starred/photoprism

Fork 0

mirror of https://github.com/photoprism/photoprism.git synced 2026-03-02 22:57:18 -05:00

Compare the quality of open-source RAW converters with Adobe #60

New issue

Closed

opened 2026-02-19 23:01:40 -05:00 by deekerman · 5 comments

deekerman commented

2026-02-19 23:01:40 -05:00

Owner

Originally created by @lastzero on GitHub (Nov 12, 2018).

Originally assigned to: @graciousgrey on GitHub.

As a DSLR owner, I want the best JPEG quality for my RAW files and as much compatibility with Adobe Lightroom as possible.

See also:

Acceptance Criteria:

Compose a list of RAW files you find suitable for a quality test (should contain good contrast/sharpness and not only clouds or snow). Ideally from different brands and models.
Create a matrix/table showing the differences (incl example JPEGs) of Lightroom/Photoshop, Darktable, sips (OS X only), Photivo, RawTherapee, and digiKam (plus any additional tools you might find).
Experiment with common actions / filters and see if you can reproduce them in those applications using XMP sidecar files. Ask if you got questions concerning XMP.
Document all findings and results in our Wiki.

Originally created by @lastzero on GitHub (Nov 12, 2018). Originally assigned to: @graciousgrey on GitHub. **As a DSLR owner, I want the best JPEG quality for my RAW files and as much compatibility with Adobe Lightroom as possible.** See also: * https://www.mail-archive.com/darktable-dev@lists.darktable.org/msg03616.html * [Get a better understanding of Adobe XMP sidecar files #68](https://github.com/photoprism/photoprism/issues/68) Acceptance Criteria: - Compose a list of RAW files you find suitable for a quality test (should contain good contrast/sharpness and not only clouds or snow). Ideally from different brands and models. - Create a matrix/table showing the differences (incl example JPEGs) of Lightroom/Photoshop, Darktable, sips (OS X only), Photivo, RawTherapee, and digiKam (plus any additional tools you might find). - Experiment with common actions / filters and see if you can reproduce them in those applications using [XMP sidecar](https://github.com/photoprism/photoprism/wiki/XMP) files. Ask if you got questions concerning XMP. - Document all findings and results [in our Wiki](https://github.com/photoprism/photoprism/wiki/Converting-RAW-to-JPEG).

deekerman

2026-02-19 23:01:40 -05:00

closed this issue
added the
enhancement

priority

released
labels

deekerman commented

2026-02-19 23:01:40 -05:00

Author

Owner

@Whisprin commented on GitHub (Nov 19, 2018):

Is photoprism planning on integrating a frontend for RAW development? The only use case mentioned in the wiki is generating thumbnails. Usually JPEG thumbnails are embedded in RAW files directly by the camera and can be access without image processing.

There are two Nextcloud addons which I'm currently using for my RAW photo thumbnails:
Pre-generation of thumbnails for all supported file types: https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/previewgenerator
Adding support for RAW image formats: https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/camerarawpreviews

Regarding thumbnails only, in my opinion the main concern shouldn't be quality or compatibility. The thumbnails should resemble the output of the desktop application, which itself is ultimately a user preference based more on functionality than quality. Photographers are rarely switching between different development applications like Darktable or Lightroom. Why is "as much compatibility with Adobe Lightroom as possible" a concern?

However, I'm very curious to see a quality comparison and would like to help with photos and test, I don't see the connection to photoprism yet.

Maybe you can help me understand which impact it may have on the development and usage of photoprism?

edit:
Here are some links comparing the quality of Darktable and Lightroom:
Sky/observatory image: https://fossphotographer.blogspot.com/2016/11/darktable-vs-lightroom-are-we-missing.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/postprocessing/comments/5lcx2a/output_quality_of_lightroom_vs_darktable/

Landscape image: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4243231
Flower and dark scene: https://digital-photography-school.com/darktable-vs-lightroom-does-it-measure-up/

More feature than quality comparison: https://www.dslrpundit.com/2018/01/darktable-vs-lightroom-classic-cc.html

Often the bottom line is that perceived image quality depends on the knowledge and usability of the program. Maybe these links can give some hints on how to select and test images.

