So if we are done with LR, whats our choices?

Scottboarding wrote in post #18479512
Dxo Optics Pro 11 essencials edition is free until November 11th: http://www.dxo.com/us/​practicalphotography

I downloaded it and played around with it for a couple minutes and it's pretty nice! Seems far faster than Lightroom, very far. It's free so it's worth downloading just to try!

I downloaded and installed this program. It can read DNG Converter files (CR2->DNG) from my 80D/6D. It can make DNG files from my 80D/6D raws. It CANNOT see the DNG files that it creates. Odd.

EDIT, Screen shots:
First shows Optics Pro folder open. Note 9 files.
Second is same folder, in Explorer, showing DNG files that Optics Pro created, but cannot see.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

HOSTED PHOTO
please log in to view hosted photos in full size.

Don't shoot the messenger. I was just pointing out the technicality that the Adobe bundle is just that. I think I launched PS maybe twice myself.

I'm just a home user and would love to replace the subscription, but I haven't found something affordable that has DAM built in.

I got started with Lightroom because I had bought a RAW converter from a small company who promised free upgrades for life and that was eventually bought by Adobe. Adobe gave us a free license for LR 1 as compensation and I was able to use the upgrade pricing after that.

Right now On1 RAW seems to be the closest in features, but I'm not sure about it yet. I don't want to go with something open source like Darktable, especially when their install instructions for Mac OS are:

Download the latest DMG disk image for darktable
Mount the thing
Pull the darktable icon into applications folder
Good luck

That last item...yeah, ok.

I downloaded the free version of DxOptics Pro, as well, but have not tried it out yet. I also have installed DPP and the beta version of On1 Photo RAW 2018 to try when I have some time. I have yet to install the trial version of Capture One -- that will wait until I know I have some time to play with it. I also have Photoshop Elements 2018 -- I had upgraded from my old version 10 a couple of weeks ago when I bought a new PC and before Adobe made their announcement on dumping the perpetual license model for LR.

Hopefully one of the above will meet my needs. I can mostly live without the DAM feature of Lightroom, as I have my photos well organized in a folder system. I just need a quality RAW processor with the non-destructive editing capabilities that LR provided. The only DAM feature of LR which I really need is the ability to quickly preview all new photos upon import so I can select which to keep and which to delete before beginning the editing process. I never saved anything in DNG format, either, so all my original files are still RAW with the edits recorded within Lightroom. All photos were also exported to jpeg format upon completion of editing, and I rarely go back and re-edit old photos, so even not having the old edits of the RAW files is not a huge deal for me.

It appears that Optics Pro puts out something called a 'linear DNG' file, which it cannot read. I find that very strange. DNG Converter will take the linear dng file and create a regular DNG file. LR can read both. Optics Pro cannot even read a regular DNG file made from its own linear DNG. Optics pro has no problem reading CR2 or DNG from my 6D or 80D. This is truly odd behavior.

They say that they are not a DNG converter, they create DNG files as a means to use them in other programs, but DXO is designed to always work with the original raw files.

https://support.dxo.co​m …DNG-files-it-created-Why-

Why would you want DNG files if you have the cr2?

There are many other programs you might use that could use the DNG and not handle the CR2. So if you are processing raw files with DXO with all their tools they have available, and then need to do something else in some other package that only supports DNG, TIFF, etc, you can transport your work over.

It's basically like how I process. I use DPP so that I never have to worry about support or upgrades, but then when I use CS5, I have to send over TIFF or JPEG, it won't work with my raw files from newer cameras. Just depends on how many tools you are using in your workflow.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18479655
There are many other programs you might use that could use the DNG and not handle the CR2. So if you are processing raw files with DXO with all their tools they have available, and then need to do something else in some other package that only supports DNG, TIFF, etc, you can transport your work over.

It's basically like how I process. I use DPP so that I never have to worry about support or upgrades, but then when I use CS5, I have to send over TIFF or JPEG, it won't work with my raw files from newer cameras. Just depends on how many tools you are using in your workflow.

Thank You, always learning around here

NP

I guess I made a good decision back when I picked up LR3. I still have the copy with license key, etc. Not sure what to do with it at this point...

I decided then I didn't want to get into an endless upgrade cycle with Adobe, and came up with my own cataloging system, and continued to use DPP, then PS4 (later upgraded to CS5). Almost a decade later, and I have not been bothered by any of the Adobe price hikes or shenanigans, and my workflow remains unaltered. The money I saved over this time likely bought one of my lenses.

But Affinity Photo is not a non-destructive editor. Also they have no DAM and evidently are not working on one either.

TeamSpeed wrote in post #18479652
They say that they are not a DNG converter, they create DNG files as a means to use them in other programs, but DXO is designed to always work with the original raw files.

https://support.dxo.co​m …DNG-files-it-created-Why-

Thanks. At least I have an answer. It makes absolutely no sense, but it is an answer.

.

Daggah wrote in post #18479586
Affinity Photo as a photoshop alternative is only $50.

Can it do complex compositing the way that Photoshop can? If so, I may have to look into that.

.

.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #18479727
.

Can it do complex compositing the way that Photoshop can? If so, I may have to look into that.

.

.

Looks like DPreview did a decent review. Might have to look at this one once I update my camera and PS no longer supports it.

MCAsan wrote in post #18479685
But Affinity Photo is not a non-destructive editor. Also they have no DAM and evidently are not working on one either.

I have not looked at Affinity at all, yet, but it seems to me that any raw editor must leave the CR2 files untouched... because CR2 files are not image files, they are raw records from the camera. Therefore (if my reasoning is correct), ALL raw processors must be non-destructive to the raw files.

Archibald wrote in post #18479745
I have not looked at Affinity at all, yet, but it seems to me that any raw editor must leave the CR2 files untouched... because CR2 files are not image files, they are raw records from the camera. Therefore (if my reasoning is correct), ALL raw processors must be non-destructive to the raw files.

There are 2 levels to the raw, the actual raw data, and the raw settings. DPP will alter the latter set, and you don't have any way to go back to the settings that the raw originally came in with. Having a sidecar file that is simply the latest settings you made, and those are applied over the original raw settings is a way to not lose the original settings, but also be able to store different types of raw settings over time, like "layers" or "raw edit versions", which being able to get to the original out-of-camera settings.