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> ...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

> ...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 4mo ago
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.
- lofaszvanitt 4mo ago
  Lightroom is terrible, was terrible. Use Capture One.
- qmr 4mo ago
  Absurd to let them affect you so. There are powerful alternatives many of them open source.
  - lofaszvanitt 4mo ago
    All of the open source alternatives are a mountain of shit. Hard to use, shit ui/ux experience. End of story.
    - switchbak 4mo ago
      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.
  - switchbak 4mo ago
    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 4mo ago
      Lightroom mobile (only) is pretty cheap (still a subscription obviously) and does RAW. Depending on your workflow and device its not bad.
    - larusso 4mo ago
      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 4mo ago
        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 4mo ago
        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.
- Arainach 4mo ago
  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.
  - vr46 4mo ago
    Capture One is a shitshow, however, and their new owner is actively trying to offload them, so a risk.
  - switchbak 4mo ago
    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 4mo ago
      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 4mo ago
        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 4mo ago
gmanley 4mo ago
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 4mo ago
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.
agup792 4mo ago
I have become a huge fan of Davinci Resolve. Its free version carried me for a long time!
theSuda 4mo ago
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.

switchbak 4mo ago

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.

lofaszvanitt 4mo ago
Lightroom is terrible, was terrible. Use Capture One.
qmr 4mo ago
Absurd to let them affect you so. There are powerful alternatives many of them open source.
- lofaszvanitt 4mo ago
  All of the open source alternatives are a mountain of shit. Hard to use, shit ui/ux experience. End of story.
  - switchbak 4mo ago
    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.
- switchbak 4mo ago
  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 4mo ago
    Lightroom mobile (only) is pretty cheap (still a subscription obviously) and does RAW. Depending on your workflow and device its not bad.
  - larusso 4mo ago
    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 4mo ago
      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 4mo ago
        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.
Arainach 4mo ago
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.
- vr46 4mo ago
  Capture One is a shitshow, however, and their new owner is actively trying to offload them, so a risk.
- switchbak 4mo ago
  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 4mo ago
    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 4mo ago
      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 4mo ago

gmanley 4mo ago

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 4mo ago

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.

agup792 4mo ago

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

theSuda 4mo ago

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.