@Whisprin commented on GitHub (Nov 19, 2018): Is photoprism planning on integrating a frontend for RAW development? The only use case mentioned [in the wiki](https://github.com/photoprism/photoprism/wiki/Converting-RAW-to-JPEG) is generating thumbnails. Usually JPEG thumbnails are embedded in RAW files directly by the camera and can be access without image processing. There are two Nextcloud addons which I'm currently using for my RAW photo thumbnails: Pre-generation of thumbnails for all supported file types: https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/previewgenerator Adding support for RAW image formats: https://apps.nextcloud.com/apps/camerarawpreviews Regarding thumbnails only, in my opinion the main concern shouldn't be quality or compatibility. The thumbnails should resemble the output of the desktop application, which itself is ultimately a user preference based more on functionality than quality. Photographers are rarely switching between different development applications like Darktable or Lightroom. Why is "as much compatibility with Adobe Lightroom as possible" a concern? However, I'm very curious to see a quality comparison and would like to help with photos and test, I don't see the connection to photoprism yet. Maybe you can help me understand which impact it may have on the development and usage of photoprism? edit: Here are some links comparing the quality of Darktable and Lightroom: Sky/observatory image: https://fossphotographer.blogspot.com/2016/11/darktable-vs-lightroom-are-we-missing.html https://www.reddit.com/r/postprocessing/comments/5lcx2a/output_quality_of_lightroom_vs_darktable/ Landscape image: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4243231 Flower and dark scene: https://digital-photography-school.com/darktable-vs-lightroom-does-it-measure-up/ More feature than quality comparison: https://www.dslrpundit.com/2018/01/darktable-vs-lightroom-classic-cc.html Often the bottom line is that perceived image quality depends on the knowledge and usability of the program. Maybe these links can give some hints on how to select and test images.

deekerman commented

2026-02-19 23:01:41 -05:00

Author

Owner

@lastzero commented on GitHub (Nov 19, 2018):

@Whisprin My personal use case is that I have RAWs without and with XMP sidecar files (that contain Camera Raw settings), but no JPEG. So I want PhotoPrism to create one for me in the best possible quality (so that I can share it or show it on my high-res screen), ideally it should look the same as if I would have created it myself with Photoshop/Camera Raw, because this is what I usually do (but I too often don't have time for it anymore, at least not for every single shot). Later we might want to automatically tweak exposure settings etc to get better pictures.

Right now, we don't know what the difference between RAW converters is, if any, and how they use XMP. Maybe Camera Raw settings (crs*) are only compatible with the original Adobe Camera Raw and no other tool. We need facts, not ideas what could be.

Good hint with the embedded JPEGs. I thought they are very small, but it seems some camera use full size JPEGs. Would be good to figure out what cameras embed a full size JPEG and document it in our wiki as well.

@lastzero commented on GitHub (Nov 19, 2018): @Whisprin My personal use case is that I have RAWs without and with XMP sidecar files (that contain Camera Raw settings), but no JPEG. So I want PhotoPrism to create one for me in the best possible quality (so that I can share it or show it on my high-res screen), ideally it should look the same as if I would have created it myself with Photoshop/Camera Raw, because this is what I usually do (but I too often don't have time for it anymore, at least not for every single shot). Later we might want to automatically tweak exposure settings etc to get better pictures. Right now, we don't know what the difference between RAW converters is, if any, and how they use XMP. Maybe Camera Raw settings (crs*) are only compatible with the original Adobe Camera Raw and no other tool. We need facts, not ideas what could be. Good hint with the embedded JPEGs. I thought they are very small, but it seems some camera use full size JPEGs. Would be good to figure out what cameras embed a full size JPEG and document it in our wiki as well.

deekerman commented

2026-02-19 23:01:41 -05:00

Author

Owner

@Whisprin commented on GitHub (Nov 19, 2018):

Got it. You want PhotoPrism to be able to suggest/set Camera Raw settings which can be applied by Lightroom etc. Is that it? Or just a batch JPEG export with default development settings for now?

