Lightroom Alternatives?

[Hinfrance]

I have been on the Adobe subscription model for two years this Christmas.

Two things have made me want to look for alternatives: I think it is a bit pricey for a dabbler like myself, and after recent updates LR has stopped recognising any form of video files. Also, I don't use Photoshop itself that much either, although that remains the dog's for detailed editing as far as I can see.

For Photoshop Mac users can already get Serif Affinity which is supposed to be very good, not to mention cheap: the windows version is in the pipeline and I can live without Photoshop for a while if I have to, waiting for that to launch.

Lightroom seems to be a tougher nut to crack. I have installed a trial of ACDSee 10 Ultimate which as far as I can tell is every bit as good a DAM as Lightroom is, but some of the editing tools are a bit  . . unfamiliar shall we say. There is a database import tool to get the Lightroom catalogue swapped over. It works for cataloguing up until the later versions of LR, where it hasn't managed to capture the keywords attached to more recent files.

PhotoDirector 7 was really cheap (8 has just been released) and I have to admit that I really like the editing workflow and effectiveness of the tools. Unfortunately the keywording system really awkward and slow and you cannot rename files, only folders - very odd.

So the question is, does anyone else use something other than LR as a DAM and basic editor?

[Beaux Reflets]

I tend just to use the free version of Silkypix Raw Converter developer 4 (that came with my Fuji gear) Howard, and Serif PhotoPlus with plug ins - Simply as I cannot justify overly expensive software when needs are generally covered with what's to hand.

And interestingly, the Silkypix software still works well, even when I have only saved the images in camera as .jpeg files to provide the larger .tiff files when required.

http://www.silkypix.eu/   

[Mick]

Never owned or tried Lightroom to honest. Always stuck with Digital Photo Professional which is Canon's own software, it's great actually. And I still use Adobe Elements 6 and PhotoPlus X5

What about RawTherapee? http://rawtherapee.com/  Not sure what it's like nowadays, haven't kept up with it. 

[Alfonso_Frisk]

I bought DXO Optics 10 (now 11) 6 months ago and I am quite impressed with it, especially as a RAW converter and its many user presets.
Still use LR4.4 as my main software and can use both progs in tandem as add ons to each other.
Have Elements 8 but rarely use that.

[WillyP]

I use XnView Software · Software for reading, organizing and processing images for 90% of post, and GIMP - GNU Image Manipulation Program for any more complex edits. Both are free, open source.

Edit: XnView is freeware for personal use, Gimp is free open source.

[anglefire]

When LR first came out I hated it. And used DPP from Canon like Mick still does - but over time, found DPP too limiting and I think it was LR  5 came free with something or other I bought and tried it - and liked it.

Not found anything else that I like, though I've not tried hard. But I bought it outright and now is annoyingly behind the subscription version which I'm trying to avoid joining, but think I'm going to have to sooner or later as the newer versions have features I'd like.