Beginner Linux users

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ChalfontStGiles

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Edit My Images
Yes
I expect there are a few here. What PP software do you use? I'm getting to grips with UfRaw but wondered if there is any advantage to trying something else, eg Rawtherapee?
 
To be honest... as much as you like Linux... just have a windows partition on your machine, and use LR/PS for your work. While Linux may be cool and all that, it sucks for photography.
 
I use Digikam for the whole process. Import from the card to folders. Sort and review and tag with thumbnails and a whole load of other ways. Like face recognition and timeline. Then raw processing with the built in or external raw processors, like Raw Therapee that plugs right in. Edit with the internal editor or again anything that you plug into Digikam. Such as the Gimp for layer based editing. Or Hugin and Luminance for Panorama stitching and HDR. With Gimp be sure to install G'MIC and the full set of plug ins from the software store that came with your distro. And then, still in Digikam, upload to the web. E. G. Flikr.

They are all free. So you can try them all out. And see what you prefer. I tried out about 5 raw programs and got on best with Raw Therapee. But you may prefer one of the others.
Digikam is a very comprehensive photo manager, and takes a while until you have discovered all the features. If you want something lighter to manage your photos, try Shotwell, that does a good job.

And YouTube is full of tutorials. Especially for Gimp. Where you can do anything you need to do.
 
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Using linux is a fantastic tool for impressing other nerds..... other than that its a bit of a fail.....i can say in all honesty this was true about 20 yrs ago and has stood the test of time.....


lnux.. its not hard. its not clever and it doesnt impress anyone :)
 
ianp5a said:
I use Digikam for the whole process. Import from the card to folders. Sort and review and tag with thumbnails and a whole load of other ways. Like face recognition and timeline. Then raw processing with the built in or external raw processors, like Raw Therapee that plugs right in. Edit with the internal editor or again anything that you plug into Digikam. Such as the Gimp for layer based editing. Or Hugin and Luminance for Panorama stitching and HDR. With Gimp be sure to install G'MIC and the full set of plug ins from the software store that came with your distro. And then, still in Digikam, upload to the web. E. G. Flikr.

They are all free. So you can try them all out. And see what you prefer. I tried out about 5 raw programs and got on best with Raw Therapee. But you may prefer one of the others.
Digikam is a very comprehensive photo manager, and takes a while until you have discovered all the features. If you want something lighter to manage your photos, try Shotwell, that does a good job.

And YouTube is full of tutorials. Especially for Gimp. Where you can do anything you need to do.
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Thanks for your reply. I'm pretty au fait with Gimp as it's a tool I use on an almost daily basis. Raw processing is a fairly new thing for me though so it's goo to get some recommendations.

I looked at Digikam some years ago when I toyed with a KDE distro. Will have to give it another go (assuming it plays nicely with Cinnamon). I currently use GThumb (for initial sorting and binning, batch resizing etc) and Shotwell which are OK but I could do with something better, if it exists. Shotwell does have a built-in Raw processor but it's fairly basic.
 
Take a look at Darktable too.
KIPAX said:
Using linux is a fantastic tool for impressing other nerds..... other than that its a bit of a fail.....i can say in all honesty this was true about 20 yrs ago and has stood the test of time.....
lnux.. its not hard. its not clever and it doesnt impress anyone :)
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Ooh! It sounds like you are thinking about something very different to what I've got. And I don't try to impress people with it. It looks just like any other desktop. But if impressing people is important to you, then carry on. Or was your comment some in-joke that I didn't get. Not being a nerd or not having used Linux 20 years ago.
 
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Darktable is very capable but has a few oddities in its design. I found the community and developers quite aggressive in their promotion of it as well. But it is well worth trying as it is very good if you get on with it and is probably the closest to an all in one photo app on linux.

Digikam is not as powerful as an editor but the community is very friendly and helpful.

Lightzone is the most intuitive editor I have ever used and is available for windows as well. It was high end when it was a commercial product but is showing its age and since it became open source the pace of development is disappointingly glacial.
 
There is a windows version of Darktable, not sure how long it will be maintained though. There's a download link and discussion HERE. I know some on here don't like clicking links, but no worries with this one :)
 
I used DigiKam for a long time, and found it very good at the time. I ended up moving to Lightroom because DK didn't support the raw format from a new camera and lacked a couple of tools (mostly the cloning/dust removal tool).

