Replacing Lightroom on Linux with digiKam and RawTherapee

Apart from the work laptop, there is no longer any need to keep a Windows install around. The last blocker was Adobe Lightroom. It is an excellent catalog and RAW editor, and for many people it is the reason Windows or macOS stays in the loop. For this workflow, the needs are simpler: manage a growing library, tag and rate, and make small edits like contrast curves and clipping points. Photoshop is not part of the process, so there is no lock in to that ecosystem.

The Linux setup that works

The gap is covered by two tools that play nicely together.

• Library and management: digiKam. It pulls images from multiple locations, supports albums, tags, ratings, and does not require everything to live on the local filesystem. Libraries can go offline and come back later without drama.
• RAW editing: RawTherapee. digiKam can round trip to RawTherapee for editing. From initial testing, RawTherapee provides the controls needed for typical RAW adjustments even though it does not manage a photo library.

Known limitation

Lightroom’s non destructive workflow sets a high bar. Edits live as metadata and previews, and versions are easy to keep together. With the current setup, the library holds the RAW with its embedded JPEG preview, and edited outputs are exported alongside it as JPEG or TIFF. That costs disk space and can create duplicates. For photography that is acceptable, but it is a real trade off to note.

Where this leaves things

Time will tell if this becomes permanent, but it already removes the last Windows dependency for personal work. As a bonus, the monthly Adobe subscription can be dropped. Lightroom remains great software at a fair price for what it does. It just is not required for this use case anymore.

Thanks for reading. If you have a neat way to keep non destructive versions with RawTherapee and digiKam, share it so others can try it too.