hello,
I would like to know if there is a portable version of darktable.
Unfortunately I’m using a PC without admin right and I’m unable to install it.
Kind Regards,
Luigi
afaik there is no portable version of dt. check out RawTherapee:
RawTherapee Portable (advanced RAW image processor) | PortableApps.com (this is not the newest version though)
Just putting it out there: I would prefer a portable version as well! The current uninstaller isn’t clean enough for my tastes; i.e., I have to reboot for files to completely disappear (they are permission-less otherwise).
hi, thank you for your suggestion.
I’ve a question.
I’m quite new with darktable and I’m absolutely new in rawtherapee.
I know quite well lightroom, but since my version is very old, I would like to move to an opensource platform.
My question is… coming from lightroom, which one from your point of view is better to approach? DarkTable or RawTherapee?
Thank you in advance
Luigi
Hi Luigi,
I’ve been in a similar place and I can share my experience.
First, although rawtherapee and darktable do the same thing (raw processing) they are doing it differently. There are some threads here about comparisons and differences between them and maybe they can help you choose.
In my case, I just tried both and decided to use them both. Depending on what I plan for a picture, the workflow from one or the other fits better.
So I can suggest you to try both of them for a few pictures and decide for yourself which fits better to your desired workflow.
And have fun during this time!
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RT is better for quick edits, dt is better for (exposure /color wise) more broken photos. RT is more like a laparoscope, dt is more invasive and complex surgery. also, RT is better at sharpening and noise reduction. at least according to my experience . I use dt if I am notsatisfied with the result that I get with RT. you might also consider using both. first exposure and color fixing with dt, then sharpening and noise reduction with RT
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well, in general, maybe dt is more similar to Lr
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maybe one more thing: if you need a photo manager, check out Digikam. Both RT and dt are not really comparable to Lr in terms of photo management.
This question comes up a lot. My answer is roughly the same every time.
Once you go FLOSS, you realize that the software world is much bigger than you have imagined. Choice is a good thing but it is easy to be overwhelmed by it at first. I would try everything and anything. Eventually, you will settle down on a pattern of use. You would then have your answer. 
Raw therapee is powerful, but its user interface stinks on ice compared to Darktable.
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Criticism is fine, but please make it constructive.
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You misspelled both…
No worries:
– RawTherapee
– darktable
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Interesting how different people are. To me the RT interface looks very clear n clean, and DT looks very messy with its jumping location where things are. Always hard to find for me what I am looking for.
But back to the initial question, I had the same one for the DT 2.7 DEV version, and I was pointed to Filebin - and best - it worked perfectly!
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both are excellent programs. darktable is more modern, RawTherapee is more mature.
Is there anything specifically barring darktable from having a portable version, or is it more the maintenance overhead than anything else? If the second, one thing that might be feasible is just providing a zip file of the built program (before packaging it as an exe file).
The only thing then would be that setting the location of the library would require using the command prompt. But it could be a step in that direction?
While both DT and RT suffer from UI issues, the UI of RT is really scattered, with a lot of duplicate functionality (or unclear functionality) abounding. It has a lot of great features, but it’s obvious that the UI sort of came together like Frankenstein, rather than as the result of any thoughtful design. DT suffers from this too, but not to the same extreme. Probably because DT borrows a lot from adobe’s offering in that regard.
And yeah, I know some of you are sensitive, but I stick with my opinion that RT is powerful, with a UI that is frankly pretty awful.
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This is off-topic; however, if you have any ideas on UI, please start a new topic so that we may discuss them. I agree that both apps can be confusing for new users, often resulting in the many threads that ask very basic questions.
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It isn’t about being sensitive. In fact a lot of the developers here have pretty thick skin. It is about not disparaging the work that someone has done in their free time and/or as a hobby, then has been kind enough to share the results of that with you. You have revieved something for free which is otherwise fairly expensive, so the right thing to do when offering a critique is to make it actionable. No actions for improvement can be taken from the phase “stinks on ice.”
What are your hobbies? Would you like some random internet strangers to tell you how bad you are at them? Is that a place you’d like to spend your time? Probably not. And we don’t want that either.
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Wow, thin skins here. Simply put, I don’t have an emotional attachment to any piece of software and am comfortable with pointing out the good and bad of anything (especially the stuff I’ve used a lot like DT and RT).
If that bothers, you, then perhaps the internet (where other opinions dwell) shouldn’t be your favored destination.
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