Linux was never about impressing people (how often do you use "Hello, I'm a linux user" as a chat up line?) but about a mixture of freedom, security and fun.
 
ancient_mariner said:
I used DigiKam for a long time, and found it very good at the time. I ended up moving to Lightroom because DK didn't support the raw format from a new camera and lacked a couple of tools (mostly the cloning/dust removal tool).
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In Digikam I go "Open in Gimp" to do any brush-like editing. And for Raw it's "Open in Raw Therapee". Digikams strength is its powerful photo management.
 
Pookeyhead said:
To be honest... as much as you like Linux... just have a windows partition on your machine, and use LR/PS for your work. While Linux may be cool and all that, it sucks for photography.
Click to expand...

Not really true. Darktable + Lightzone/GIMP and G'MIC

Plus the backup is so much easier with a proper journaled filesystem and native support for rsync.
 
Yes. I think some people are talking about some totally different Linux.

Regarding backups though, I can't see normal photographers using rsync. And I haven't got a clue what a 'proper journaled' file system is. Should I?
 
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st599 said:
Not really true. Darktable + Lightzone/GIMP and G'MIC

Plus the backup is so much easier with a proper journaled filesystem and native support for rsync.
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Yeah, well I can use the same software the photographic industry actually uses. Back up easier? I run fully automated incremental back up using Acronis... set up in 1 minute flat, and has been running continuously without a hitch for years, and that's backing up, and mirroring to a second RAID server as well. I'm not sure how difficult you think back up is on a Windows machine, but I can't imagine how it could possibly be easier than it is here.

Still... if you like Linix.. fine. I'm happy for you.
 
one of the main benefits of linux is that it and all its software is free , another is that it runs much better on old systems... I have a desktop which was really sluggish running W7 which is like lightning with linux mint installed... I don't use it for photo editing although i could if i wanted to.

I also have a laptop which used to run windows vista which runs much better with linux and that does get used for back up and editing on the move , mostly with Gimp which does everything i used to do in photoshop

tbh the whole 'the same software the industry uses' is a falacious argument as the output is a jpeg or a tiff and is interchangeable with any other system regardless of whether you are running under linux, mac or windows (or another OS like Chrome)
 
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ianp5a said:
In Digikam I go "Open in Gimp" to do any brush-like editing. And for Raw it's "Open in Raw Therapee". Digikams strength is its powerful photo management.
Click to expand...

I only really got to grips with GIMP once I knew what to expect from using other software, and although I occasionally use it there is very little that I need that I can't do more conveniently with something else.
 
not sure how good "wine" would be to run Windows soft something like lightroom or photoshop but worth a try. Personally can't find anything better than photoshop :) not lightroom fun, but didn't give a proper try yet as was photoshop user since my uni times... since photoshop 5.5 (it's not CS lol)
 
I really don't know what the fuss is all about. I don't want HDR or anything dramatic. I use UFRaw and Gimp. I have no issue with that. They do everything that I need and more. I have no need for PS/LR.
 
Yes. As a hobby photographer without endless resources, and not in a hurry, paying a pound per use for Photoshop is not going to happen. Especially as I can already achieve all the results I want.

KIPAX said:
Ironic isn't it :)
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I still don't get what you mean. And your previous post came across as odd and confused. Would you care to enlighten us?
 
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big soft moose said:
tbh the whole 'the same software the industry uses' is a falacious argument as the output is a jpeg or a tiff and is interchangeable with any other system regardless of whether you are running under linux, mac or windows (or another OS like Chrome)
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It depends on your intentions. If you're just a hobbyist, then I suppose no one gives a damn. If your intentions are to work in the industry, then you need the skills with the tools the industry uses.
 
The reference to jpeg means that files can be edited in a free choice of software. Some industries have problems with dominant software that produces files in a format that can only be read by that one program. Making it hard for rival and perhaps more innovative programs. So people tend not to invest in combatting entrenched monopolies to the detriment of that industry. CAD and Office software are examples of that.

Luckily for photographers this is not the case. You do not have to use Adobe products. And, for the most part there are still good rival products available.

Adobe possibly has the lead in terms of productivity features. However many non professionals will still buy it because, they are told "it's what all the pros use". You can read on this forum people's reasoning "because it's the industry standard". People used to use Illustrator for the same reason. Even though the rivals were much better. Adobe then bought out several companies with their better technologies to ensure their market dominance

This is not a good situation for any digital photographer. Including users of Adobe products, regarding both the functionality and the pricing strategy, as we have seen. Adobe can almost do what they want. They just need to drip feed in new features. And not even bother with a Linux version.

