertPhotography are referral links. If you use one of these and buy something, we make a little bit of money. Need more info? See how it all works here].
What Is the Best Lightroom Alternative?
We’re going to look at the details of our recommendations for Lightroom alternatives. But before we do that, here’s a summary of all our suggestions. Now let’s look at why you should consider each of those recommendations, starting with our top pick. Capture One is a photo editing program by the camera company Phase One. If there is one program to use as a Lightroom alternative, then Capture One would be it. It is one of the best Lightroom alternatives out there. This is professional image-editing software. Capture One might be challenging to navigate at first, but it has lots of unique features. It is a fantastic Lightroom alternative for professional photographers. But it is also good for beginners who are willing to learn the user interface. Capture One presents your editing tools in a visually appealing manner. These tools are extensive and impressive. It offers a large set of features. These include tools like Magic Brush, Speed Edit, Dehaze, and Style Brushes. But most users won’t use all the options and might find it overkill. One massive benefit to Capture One is the ability to import Lightroom catalogs. It’s great if some of your selected catalogs need tweaking. And if you get sick of Lightroom, your time and energy are not wasted setting up the catalogs. You can also import presets in Capture One. And it’s compatible with most RAW images The software also comes in a free “Express” version for Fuji and Sony camera users. It’s a great, pared-down, free Lightroom alternative. Capture One Pro offers a free trial. And you can pay a monthly subscription or license the software. Photo Lab by DxO is another one of the best Lightroom alternatives on our list. This software is the third professional editing program behind Lightroom and Capture One. We like that the editing tools are all in one place. This feature saves time trying to find specific editing tools often found all over the place in other software. The interface is easy to navigate and very responsive. Its best tool is noise reduction, which is highly rated. This Lightroom alternative comes with the Nik Collection Plugins. It’s a fantastic bonus of 7 professional and unique presets for your images. It also comes with some special features like Lightroom. One of them is the Automatic Repair tool, which copies the Spot Removal tool. You can also do masking. And it has good sharpening tools and a wide range of presets. Skylum Luminar is one of the best Lightroom alternatives. And it is an affordable software option. This software comes with valuable artificial intelligence (AI) features. They are simplified options to get great results in one click. One of these features is the AI Portrait Enhancer. This tool helps retouch a portrait photo. It allows you to fix the skin and whiten the teeth of the subject in seconds. Another great feature is the AI Structure tool. This tool allows you to adjust the detail and clarity variably based on the subject. Artificial Intelligence helps avoid overprocessing people, modifying only the objects around them. ON1 Photo RAW is the perfect image processing software to keep your images organized. It processes RAW files and enables you to add effects to your pictures. ON1 Photo RAW might not have the most straightforward interface. But it offers professional tools for advanced users. If you have tons of pictures and struggle to manage them, this software is for you. ON1 Photo RAW helps you browse your library without needing to import your files. ON1 Photo RAW’s search feature allows you to locate a file by typing a keyword, date, or metadata. This Lightroom alternative also comes with great artificial intelligence (AI) features. One of them is Sky Swap AI, which allows you to replace the sky in a picture. Another one is NoNoise AI. It is a fantastic noise-reduction software integrated into ON1 Photo RAW. ON1 Photo RAW allows you to use Adobe Photoshop plugins without subscribing to them. ON1 Photo RAW is not one of the free Lightroom alternatives. But this image editing software provides excellent value for the price. For more in-depth information, see our full review of ON1 Photo RAW or our Lightroom vs. ON1 Photo Raw comparison! Exposure X7 is excellent image editing software. It’s perfect for those users looking for a replacement for Adobe Lightroom. This software features professional-grade photo adjustments, along with efficient design. Its intuitive interface allows you to use all the editing tools easily. You can improve your workflow and have better results. Exposure X7 comes with several film presets, overlays, and artistic focus effects. It is one of the best alternatives for creating artsy images. Importing and exporting images in this software is very easy. You can import files from your computer’s internal storage or external drives. You can also create collections within the software to quickly access your images. Another feature we like is the ability to edit images via a cloud-based service. It comes in handy if you are editing images together with a team or working from different devices. Exposure X7 does not need a subscription. Corel AfterShot Pro is a good alternative if you want photo editing software at a lower price. Its pricing model is a perpetual license. AfterShot Pro offers basic features such as color adjustments or blemish retouching. It also comes with