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darktable
Free, open-source RAW developer and photo manager with a retouch module, wavelet-based skin work and optional local AI masks and denoising.
Visit siteRanking created by SGM Creative · How we rank
darktable is ranked 7 of 11 photo editors in 2026, with a score of 6.8/10 (tier Solid).
Score breakdown
| Skin retouching depth | 18/30 |
| Predictable cost | 15/25 |
| Fits a pro workflow | 10/20 |
| Try before you buy | 10/10 |
| Platforms | 10/10 |
| Kept up to date | 5/5 |
| Total | 6.8/10 |
Facts
- Vendor
- darktable project
- Price model
- free
- Entry price
- Free
- Works in
- standalone, GIMP
- Platforms
- mac, windows
- Apple Silicon native
- Yes
- Latest update
- v5.6.2, released 2026-10-04 (source: https://www.darktable.org/news/)
Strengths
- Free software released under GPL 3.0
- Retouch module offers clone, heal, fill and blur plus wavelet decompose for treating blemishes on coarse layers while keeping fine skin texture
- Version 5.6 added optional AI object masks and a neural restore module for raw denoise and upscaling
Watch-outs
- There are no official releases for Intel Macs; macOS builds are for Apple silicon on macOS 13.5 or later
- AI features are disabled by default and need models downloaded from a repository
- The Linux Flatpak build does not include the AI features
Data verified on 2026-10-30. Re-assessed every two weeks. No payment can change this score. Spotted a mistake? Send a correction.
Sources
- https://www.darktable.org/
- https://www.darktable.org/news/
- https://www.darktable.org/install/
- https://www.darktable.org/2026/06/darktable-5.6.0-released/
- https://www.darktable.org/2026/10/darktable-5.6.2-released/
- https://docs.darktable.org/usermanual/development/en/module-reference/processing-modules/retouch/
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