If someone doesn't need or want an Adobe program, it is to "nobody's" benefit to try to persuade them to do so.
 
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XA2inmypocket said:
I really don't know what the fuss is all about. I don't want HDR or anything dramatic. I use UFRaw and Gimp. I have no issue with that. They do everything that I need and more. I have no need for PS/LR.
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Each to their own I guess :)
 
Pookeyhead said:
To be honest... as much as you like Linux... just have a windows partition on your machine, and use LR/PS for your work. While Linux may be cool and all that, it sucks for photography.
Click to expand...

This is true. I was Linux only for a few years. I have just re-installed Windows on one PC. I put it back on for a non-photographic reason, but re-installed Photoshop at the same time. It beats anything I have found which runs on Linux.

I did find Xsane scanner software for Linux which runs my Epson scanner better than the Epson Windows driver does, but I think there is a Windows version of that too.


Steve.
 
Pookeyhead said:
It depends on your intentions. If you're just a hobbyist, then I suppose no one gives a damn. If your intentions are to work in the industry, then you need the skills with the tools the industry uses.
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only if you intend to work for someone in the industry - if you are a freelance photographer no one cares what you use to process your work so long as the pictures are good because the output is interchangeable.

Also as a photoshop/lightroom user it took me less than a couple of hours to learn to use gimp , so there's no reason why a gimp user could not equally quickly learn to use photoshop

likewise indesign and scribus
 
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Darktable for me and gimp.

Really want to switch fully to linux but haven't yet.
 
Pookeyhead said:
It depends on your intentions. If you're just a hobbyist, then I suppose no one gives a damn.
Click to expand...

Most of us here are "just hobbyists". I prefer the term amateur (for the love of) enthusiasts, but there you go. The point is that flocks of amateur photographers are driven by market-hype to believe that they cannot enjoy photography, or make anything of value. unless they robotically shed out their hard earned money on highly restricted Adobe bloatware. I mean how else can they create, if they do not have the latest post post process software complete with HDR, software filters galore, and all singing, dancing brushes? We all know that to be a good photographer, you need professional software, and to sit at a computer desk.

UFRaw and Gimp suffice for my purposes as just a hobbyist, and I suspect that thousands of people pay out for licences that they do not need. Then again, I do suppose that without them, it might be a bit more difficult for real photographers to make eye-bleeding HDR, sticky, shiny, vac-packed plasticised skin, big boobies, and glossy blue skies over dull landscapes.

It does depend on what sort of photography that you enjoy making. There are some amateurs that will feel the need for an Adobe licence. Not all of us though. Personally, I restrict editing on my hybrid film scans to a bit of cropping, straightening, dust removal, and level correction. If I want to do more, I can use Unsharp Mask, heal/clone, curves to raise contrast, or to lighten/darken areas, and much more, using free Open Source software. The sad thing is, that so could many people that are duped into paying out for restricted licences.
 
big soft moose said:
only if you intend to work for someone in the industry -
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For many, freelance included, assisting is still a valid and worthwhile way into the industry. Knowing the tools of the trade is really hard to argue against.
 
XA2inmypocket said:
Then again, I do suppose that without them, it might be a bit more difficult for real photographers to make eye-bleeding HDR, sticky, shiny, vac-packed plasticised skin, big boobies, and glossy blue skies over dull landscapes..
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Can't really blame Adobe for that. That's what amateurs do. always have. Remember tacky coloured gradated filters, and starburst filters in the 80s? Amateurs have always done a good line in over the top eyecandy.
 
I'm a Linux user (Ubuntu MATE) and I tired doing my editing workflow using only FOSS but I got way too frustrated and ended up back in the Adobe CC suite.
While there are loads of great bits of software they are hard to work together in any kind of workflow (my personal experience)

RAW editors:
Darktable (the best imo)
Rawtherapee
Lightworks

What you will find is that getting decent tutorial can be very hard, all well and good having a wiki but sometimes a well written article or video is better.
There also the matter of monitor calibration, no easy task under Linux.

On a side note, the latest version of Gimp now integrates with Darktable, like Photoshop does with Lightroom.
 
I think at least with linux it isn't stealing.

I think half the people with PS and lightroom haven't paid for it.

Half the people with windows it was either on their machines or again haven't paid for it.

I have used non licensed software in the past but don't put linux users down.
 
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