some advanced features like Lens Corrections or Highlight Recovery. This Lightroom alternative comes with non-destructive editing. It also supports a wide range of RAW file formats. AfterShot allows you to adjust many images at once using batch processing. This feature comes in handy when you have several photos to process. Unlike Lightroom, AfterShot Pro supports layers. And it displays all editing tools within one workspace. The next one on our list of best Lightroom alternatives is ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate. This photo editing software is perfect for processing and managing images. It comes with several tools for finding, organizing, and sharing your pictures. It is perfect if you work with RAW files. The software can process all RAW formats from the leading camera manufacturers. It is one of the Lightroom alternatives that have all editing tools in one place. This makes image editing easier and speeds up your workflow. Some of this software’s unique features are its channel selection and filtering. And it comes with tools like Improved High-Dynamic Range and Focus Stacking. In addition, the software provides non-destructive editing. You can edit as much as you want and always be able to go back to the original photo. This software is only available for Windows. But there is a related app for OS X from the same creators called Photo Studio for Mac 9. Most features are similar, but it doesn’t come with a layered editor. Affinity Photo comes with a large set of editing tools. They are designed for creative and professional photographers. It allows simple adjustments and full-blown multi-layered compositions. Correcting and enhancing images is possible. You can use editing tools like Levels, Curves, or White Balance. After using these tools, the software allows you to switch back to the original image easily. Affinity Photo also provides an advanced lens correction system. And it comes as well with a great noise reduction tool. What makes this great software are its extras. HDR merging, panorama stitching, focus stacking, and batch processing are all possible. Affinity Photo is not one of the free Lightroom alternatives out there. But most of the significant updates come with no extra price. There is a free trial allowing you to test drive the software beforehand.
Free Lightroom Alternatives
There are some options if you want to manage and edit your photos without spending any money. Here are some suggestions. RawTherapee is a high-end editing tool that serves as an Adobe Lightroom alternative. It allows you to send your processed images to other programs for further editing. RawTherapee also has excellent compatibility. It works with all kinds of DSLR camera RAW files. It is non-destructive, meaning the users can retrieve the original file at the click of a button. It allows you to see your images immediately, not after clicking through each one by one. Fujifilm camera users like using this program, as their RAW files can be challenging to work with. If you work with Fujifilm files you will know the problem. If you zoom in, you will find worm-like artifacts that make the photo look extremely sharp. RawTherapee processes these files well and avoids this issue. Where this program falls short is that it will not sort your images into folders for you. You need to do it manually or find another way. This RAW photo editor is one of the best free Lightroom alternatives. Darktable is one of the other free Lightroom alternatives available for download. This software supports most RAW files. Also, it enables you to keep the original photo and revert to it easily. It has a range of exporting possibilities. And you can export images straight to Facebook and Flickr or send them directly in an email. It is a great addition to a chaotic workflow. Some of Darktable’s best features are its library management options, free tutorials, and RAW processing for over 400 cameras. Apple Photos is one of the most accessible free Lightroom alternatives out there. Luckily, it is free with every Apple computer. This editing software has been through many changes and updates over the years. Nowadays, it has become a non-destructive app with advanced editing tools. Apple Photos will make your life easier with its intuitive search options. It also has a remarkable ability to manage your images in catalogs. If you have many Apple devices, you can store them in the app’s cloud to access them anytime. This image editor allows you to import and edit RAW images from standalone cameras. It also processes Apple ProRAW images. Apple Photos uses artificial intelligence to highlight the best photos. It also enables you to preview your Live Photos, which is not possible with Lightroom. Unfortunately, it lacks many advanced editing tools. So this image editing software might not be the best for professional photographers. But it is one of the free Lightroom alternatives out there with essential, valuable tools.
Conclusion: The Lightroom Alternative
In conclusion, Capture One is an excellent Lightroom alternative for anyone looking for great photo editing and management software. It offers a wide range of features and tools, from basic photo editing to advanced color correction and layer management. It is also available for both Mac and Windows, making it a great choice for any photographer. With its intuitive user interface, powerful editing tools, and great customer support, Capture One is a great choice for anyone looking for a reliable and powerful Lightroom alternative.
