You’ve come to the right place in this forum to ask such a question! It’s a many-facetted one as well. You can probably find something of use here: Search results for 'lightroom' - discuss.pixls.us
As a toolbox RT is certainly capable of delivering the same quality as Lightroom, and in some respects surpassing Lightroom. The learning curve may be steep though, since we’re just a rag-tag bunch of part-time developers making something interesting, and not masters of UX 
I’m not sure that’s true. I use very few sliders in my typical workflow. The way profiles, including automatic ones, work also ensure that you can stack and mix presets which is quite efficient.
If it’s a portrait I now have a profile that places a local editing spot where the face usually ends up. This then has a few defaults configured. My architecture shots have the perspective correction set to Camera based and the crop disabled but pre set to 4:3 for getting rid of ground when photographing without a shift lens.
I find the ability to load presets with disabled settings very useful. One click then gets you almost all the way if you decide to enable the module.
This video “Raw Therapee Basics for Lightroom Users” by @Andy_Astbury1 is a good place to start. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPXej7vcaBA
I won’t argue that point of view.
But we may agree that you’ve had to learn RT and try different procesings until you’ve reached the point you’re already in.
Anyway, I’m quite confident that RT is way better than LR.
Well it’s true that I’ve basically never used the Adobe photo specific software (LR, Camera raw) despite doing raw development at work and having access to all Adobe software.
It also depends on what kind of PP you do. If you are after a saturated poppy look perhaps Adobe has it better automated but I wouldn’t know.
Thanks for the feedback. So far I am liking the prospect of using this software, but currently I have one apprehension; sidecar files. Nikon View FX started using them a few years ago, and all of a sudden I realised I had 1,000s more files to handle, to move, etc, when I needed to update, move or re-arrange my catalogue. Some got lost, some got deleted.
Any tips on managing these? Are they automatically updated if the file name is changed? Has anyone encountered issues with non-compatibility after updates? (I have read the manual about sidecar files). Can they all be placed in a single folder, or do they always need to be in the same folder as their parent image? I’ve noticed that some images carry two: pp3 and xmp.
Here’s a link to some of my work, in live performing arts:
I import my files from the sd card using RapidPhotoDownloader which renames the files and puts them into folders according to my templates. I don’t rename or move the raw files after this. Since the sidecar is associated with the raw filename I’ve had no issues.
When I need multiple versions say colour and bw of the same image. I make a subfolder BWpp3 and copy all the pp3’s into it before proceeding to do my colour edits. When I want to revert/tweak the bw versions again i make a colourpp3 subfolder copy the pp3 into it and then load the profile for the relevant image from the BW subfolder. It’s robust but not sophisticated way of managing multiple edits of the same file.
Output files (mainly jpegs) I move around and rename when needed. Since the exif data is still there and my files are organised in YEAR/MONTH-DAY/ folder I can always find the master raw file when I need to.
So I’ve not had any issues with sidecar files. If you rely on tagging and adding metadata in a third party software you need to be aware that Rawtherapee is not great at handling metadata.
This function (regarding the filmstrip), I have quoted below from the manual, has odd behaviour.
“It contains thumbnails of all images in the currently opened album, and is synchronized with the currently opened image so that you can use keyboard shortcuts or the previous and next image buttons to open the previous/next image without needing to go back to the File Browser tab.”
When I use the arrow keys on the keyboard, the image highlighted in the filmstrip moves to the next (or previous), but the image in the editor does not change accordingly. I can only move to the next (or previous) image in the filmstrip and the main editor viewing panel if I use the arrow buttons on the lower tool bar, which disengages the keyboard arrow keys, unless I click with the mouse on a filmstrip image. Is it possibe to configure the keyboard arrow keys so they conform to the sa me synced control of the tool bar arrow keys?
(Also, although it is very useful to have the hover-over instructions appear by the controls as I am familiarising myself with the interface; by using the onscreen arrow keys a large black instruction box is ever-present, which is a bit distracting).
F3 (for previous) and F4 (for next)
The F3 & F4 keys on my keyboard apply only their regular functions, of vol control and mic on/off. They are not engaged by RT.
Also, the trash function doesn’t remove the trashed image from the filmstrip or the main editing window.
(Is a trashed image sent to a dedicated RT trash bin or to the windows one on the desktop?)
It’s sent to a dedicated RT trash and the trash symbol changes when trashing
No idea, why F3/F4 does not work…
@87s I love your avatar! Looks like a deranged photographer, which is not at all dissimilar to how I feel sometimes 
Move with arrow keys, followed by <Enter> should work.
Alternatively you have F3/F4. Make sure your keyboard is not in some kind of ‘media-keys’ mode which replaces the functionality of those keys globally. Especially on laptops this is common (look for a Fn function on your keyboard).
Okay, got the dedicated trash bin, thanks Ingo. Is there no way to delete an image directly, with a single click or key whilst in the editor? Or is it necessary to select the image to trash, move from the editor to the file browser, open the trash bin and then select permanent delete, every time I want to delete an image when working in the editor?
Hahaha! Yes, I sometimes feel deranged to the point of no return, in a happy-mad way that is.
This works for me only once, then I have to re-engage the image in the filmstrip with a mouse click.
Curiously, the F3/4 keys work as described when used with the Fn held. So the keyboard must be (unlike previous keyboards I’ve used), continjually in ‘media mode’.
Thanks for your help.
What you can do is hide all the binned files so every file that gets moved to the bin ‘disappears’ from your file browser. When you want to delete them permanently you can just show all the binned files, mark them, right click and delete permanently.
Brilliant! That’s perfect for me, much faster. Thank you Ingo.
I appreciate everyones patience with me. I do search the manual for these solutions, but not always successfully.
On my laptop (Thinkpad) there is an ‘FnLock’ function on the Escape button. Maybe you have something like that activated?
