Are you looking for the best lightroom alternatives in 2020 then you are in the right place. Initially, Adobe Lightroom is a single product only before 2017, but it has become the family of products after 2017 comprising of Lightroom Mobile, Lightroom desktop, Lightroom Classic.
In spite of having all the best features, people are in search of other alternatives to Adobe Lightroom. As it is expensive, it requires a high amount of subscription money, and most of the people are not able to buy it and are in search of the best alternatives to Lightroom. There are several alternatives to Lightroom, which provides you with great features.
The purpose of this article is to pit Luminar vs Lightroom, but this assumes that you’ll be choosing one software app over the other. For existing Lightroom users who are happy to pay each month for the privilege of using what it, and probably always will be, the industry-standard image editing software, Luminar 4 actually interacts very well. See full list on digital-photography-school.com.
Best Adobe Lightroom Alternatives In (2020)
Given below is the list of some best alternatives to Lightroom.
1. Luminar – Best Overall Software
Luminar is one of the best alternatives to Lightroom. It provides a lot of photo filters and editing tools than Adobe Lightroom. It works quicker than Lightroom. It promptly imports a large number of images and organizes them. It is a low subscription rate than Lightroom, and that is why it is one of the best and cheap lightroom alternative. How to remove apps on mac pro.
Luminar editing tools are quite similar to Lightroom, but Luminar has more tools than Lightroom. It also consists of some special effects like sun rays; if it is positioned rightly, it will give a realistic image.
Luminar has various photo enhancer effect such as details enhancer and sky enhancer. Luminar is somewhere better than the Lightroom as it provides some unique editor and tools.
Features of Luminar:
- Up to 50 image improvement filters that clarify your photos.
- 60+ powerful one-click predetermined which quickly enhances photos
- Non-calamitous photo editor
- Supports files like JPEG, TIFF and others for Greatest flexibility
- Provides features like add keywords which suddenly finds the edited photo
2. Apple Photos
Apple Photos is also is one of the best alternatives of Lightroom that is spontaneously installed on Mac computers and can configure to coincide with other Apple devices through iCloud. It is one of the best software for people using Apple products.
Apple photos provide you with the most straightforward way to arrange and edit a photo without switching different programs.
Features of Apple Photos:
- Graceful editing feature
- Editing live photos
- Provides you with the facility to select and change colour
3. Raw Therapee
Raw Therapee is one of the astonishing alternatives of Lightroom, which is free of cost. It is a free lightroom alternative software which runs on Mac, Linux and Windows.
Raw Therapee is best for simple and basic photo editing. Like, Lightroom it is also non-destructive means it keeps original photos saved which can view later.
Features of Raw Therapee:
- Comprises various tools to enhance the image
- High image quality
- Wide varieties of camera
- Cross-platform
- Available in upto 25 languages
- It is quick and processes RAW images
4. Darktable
Darktable is one of the free lightroom alternative available on Linux, Mac, and Windows. It is one of the best free photo editor that doubles your storage space to organize photos. The best part is you can add tags to the images, rate them and arranges in a folder and give them colour.
It is non-distructive as Lightroom, it will become quickly covert your edited photo into the original one. Even though it doesn’t provide you with advanced tools like Photoshop, then also considers as the best free alternative of Lightroom.
Features of Darktable:
- Translates in 21 languages
- Non-distructive not looses your original photos
- Import images of all formats: JPEG, NEF, HDR, so on…
- Cross platforms
- High filters and provides sorting of image
5. Pixlr
Pixler is a free photo editing program which runs online. Its library is not as good as Lightroom’s but provides massive space for users to store large numbers of images. Pixel is another free Lightroom alternative with a lot of specifications.
It consists of several amazing filters which enhances the beauty of your photo. Filters like glamour glow, HDR and vignetting provide you with the effect to make your image more beautiful. It also consists of some advanced tools like layers and brushes.
Features of Pixlr:
- Advanced filters
- Great Effects
- Create photo collage
- Digital painting and inking
- The incredible variation of texts and fonts
6. Photo Pos Pro
Photo Pos Pro is a Free alternative to Lightroom, it is the best photo editing software to create the collage, make graphics, and draw business card designs. It supported files like RAW, JPEG, GIF, and many more.
