I love the power of node based video grading apps like Resolve, but working with still photos is really clunky. Are there any apps out there that offer a similar nodal grading environment for still photos? I would love to be able to build my own photo editing pipeline with custom node trees and parallel nodes that are able to work in different color/gamma spaces, load 1D and 3D luts, or use different color models, etc. Why do video colorists get all the fun toys like Resolve, Nuke, etc?
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Photoflow or Krita is your best choice. Both have highly flexible non-destructive editing. Photoflow is better, but Krita is only enough in terms of editing pictures for games.
Based on some previous discussion here, I think you could do something like this in Blender.
Otherwise, I think the closest thing in still processing are the command line programs like G’MIC, ImageMagick, and well gee, rawproc… all single-path pipes.
Curious, what would be a use case for parallel pipes?
There is a program called Laidout that has an interface to gegl’s nodal pipeline.
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Maybe have a try with natron. https://natrongithub.github.io/
I use it for exact the purposes you mention. It can handle nearly any type of data - that’s what I love most about it. - So different approaches for different types of raw-data are in the past for me. One workflow fits all. For me: All things that appear on screens: Natron. All things that will be printed: Natron + Gimp (or RT or dt or whatever fits best).
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@pippin created a node based GUI for GEGL:
https://www.patreon.com/pippin/posts?filters[tag]=GEGL
Then there is nip2 as frontend for libvips:
What is a node based photo editor?
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Oooh, of course! Why haven’t I thought of this until now?!
What features, if any, is missing from natron that dt and rt have?
DT is more or less node based … it just doesnt expose the node interface. but in recent versions you can change the pipeline order even.
@PhotoPhysicsGuy Well, not sure - first thing that comes to mind would be working on perspective e.g. in architecture shots to be much more comfortable in dt or RT. Every darktable or RT aficionado probably could turn your question around asking “what would it be that Natron does, RT or dt cannot handle as well?” 
For me it’s just about how comfy (speedy) it feels to do something specific.
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well - so where are the merge-nodes in dt then?
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So to understand this I should check out software such as Natron or Blender?
Is Lightroom node-based?
I do not really understand what a node is in this context. I have no idea what a directed acyclic graph is. I think I don’t even know any more what a graph is.
thanks, that was helpful, but I do not see much difference between node-based and layer-based
indeed darktable is very similar, especially from version 3.0 since moving the instances up and down is possible
Oh right, I keep forgetting that Natron doesn’t really have a 3D space to work in! That makes dealing with perspective a bit iffy. True.
Well, anything multilayered that you previously would have done in gimp, photoshop or the like. Local adjustments, inpainting, distortion(liquify). Selections by lightness, color and shape combined. ART does the latter a bit though. And of course compositing!
that became quickly obvious to me if you think of many required layers.
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I think every layer opacity adjustment is in principle a parallel pipe where one of two branches is just one-layer-before. PipeA and PipeB could be two different look-LUTs where you like both to be mixed for reasons…I am sure that there are many more use cases when taking alpha channels into account and what you can do with them.
that became quickly obvious to me if you think of many required layers.
Well you get a lot of granularity and control in everything and everything stays under control at any time … but you pay for that with thinking everything through at that level of detail first.
I enjoy that very much … coming from print design … then learning photo-editing (de-learning to be precise) … now learning node-based editing (re-learning the precision I loved about print design but on photographs).
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A node-based photo editor utilize connections to automate the process of editing. I’m not sure what’s the difference in usability in theory as well other than some advantages/disadvantages between the two forms. Everything @PhotoPhysicsGuy mentioned can literally be done via Krita, and in a completely non-destructive fashion, and they’re getting more texture generators as fill layer while still remaining non-destructive. Filtering by lightness can already be done via my luminosity mask tutorial for Krita.
From my standpoint, node-based editing is more useful for texture generation rather than generic editing.
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I am not saying that things cannot be done in a layer type workflow! I know that they can.
For me, a node based representation offers less confusion and more immediate understanding what goes on in a composite. Not more, not less.
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Do you guys actually use Natron as a photo editor?
I am sure someone does. It has features raw developers and editors don’t have such as OCIO and plugin support for compositing, rendering, video and special effects.