Regarding XMP files from Darktable DSC03956.ARW.xmp:
I can add, that all processing relevant data is namespaced (prefixed with darktable). E.g.: <darktable:history> and the values are namespaced too and seemingly binary:

<rdf:li
      darktable:operation="exposure"
      darktable:enabled="1"
      darktable:modversion="5"
      darktable:params="0000000000000000df7a343f00004842000080c0"
      darktable:multi_name=""
      darktable:multi_priority="0"
      darktable:blendop_version="7"
      darktable:blendop_params="gz12eJxjYGBgkGAAgRNODESDBnsIHll8ANNSGQM="/>

As you wrote "in the best possible quality" and "ideally it should look the same as if I would have created it myself". Aren't these two different goals?
Here's an article from Darktable regarding Importing Lightroom Development. There are ratings of the accuracy of different settings. But it's from 2013 so I'm unsure about the relevance.
Is there a place to collect different RAW and XMP files?

@Whisprin commented on GitHub (Nov 19, 2018): Got it. You want PhotoPrism to be able to suggest/set Camera Raw settings which can be applied by Lightroom etc. Is that it? Or just a batch JPEG export with default development settings for now? Regarding XMP files from Darktable [DSC03956.ARW.xmp](https://github.com/photoprism/photoprism/files/2595267/DSC03956.ARW.txt): I can add, that all processing relevant data is namespaced (prefixed with darktable). E.g.: `<darktable:history>` and the values are namespaced too and seemingly binary: ``` <rdf:li darktable:operation="exposure" darktable:enabled="1" darktable:modversion="5" darktable:params="0000000000000000df7a343f00004842000080c0" darktable:multi_name="" darktable:multi_priority="0" darktable:blendop_version="7" darktable:blendop_params="gz12eJxjYGBgkGAAgRNODESDBnsIHll8ANNSGQM="/> ``` As you wrote "in the best possible quality" and "ideally it should look the same as if I would have created it myself". Aren't these two different goals? Here's an article from Darktable regarding [Importing Lightroom Development](https://www.darktable.org/2013/02/importing-lightroom-development/). There are ratings of the accuracy of different settings. But it's from 2013 so I'm unsure about the relevance. Is there a place to collect different RAW and XMP files?

deekerman commented

2026-02-19 23:01:41 -05:00

Author

Owner

@lastzero commented on GitHub (Nov 19, 2018):

Batch conversion of all RAWs that have no JPEG yet. Or extraction of the embedded JPEG from RAW, if that is better for any reason. We need a JPEG to create smaller thumbnails.

We don't have a public file server yet, it's on our todo. We certainly need to collect images from different cameras (plus sidecar files). Right now, we use Dropbox, but that's just a temp solution.

@lastzero commented on GitHub (Nov 19, 2018): Batch conversion of all RAWs that have no JPEG yet. Or extraction of the embedded JPEG from RAW, if that is better for any reason. We need a JPEG to create smaller thumbnails. We don't have a public file server yet, it's on our todo. We certainly need to collect images from different cameras (plus sidecar files). Right now, we use Dropbox, but that's just a temp solution.

deekerman commented

2026-02-19 23:01:41 -05:00

Author

Owner

@lastzero commented on GitHub (Jan 12, 2019):

@graciousgrey Guess this is done now?

@lastzero commented on GitHub (Jan 12, 2019): @graciousgrey Guess this is done now?

deekerman referenced this issue

2026-02-19 23:01:46 -05:00

Use a SQL mock driver to test database interactions #74