It offers all the tools for free for the fundamental adjustments for simple interface but To get the benefits of other tools, it will require an amount of $30 to unlock the Pro-version.
Features of Photo Pos Pro:
- Consists of advanced photo effects
- Support all the formats of file
- Different frames and collages
- Create your background
- Create projects from scratch
7. ON1 Photo RAW 2019.5
It is one of the best photo editor software which is also cheap alternative Lightroom as considering the price of the subscription. It has various amazing effects which enhance the beauty of your photograph.
It has the unique feature of Keywords which makes easy and quick to search photos, add and delete images. It provides all the file formats RAW, JPEG, and so on…
Features of ON1 RAW 2019.5:
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- examinations
- Export images JPG to JPG
- Export images RAW to JPG
- Ranking keywords
8. Capture One Pro
One Pro is a substitution of Lightroom. It is the utmost photo editor software which gives your image a beautiful effect and is liked by all the professional photographers and studios.
Capture One Pro has similar software like Lightroom both share the same functions and features. The original image is in the center of both the software. Both the software supports file formats like DNG, PSD, RAW, JPEG, and so on…
Both the software permits its users to arrange photos by tagging images with keywords or color tag. Capture One Pro and Lightgreen both have various similarities.
Features of Capture One Pro:
- Edit skin tone
- Basic and advanced color tool
- Provides layers and masks
- Live reviews
9. Modula
Modula is one of the popular WordPress gallery plugin used by several people. It helps you to create a photo and video gallery promptly. It is one of the best lightroom alternatives for WordPress.
Modula comes in both the versions free and paid you to have to decide which is suitable for you so that you can edit and upload galleries on your websites.
Features of Modula:
- Limitless Gallary
- Effects of slide
- Hover effects
- Different types of lightbox gallery
Above are some of the best alternatives to Lightroom that can be used by several people in place of Lightroom. It also provides some relevant or extraordinary features and functions like Lightroom. People can go through these photo editor software to experience their photo editing.
Lightroom Alternatives – Conclusion
So these are the list of best software like lightroom which you must use as this complete list is based on tried and tested.
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Adobe Lightroom has made itsreputation as the best editing software for many professional as well asenthusiast photographers around the world who love shooting in RAW format. Thesoftware has all the bells and whistles you could want from an advanced photoeditor. Everything from basic exposure and contrast control to advanced maskingand selective editing is present in Adobe’s photo editing giant. Combine thatwith a robust cataloging system and you have a winner as far as mostprofessionals are concerned.
However, during recent years, a lot of excellent photo editing software has been released which offers the same, if not better in some cases, level of control that Lightroom does. Many such editors also come at a lower, one-time, price unlike Lightroom’s recent move to a monthly subscription model, making Lightroom a less attractive offering to people who are new the photo editor software.
Why Lightroom AlternativesAre Important
You may be wondering, ifLightroom does all that you need it to do, why should you even consider using adifferent program? A lot of it boils down to the fact that Lightroom asks usersto pay a monthly fee to use it. This kind of a payment model may seem okay at first,but when you consider that you’d be paying potentially thousands of dollars touse it over a lifetime when you could instead buy something for under a hundreddollars once and be good with it, then it starts seeming unnecessary. Sure,most one-time payment options ask for a small additional price to upgrade tothe newer models but you may not always need to upgrade, and even if you do,the price still remain well under what Lightroom would cost over a number ofyears.
So, without furtherdeliberation, let’s take a look at some of the best Lightroom alternatives,either because of their lower price or better usability, that you should knowof.
1. Luminar
The first and closest Lightroom alternative anyone can start using in an instant is Luminar. This program started off as a Mac photo editor, but later started supporting Windows as well. As soon as it had launched, it was praised for its amazing ease of use, highly intuitive interface with unique elements like customizable workspaces, and very affordable price tag.
Now, the newest version of Luminar has also added a library system which might just be the one thing that Lightroom had and Luminar didn’t. With this new addition, Luminar has become one of the best photo editing software that you can use without paying an immense price.
2. Aurora HDR
Admittedly, Aurora HDR is more of a specialized HDR software that focuses on creating HDR images. However, if you do need to create HDR photos, then you must already know that Lightroom just can’t do it very well.
