Really nice.
I like seeing a minimally processed image on my screen to start with, that way I can tell what data I have and I can make informer decisions about my edit. Its the first time I actually see what data I have plotted on a histogram, since cameras show the jpeg, which is sort of the data I captured but not really.
You should make a preset that gets your image where you want it to be.
When you say prints, do you actually mean when using the Print function in dt, or just on the screen…?
Because dt is definitely intended to open Raw files (including DNGs) with a minimum of adjustments so that you have maximum freedom to take where you want.
BUT
In lighttable, if you print (with a printer) an un-edited DNG, the preview in lighttable will be the embedded jpg thumbnail, but the file sent to the printer will be the unedited raw file.
If you’re printing a file you’ve already processed though it should match.
It’s more obvious with a color camera funnily enough, as the unedited raw file is usually quite unsaturated too.
Maybe this helps?
I don’t get it. By guessing about the result?
Nice!
Well, it’s great to open the RAW file “as is”, but surely I want to print the result “as edited”?
Yes, and to print that, you have to “export” your edited version to a new image file (use e.g. the “export” module in lighttable view). Then send the resulting image file to your printer. Darktable will not export edited images automatically (as it can’t know when you have finished an edit), nor write to the original file which you started editing.
Well, yes. I’m not familiar with dt’s print module as I’m on Windows where it doesn’t exist… but I assumed that dt would print it as edited, if you have edited it.
@rvietor does that mean that you have to export to be able to print? I had thought that the print module would take the darkroom output even if you don’t export.
Edit: Apart from any possible confusion with this bit, if the printed result is still darker, there could be a printer profile issue? Although I would thought that would affect dngs and jpgs the same anyway…
I like the image. On what looks like a cold grey skied day, you managed to keep some definition in the sky. Poss a touch of contrast would be nice, but to be honest I suspect it will print well just as it is.
Just a crop to centralise the subject and remove the woman and the bikes on the right which I think may be distracting. That maybe just me though 
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This is a strange design. I can develop the RAW file, I can also see what I changed in it - I have the image in front of my eyes. But to print it as I see it, I have to take a detour by exporting the file first. Because if I give the print command, darktable could not know that I want to print the image as I see it right now. Instead of darktable generating the image on the fly temporarily, I must do this manually? Sorry, this is not a smooth workflow in my eyes. That’s obscure.
Sorry, I forgot about the print module (not having a printer capable of printing photo quality).
Unfortunately, that module isn’t available under MS-Windows (as dt delegates the actual printing to the CUPS system, which isn’t available under windows).
I do know (from experience…) that an image on screen appears brighter than the printed version of the same image.
Several reasons for that:
- Your screen emits light, a print only reflects light. So the dynamic range of the screen is larger (~10 EV vs ~7 EV).
- And this is exaggerated when the screen is set too bright, which is often the case (esp. with a new screen that hasn’t been set up correctly yet).
But if you have a capable printer attached and you can use the print view within dt, dt does know the edits you applied when you go to the print module, as those are stored. As far as I know, you cannot print from the darkroom view…
You can use the “Print” tab, unless you’re on windows then you have to export because windows has its own print system, while macOS and the *nixs share an open source print system.
I know I can use the “print” tab. This brings me back to the start: why differ printed raw files from what I can see on the screen? I use DNG+JPEG as camera setup, so I have two identical pictures, jpeg prints OK, raw is way too dark and flat. I feel lost 
Have you edited the dng file at all?
