cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/34104202

Guys, I just learned about this new FOSS editor called “RapidRAW” on GitHub, and this might well be the Lightroom (non-Classic) killer as Darktable is to Lightroom Classic. See, as much as I love Darktable for its power and feature set, most of my non-tech photographer friends have mentioned how its power comes at the cost of complexity even beyond LrC. Yes, I love DT, but I do have to agree – It can be overwhelming to a newer user not as familiar with LrC or wanting to learn a whole new program just for quick edits.

…and then I found RapidRAW! This looks like it could be it: A sleek, lightweight, elegant, comprehensive (enough) editor that seems to finally strike the balance between power and beginner-friendliness! Even better, like Darktable, it too appears to be FOSS, breaking away from the money-hungry Adobe corporate software! Now, I’ve only just started looking into it, but what do you think? Could this be the next piece in the essential toolkit for Ex-dobe users switching from Lightroom but not quite wanting a full LrC replacement? Check it out!

https://github.com/CyberTimon/RapidRAW

  • Trey A@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
    2·
    6 days ago

    Fair point on the AI caution. The author actually shares a similarity to myself with my own “LaunchBack” Launchpad revival app which was also a good amount vibe-coded in the initial version. To quote the developer’s ReadMe,

    I developed this project as a personal challenge at the age of 18. My goal was to create a high-performance tool for my own photography workflow while deepening my understanding of both React and Rust, with the support from Google Gemini.

    The thing is, “vibe-coded” doesn’t always have to mean some terrible project stealing data with a million backdoors. From the looks of his GitHub page, he’s made a fair share of programs and contributions already, and he’s done a good amount of improvement and updates since the first release. Utilizing AI in development isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Now, as far as programs that sync between mobile AND desktop in this category, I’m afraid those are more sparse outside of Adobe’s offerings, and credit where due – Adobe does a good job of that.

    I only dislike Adobe because it can be SO inaccessible for people just wanting to learn some photography, forcing them to think “I have to dedicate ##% of my salary to this program, even if I’m just learning things as a beginner.” That’s the primary reason I stand with FOSS and all, as any option that allows people to work without needing to subscribe to closed-source companies (that are most likely using your data ALSO to train AI models and whatnot) is a win, and you seem to understand that. I’m just suggesting that this app being largely vibe-coded doesn’t have to be a bad thing, y’know?

    • paperd@lemmy.zipEnglish
      21·
      6 days ago

      The thing is, “vibe-coded” doesn’t always have to mean some terrible project stealing data with a million backdoors.

      It doesn’t have to mean that… but that’s what it means.