With Aurora HDR as a Lightroom alternative, you will have access to advanced tone-mapping algorithms, various presets, and a whole host of advanced tools that help create the best possible HDR photos. What’s more, it also comes as an actual plugin for Lightroom itself which means you can enhance Lightroom’s capabilities without needing to jump into another program!
3. Capture One Pro
Lightroom App For Computer
Capture One is a software that is already used by many as an alternative to Lightroom. It offers almost all the controls that Lightroom offers to pro users, with some of its own as well. The interface is fairly clean, however not very easy to get used to. There are presets, selective adjustments, masks, and everything you could want to create great photos. Capture One also has a cataloging system, which is why many use it as a Lightroom alternative. However, Capture One is quite expensive as well even despite its one-time payment model. But if you don’t mind paying the high price, it’s one of the top Lightroom alternatives available today.
4. Apple Photos
If you want a free Lightroom alternative in the form of a photo editor for Mac, then Apple Photos is a solid choice. This photo editing software comes bundled with Mac computers and offers a lot of control over photo editing. It can handle exposure, contrast, white balance, highlights, shadows, colors, and more with ease. It’s also not a slow program and runs very well on Apple’s systems. You won’t get very advanced features like selective editing or layers, but if you want a semi-advanced image editor, this one is a good alternative to Lightroom.
5. Affinity Photo
If you’re looking for a cross-platform photo editor for pc and mac as a Lightroom alternative, then Affinity Photo is also a good choice. It’s a fully-featured photo editor that not only does photo editing but also boasts some Photoshop-like features such as digital painting tools, layer control, focus stacking and more. For photo editing, Affinity Photo can handle RAW files, make HDR photos, stitch panoramas, and much more that could appease any professional looking for the best Lightroom alternative. However, for new photographers, this might be a little too complicated and full of tools to use comfortably. Wish app on mac.
6. DarkTable
Perhaps the best free Lightroom alternative on this list is DarkTable. Its layout is similar to Lightroom’s with many sliders hidden away under different sections. This Lightroom alternative’s free nature, however, may not be obvious once you actually start using it. It has so many features and tools that it can easily confuse even seasoned photographers, let alone beginners. This particular trait of this photo editing software makes it both amazing and potentially frustrating at the same time.
7. RawTherapee
Another free alternative to Lightroom, RawTherapee might fit the bill for the beginners among you. Its one and only focus is to provide photographers the ability to process their RAW files. It doesn’t have too many fancy bells and whistles, or even advanced features like a cataloging system, but it is free and can help beginner photographers edit their RAW files with ease.
8. Exposure X4
Exposure X4 is the newest version of the software that aims to become an alternative to Lightroom. Its strength lies in the fact that it has a strong library feature and can import images from various sources in parallel to one another. This import process makes it easier to quicker for photographers to add multiple images to their library. The RAW editing features here are strong too.
Exposure control, color corrections, high-quality presets – everything is present. However, what makes Exposure X3 not the best Lightroom alternative is the fact that it has noticeable lag while working with RAW files from certain cameras.
9. Corel’s AfterShot Pro 3
Another photo editor for PC, Corel AfterShot Pro 3 is considered one of the best Lightroom alternatives by many. While it can be used for all basic edits to exposure, color, white balance, noise, sharpness etc., its true strengths lie in its UI design that is suitable for widescreen displays, its very competent batch editing, and its easy integration with Photoshop allowing you to send your photos directly to Photoshop for final touches. On the flip side, however, AfterShot Pro 3 suffers from lackluster localized editing, and a high price tag especially for extra presets that you might want to use.
10. Cyberlink Photo Director 10
If you would like a photo editor software that can do all that Lightroom can do, then Photo Director 10 might be the choice for you. It’s one of the most capable Lightroom alternatives out there because of an easy-to-use interface, later control, and a lot of help to get used to the various features. It’s aimed more at people who may be new to photo editing software and its new focus on AI tools helps such users make better photos. But if you have an older, slower computer, then you might want to look elsewhere or be okay with slow performance.
