Good free photo editing programs

[existenceproduct]

Hi,

I am looking for the best free image editing programs out there (I want them to be completely free, not a trial or demo).

I want to be able to edited RAW (.NEF) images taken by my Nikon D3400. I've heard that DaVinci Resolve is very good,

but I can't seem to find a way to edit RAW files, or am I doing something wrong?

Suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[existenceproduct]

Hi,

I am looking for the best free image editing programs out there (I want them to be completely free, not a trial or demo).

I want to be able to edited RAW (.NEF) images taken by my Nikon D3400. I've heard that DaVinci Resolve is very good,

but I can't seem to find a way to edit RAW files, or am I doing something wrong?

Suggestions would be appreciated on Teknologi Fokus Wajah.

thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Godfrey]

If you are using Apple computers or mobile devices, Photos (supplied at no additional charge with macOS, iOS, and iPadOS) is compatible with Nikon D3400 raw files. Photos has a decent editing facility built-in. By extension, RAW Power (an editing add-on to Photos that is very reasonably priced and permits a good bit more editing capability) will also be compatible with Nikon D3400 files.

G

 

[Darin Marcus]

For editing NEF files you can use Nikon's own free software - NX Studio: https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/software/nx_studio/

 

[Wall-H]

As @Darin Marcus suggested NX studio is best bet but if you want to have another option, this is what i used: https://www.darktable.org/ before giving up and giving money to Adobe and later to capture one.
Darktable was free when i tried it.
Be careful what you are asking though. People usually see only $ as cost. Don't forget cost of time lost.
What you could do in photoshop and Lightroom in few clicks, might take really long time in free tools (if that is possible at that level).

 

[Godfrey]

As @Darin Marcus suggested NX studio is best bet but if you want to have another option, this is what i used: https://www.darktable.org/ before giving up and giving money to Adobe and later to capture one.
Darktable was free when i tried it.
Be careful what you are asking though. People usually see only $ as cost. Don't forget cost of time lost.
What you could do in photoshop and Lightroom in few clicks, might take really long time in free tools (if that is possible at that level).

Photos is darn near as good at rendering as Lightroom, and is a little more capable if you add RAW Power to it. It's the least expensive high-quality photo editing solution I've found.

G

 

[manchang]

Both Rawtherapee and Darktable are good photo editing software for RAW image Processing
I've been using Rawtherapee for years because I found the darktable interface to be a little unintuitive.
Darktable definitely gets the job done. The initial learning curve is high though. Rawtherapee is vastly more user friendly.

 

[spb]

Hi,

I am looking for the best free image editing programs out there (I want them to be completely free, not a trial or demo).

I want to be able to edited RAW (.NEF) images taken by my Nikon D3400. I've heard that DaVinci Resolve is very good,

but I can't seem to find a way to edit RAW files, or am I doing something wrong?

Suggestions would be appreciated.

Davinci is for video and not for Raw Image editing.

 

[Thyl]

Again for Apple users, you might also want to have a look at Hasselblad's Phocus, which handles all raw formats that MacOS also supports.

 

[tenmangu81]

Again for Apple users, you might also want to have a look at Hasselblad's Phocus, which handles all raw formats that MacOS also supports.

I tried once with digital Leica cameras (M9 and M240) before I got my Hassy, and, as far as I remember, Phocus tools are limited when processing RAW files from other brands. But I haven't tried since then.

 

[Arjuna]

Agreed, re: Phocus. I believe that it uses Apple system routines to open non-Hasselblad raw files, so some 'raw' tools, e.g. Recovery, Shadow Fill, Clarity, Lens Corrections, colour profiles, are greyed out, i.e. not available. Other tools: EV, Contrast, Brightness, White Balance, Sharpness, Curves, etc., are all available, so, as a free photo editing program that works on most raw (and jpeg, tiff, etc.) files, it works, with some limitations.

 

[existenceproduct]

Both Rawtherapee and Darktable are good Lightroom mod APK photo editing software for RAW image Processing
I've been using Rawtherapee for years because I found the darktable interface to be a little unintuitive.
Darktable definitely gets the job done. The initial learning curve is high though. Rawtherapee is vastly more user friendly.

thank you so much for your suggestion

 

[getscreen]

I am a videographer who occasionally delves into photography. While I mainly produce travel and event videos, I do work with photos, especially RAW images from my DSLR. DaVinci Resolve is indeed great for video, but for photo editing, it might not be the best for handling RAW files like .NEF from your Nikon D3400.

When I was using a MacBook, I relied on iMovie for video editing and used its simple photo adjustments for quick edits. After switching to Windows, I found Movavi as a solid alternative, which also offers decent photo editing features. On Movavi, I usually adjust exposure, color balance, and apply filters to enhance my RAW photos. It’s pretty straightforward and effective for basic photo editing needs. You can check out more on Movavi as an iMovie alternative for Windows at https://www.movavi.com/imovie-for-windows/.