hatsnp
August 21, 2026, 5:33pm
1
opened 05:31PM - 21 Aug 26 UTC
If RAM is available and perhaps by user configuration, it would be nice to retai… n X images in RAM to be able to quickly scroll through them in the darkroom.
Most users now have at least 16GB of RAM, some even more. Serious photographers or hobbyists have strong machines, and it is a waste to leave RAM free. Utilizing RAM ahead of time, when large data is concerned, will almost always beat most algorithms or optimizations.
This would massively improve workflows when comparing images for sharpness or other qualities. Waiting one second for the newly selected image to render is too slow for any quick work.
Additionally, it would also be nice to be able to automatically pre-render the next image in the darkroom as well, so when switching it for the first time, it would load instantly.
So in summary:
- Be able to configure darktable to retain X previous darkroom images in RAM;
- Be able to configure darktable to pre-render selected+Y images in RAM.
Leaving this here as well since many developers are now active here.
As always I don’t expect any work by anybody, and this isn’t a criticism, just some general discussion and to see if some users with strong machines would also be interested in a feature like this