11. Gentlemen Coders RAW Power
For those looking for a strong photo editor for Mac, RAW Power is one of the very good Lightroom alternatives for the purpose. As many users of Apple’s computers would know, the company replaced its excellent Aperture editor with the new Photos app which comes as a pre-installed Mac photo editor. To fill the gap between Aperture and Photos, RAW Power is here with a solid reputation. It can either be used as a standalone RAW editor, allowing you to do most of the stuff you’d want from such a software, or as an extension to Photos. This combination of RAW Power with Photos is what can be the best photo editor software as a Lightroom alternative on Mac.
12. Zoner
Zoner is a Windows photo editor that aims to help make great photos with ease. It boasts features like automatic editing, easy selections for localized editing, layer control, a Filter Brush to give you creative freedom, batch editing, Smart Sharpen and Smart Blue, and advanced noise reduction among many more. It’s clear from these claims that Zoner can be a good, if not the best, Lightroom alternative for people using Windows. It may not have Lightroom’s presets but it does have enough to help enthusiast photographers. But, like Lightroom, Zoner also has a subscription-based payment model which is something that puts many users off.
13. GIMP
An open-source photo editor that is hailed as the best free photo editing software by countless around the world, GIMP has all it needs to be a free Lightroom alternative. GIMP has everything from basic exposure editing to advanced layer controls and brushes to make your photos look like pieces of art, just like Photoshop. It also has a vast online community that’s always trying to help others and make GIMP better every day. Despite all of that though, the software remains a very complicated one to get used to and requires quite some time to understand. It may be Lightroom’s free alternative like you’ve never seen before, but be ready to spend a lot of time learning to use it properly.
14. Topaz Studio
Topaz Studio is yet another photo editor that does most of the things you’d expect such software to do. Some highlight features of the editor are over thirty filters, healing capabilities, slider controls to edit exposure, contrast, and highlights, and color correction tools. Topaz Studio also has a similar interface to most editors so it’s easy to start off with. While it may not be the best alternative to Lightroom unless you don’t need advanced controls, it still is a capable editor for getting started with editing.
14. ON1 Photo Raw
Getting back to possibly the best Lightroom alternatives, On1 Photo RAW is a great all-in-one editor that aims to find its way into the hands of seasoned photographers. It has all the tools you could want, including great masking tools, quick rendering of final images, a very quick panoramic preview option, and newly added HDR features that help create very good HDR images, unlike in Lightroom. However, despite these great additions, On1 Photo RAW remains a little sluggish at times which is something that needs to be improved for it to become the best alternative to Lightroom.
15. DxO Photo Lab
Dxo Photo Lab is deemed by many as the best photo editing software because it is easy to use, has a ton of editing features, and a RAW conversion system like few others. Why people would consider this as the best Windows photo editor is because of the amazing lens correction algorithms it has.
Mac Photos App Vs Lightroom Cs6
The software is known for its automatic control over chromatic aberration, distortion, and vignetting for a multitude of cameras and lenses. The only thing that really keeps this Windows and Mac photo editor from being the best alternative to Lightroom is its lack of selective adjustment capabilities.
16. Photo Pos Pro
If you don’t want what is necessarily the best free photo editing software but rather Adobe Lightroom’s free alternative that lets you edit photos and do other fun stuff like making posters and business cards too, then you should take a look at Photo Pos Pro.
It is Adobe Lightroom’s free alternative but only if you want basic functionality. It is not slated to the the best editing software or the best of Lightroom alternatives, but rather a quick and easy way to edit your photos. The Pro version of the software isn’t free though, so make sure to try it out first to see whether it’s worth your money or not.
And with that, we conclude our list of the best Lightroom alternatives you can use to get your photo editing done. All of the program listed here have their own strengths and weaknesses, but the software that becomes a Lightroom alternative for you really depends on what you use Lightroom for.
If you want to give up using Lightroom because of the monthly fees, then the best alternative to Lightroom would be something like Luminar that offers similar control for a low, one-time price. If you want something completely free, then DarkTable might be the Lightroom alternative for you. And if you want your Lightroom alternative to do much more than just RAW editing, then programs like GIMP will be worthwhile.
Lightroom Photoshop App
But before you spend yourmoney on any of the mentioned programs, be sure to give them a try once becausewhat might look good on paper as the best alternative to Lightroom might notfit your style of editing or have that one tool you can’t live without.