Once upon a time, I used Lightroom. It was awesome. But that was before the Adobe cloud rained down the subscription model - thunderbolts, lightning, very frightening. Now there are alternatives that I'm checking out because I migrated my photo library from Google Photos (the cloud) to my laptop (local drive). The two photo apps in focus are Darktable and Digikam. The cherry on top: not only are they subscription-free, they're just plain free!
Overall, I've only scratched the surfaces of these two apps programs. But right away with both of them, I was very impressed. Both offer many robust tools, featuring a heap of features and buttons galore. Each one can handle the two main aspects of photos that one looks for: management and editing.
File Explorer
First, I've considered relying only on File Explorer in Windows 11 and keeping my workflow simple, at least in regards to photo file management. I can organize well enough with a simple hierarchy of folders and add tags and star ratings to metadata. And Windows has Saved Searches that can be based on one or more tags plus other criteria. This option isn't as nice or easy as a dedicated photo app though. And there's the issue of editing. I've tried the Windows 11 Photos app; its editing features are a bit too basic.
Darktable
Darktable is laid out just like Lightroom Classic and seems like it nearly mimics Adobe's app in every way. So it's familiar at first. The tools and their placement make for a similar workflow I think. But I have a few initial gripes. The overall polish is not as nice, it feels less intuitive, and albums or an equivalent to the "Collections" of Lightroom seem to be missing. I need to take it for a few more spins around the block before I decide, but I'm leaning away from it at the moment.
Digikam
Digikam has a unique layout; it's not trying to be a one-to-one replacement of Lightroom. Despite that, it seems more intuitive than Darktable. It also feels more polished. I was able to figure out, in short time, how it managed or referenced my photos in Windows File Explorer and how to update metadata with tags. It's nice and powerful. So far, it's my pick of the two programs, but I plan on more testing before I settle with one.
Raw Therapee
Raw Therapee is another free open-source software for photos. I'm not sure it's worth trying out. These days, I really only use jpegs, so RAW file editing isn't necessary, though it's good for future reference. That said, it seems like Digikam could be used solely for photo file management while editing can take place in Raw Therapee.
Summary
Skimming the websites for the apps above, I discovered they're connected by Pixls.us. On its website, a brief summary of the apps is listed, where GIMP (among others) is also shown. I've used GIMP in the past as a free Photoshop replacement. So it seems to me a good workflow might be Digikam to manage photo files, GIMP to edit photos at the pixel level, and Raw Therapee to edit RAW and at the overall composition level. But then maybe Darktable can be the simple all-inclusive solution.
Since reclaiming direct control over my photo library, I'm mainly looking for photo file management features like a Tag Manager, an image comparison tool, batch renaming, and other metadata control. Second to that, I want more than basic editing but nothing more advanced than Curves and Levels adjustments.
I'll keep trying the above apps out and am looking forward to working with my photos like I did years ago, circa Lightroom 2.0 through 5.0. Honestly, Lightroom would be my top pick, but I very much dislike the subscription fee model. Sigh…I’d be willing to give Adobe a large flat fee up front for Lightroom Classic…but I guess that ship has sailed off the edge of some flat earth.
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