this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2023
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I currently have an Adobe CC subscription that I would really like to end, so am looking for some advice or recommendations. I have been searching around but am struggling to find alternatives due to some fairly strict requirements.

What I am looking for is a Lightroom style app for Linux and Android that would sync to the cloud, or ideally sync to my personal cloud storage. I'm happy to pay a one off lifetime payment but would prefer to donate to a FOSS project if possible.

I have started to play around with Darktable and do know that you can use remote storage but the syncing seems a little clunky.

Any suggestions at all will be very much appreciated.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I heard about darktable as lightroom alternative. I don't known if it syncs with the cloud.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

I did watch a video on how to sync Darktable to pictures on your NAS, but it required manually pulling down the images and then manually syncing them back up again, which kind of defeated the purpose of sync for me.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm surprised Lightroom takes care of syncing itself.

I use the nextcloud desktop client. It makes any directory a cloud directory which syncs automatically. Just point any software to it and as soon as a file is changed, it gets synced.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Yeah Lightroom has its own built in cloud storage solution that syncs your edits but not the originals. It does have some nice functionality, like being able to share custom albums online as a public or private gallery, but obviously just keeps you hooked on the Adobe ecosystem.

I went for pcloud over nextcloud a few years ago, as at the time, I just needed large off-site file storage and they have very good deals on multi-terabyte lifetime subscriptions. I am currently looking at setting up my own NAS though and will probably go with nextcloud for that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If you have a NAS, why not edit directly from it if you're on the same network it is?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I don't have a NAS yet but that is the next upgrade for the network. However part of the added complexity is that I'd also like to be able to do quick edits on mobile on the go as well.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Maybe you could set up syncthing for the sync part.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Thanks, will check that out

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Piracy is always an option, you know. I've been using Photoshop since 2002, and not once have I needed to pay a subscription fee. They already got my money once in 2002; not going to keep paying them for something I already bought.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

It's no good for Linux though

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

You bought a specific version of a product, not a permanent license for all future releases. Not that I'm against piracy, but your argument is flawed.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Edit: I need to learn how to read carefully...

Darktable is a good alternative for Lightroom, albeit slightly more complex.

Original post:

If open-source is not really a must I'd say Affinity Photo. One time purchase and provides 98% of what Photoshop does.

If you are looking for an open-source solution, GIMP is likely one of your best options.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Yeah Darktable is looking like the front runner at the moment, just need to nail down the syncing.

The part which is still a big question is if there is a good alternative to Lightroom for Android. The Android Lightroom app is really quite good and has almost all of the functionality that I need for quick on the go edits, but I am yet to find any equivalent apps that tick this box.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I use digikam, photos live on my NAS which is mounted locally at the OS level, and the db file is fully local but backed up to the NAS. Perhaps not exactly what you're after.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Just had a quick look and yeah looks interesting. Will give it a check out and compare it against Darktable. Thanks for the suggestion.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

You'd have to use Wine but DxO PhotoLab 6 is the best on desktop. The noise filtering is amazing. Point it to whatever folders and just use your preferred file system syncing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I hadn't really considered using Wine as my experiences in the past with it were mostly filled with frustration so was really looking for a native app, but is definitely something I could investigate. Thanks for the suggestion.