[BuildTheRobots]

> ...before you'd want to change your subscription...

For anyone not in the know, Resolve has an exceptionally capable and feature rich free version. A lot of the AI features (and >4k editing) are locked to the Studio licence which is a one-time payment, but works simultaneously on two computers (including different OS's) and allows upgrades across major versions.

I spent less than $300 on it a decade ago and my licence works fine on new v21 released this week. My least-regretted software purchase in 3 decades.

[switchbak]

I was a lightroom user for almost 20 years, and their licensing ridiculousness was enough for me to: - change up my workflow, avoiding raw so I can use simpler editing processes - do way less editing - take way fewer photos

It sucks, but I just can't justify their insane pricing scheme. I've been looking for Linux-capable tools for a while, and Darktable / Rawtherapee are a long way from what I'm after. What you describe sounds like a dream.

[Arainach]

This seems like an overreaction that punishes you more than Adobe. There are a number of other tools - until fairly recently Capture One offered perpetual licensing, for instance. Giving up RAW to spite Adobe is like being angry at Microsoft Office subscription pricing and saying you'll abandon word processors and just use a typewriter instead.

[switchbak]

I don't have spite for Adobe, that seems like a projection on your part. But I can't justify the purchase, and have adapted the way I take photos as part of that.

It's more like finding the subscription for a CAD program too expensive, and swapping to something more primitive instead. If that offends you, I think you gotta have a long hard look in a mirror some time.

[Arainach]

The point is that there are many options, at many different price points including free, that don't involve giving up 95% of the data your camera sensor provides and don't lock you into getting the exposure perfectly right the first time or else.

FastRawViewer, DxO, Affinity, Darktable, Capture One. Those are just the ones I personally have installed. There's also RawTherapee, a number of camera OEM-specific tools, and more.

[fooblaster]

I looked to see if any of these tools support the hdr gain map export that Lightroom supports, and of course, absolutely none of them do. I can't use these.

[Arainach]

The person I'm replying to didn't like Adobe and so went back to shooting JPEG. You can't do HDR Gain Mapping from a JPEG either.

[edb_123]

Back when Adobe upended their perpetual licensing, Capture One was touted as _the_ alternative and I gave it a try since my new Sony camera's RAW format wasn't supported by the last perpetual-license Lightroom version anyway. And man, coming from Lightroom, Capture One was one of the most horrendous usability experiences I have ever had in a creative tool. Even after keeping on trying for a long time, I could absolutely not find a workflow that worked for me and that wasn't filled with obstacles, pains, slowness, inexplicable UI design choices and illogical workflows that totally broke the creative process. It made me miss and appreciate Lightroom so much. But as a photo hobbyist I couldn't justify Adobe's then-new licensing model anyway and the hobby just dwindled away. I ended up finding other paths to express my creative side instead.

If Capture One still is like this, I wouldn't really be surprised if there's truth to the other comment here claiming that their current owners are trying to offload them.

[lofaszvanitt]

Well, C1 is still the best. But you need two monitors for a smooth experience. Image on one, tools on another. And it's a breeze. Lightroom is like trying to swim in a pool of mud with tin ankle bracers :D.

[vr46]

Capture One is a shitshow, however, and their new owner is actively trying to offload them, so a risk.

[bigbuppo]

Capture One still offers a perpetual license for US$349... it's the option down at the bottom, of course. And they still do discounted upgrade pricing on that, too.

[bzzzt]

They didn't do that last time I looked. You can only trade in your perpetual license for a discounted 'upgrade' to the subscription version.

[bigbuppo]

Like all software companies that go down the subscription hole, they do their best to hide it. You literally have to login and click on a bunch of things to get to that point.

And I'm sure this will all change when the new vulture capital fund that snaps it up tries to extract every last microcent of "value" from the brand.

I should also note I jumped ship to DxO as soon as C1 started going down the subscription hole. And frankly, I'm kind of glad they're struggling. I guess they thought they were going to replicate Adobe's "success" with subscriptions without first being a near-monopoly.

[lofaszvanitt]

Lightroom is terrible, was terrible. Use Capture One.

[qmr]

Absurd to let them affect you so. There are powerful alternatives many of them open source.

[switchbak]

Absurd? What's with you folks and your strongly charged language?

Please recommend these "powerful alternatives", because I have explored the space and found nothing that replaces Lightroom in a way that I find acceptable. Please omit Darktable and Rawtherapee as I've already evaluated those.

[Melatonic]

Lightroom mobile (only) is pretty cheap (still a subscription obviously) and does RAW. Depending on your workflow and device its not bad.

[larusso]

I think non native speakers may not have a good feeling how charged a word or phrase is.

In their defense you only spoke about dropping your raw workflow for something simpler not that you looked for a special HDR RAW support.

I know it’s Apple and may not what you look for but does Photomator tick these boxes?

[switchbak]

Yeah that's a good point that I often forget about, thanks.

I wasn't looking for RAW hdr, just plain jane RAW support that handles moderately new cameras. I stayed on with the old Lightroom as long as I could, but a) it didn't handle my new Sony RAW files, and b) new Mac versions made it impossible to run.

I've moved away from Apple, as that was the last thing tying me to it. Photomator might be nice actually, maybe a good reason to dust off the iPad - cheers.

...

Edit: mobile editing has come a long way since I last checked. Photomator seems really great - between this and a desktop-first approach (Darktable / Davinci) I think this solves all my needs. Big thanks for the recommendation.

[larusso]

Great that it works for you. I gave my daughter my old Canon 70D and she needed a way to process pictures. She only has an iPad and I didn’t push her to adobe ^^. She produces great results with Photomator.

I need to do the jump myself to something better. The last update of Lightroom classic runs so damn slow on my Mac mini (M4). Was super annoyed yesterday while working on some pictures.

[lofaszvanitt]

All of the open source alternatives are a mountain of shit. Hard to use, shit ui/ux experience. End of story.

[switchbak]

This is what I've found, sadly. But there's always folks like Arainach in the sibling thread that'll chew you up if you dare complain about the usability of anything OSS.

This is the new version of "GIMP is better than Photoshop", it seems.

[gmanley]

It's a bit convoluted to get to but you can also "rent" a license for $30 a month through Blackmagic Cloud. As with many, I'm not a fan of subscription licenses but it was valuable for me to use for a month to evaluate if the Studio features warranted the investment in the permanent license. Specifically some of the Fusion effects are Studio only.

[jwrallie]

That’s quite reasonable. Props for them for doing it.

Without updates included, buying a lifetime license nowadays feels more like a subscription which expires as soon as your OS upgrades instead. It also creates a lot of friction with different file formats when you try to collaborate. companies know how to exploit this to force you into subscriptions.

[theSuda]

I regret spending money on multiple pro versions of Hitfilm in hindsight. I found Resolve very daunting as a beginner and Hitfilm's layered editing felt easier at the time. But looking back I should have just spent it on Resolve pro license. I stopped using Hitfilm way before my last license expired just because Resolve just felt better once I got a hang of it.

[agup792]

I have become a huge fan of Davinci Resolve. Its free version carried me for a long time!