Darktable Windows Review: A Free Photography Workflow Application

In this review, we will be taking a closer look at Darktable, a free photography workflow application that enables users to develop raw images and enhance them. With its ability to manage digital negatives in a database and view them through a zoomable lighttable, Darktable offers a comprehensive solution for photographers of all levels.

One of the key features of Darktable is its support for OpenCL acceleration, which provides faster performance on GPUs. We have tested Darktable with a variety of NVIDIA GeForce and AMD Radeon graphics cards under Ubuntu Linux to see how it performs.

For our tests, we used the NVIDIA 375.10 driver and GeForce hardware, including the GTX 680, GTX 780 Ti, GTX 950, GTX 960, GTX 970, GTX 980, GTX 980 Ti, GTX 1050, GTX 1050 Ti, GTX 1060, GTX 1070, and GTX 1080. We also tested AMD Radeon graphics cards, including the R7 260X, R9 285, R9 290, RX 460, RX 470, RX 480, and R9 Fury.

Our tests showed that Darktable performed well with both NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards, with the NVIDIA GTX 1080 providing the best performance. However, it's worth noting that the AMDGPU-PRO driver appeared to work fine with Darktable's OpenCL implementation, despite some limitations.

Overall, we were impressed with Darktable's performance and features. With its ability to manage digital negatives in a database and view them through a zoomable lighttable, it is an excellent tool for photographers of all levels. And, as a free application, it is an excellent option for those looking for a photography workflow solution without breaking the bank.

In conclusion, Darktable is a powerful and feature-rich photography workflow application that is well worth checking out. Its support for OpenCL acceleration makes it a great option for those with NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards, and its ability to manage digital negatives in a database makes it an excellent tool for photographers of all levels. With the imminent release of Darktable 2.2, we can expect even better performance and features from this free photography workflow application.

Darktable windows review