This site documents a modern RAW photography workflow built on open standards, file-based metadata and open-source tools – and the tech that makes them possible.
Part Two: From Identity Files to Cross-Platform LUTs In part one, we built a “film simulation” inside RawTherapee by tweaking the Tone Curve, Channel Mixer, and Color Toning. Those adjustments were saved as a RawTherapee preset with the familiar .pp3 extension. That’s fine if you only ever work in RT. Load a neutral RAW (preferably... Continue Reading →
2 minutes read time Bored? Pick a Project. Every photographer hits that wall. Camera sitting there, batteries full, and still no urge to use it. The classic escape hatch is to blame your gear. “If only I had that new camera or lens.” Sure. And if you buy a treadmill, you’ll suddenly become a marathon... Continue Reading →
10 minute read time A Deep Dive into Film Simulation, Polaroid SX-70 Instant Film Open an attic shoebox and you’re opening a time capsule. Sometimes the photos are yours, sometimes your parents, and if you dig deep enough, maybe even your grandparents. The smell hits first - dust and paper - then the images: faded,... Continue Reading →
9 minutes read time "Your Favorite Styles, Anywhere You Want." Not Only for RawTherapee! Well, it might’ve looked like this whole workflow was tied to RawTherapee - but nope, not even close. You can use ANY software that can open a DNG, apply effects, and export as PNG.This method - turning presets, XMP styles, or... Continue Reading →
Sometimes the simplest tools are the most powerful. No bloat, no “Pro version,” no feature you have to rent monthly. Just you, a color-graded HALD PNG, and a way to turn it into a universal .CUBE LUT that will load in pretty much any photo or video editor you care to use. That’s exactly what... Continue Reading →
5 minutes read time 🎬 From PNG to .CUBE – Take Full Control of Your Film Simulations So, you’ve created a killer film look in RawTherapee, ART or anything else that spits out PNGs. You’re happy. It looks moody, cinematic, “like real film, but better.” And now… you want to turn that into a .CUBE... Continue Reading →
This Free Identity LUT pack isn’t just for “copying looks” from other software — it’s also the cleanest starting point you’ll ever get for creating your own.Each file is a perfectly neutral reference, available in DNG and TIFF, at both 512×512 and 1024×1024 resolution. Drop it into your favorite editor, tweak the colors, curves, or... Continue Reading →
How we reverse-engineered commercial color without stealing a single line of code Well, it started like most things here - with a test.What I wanted to achieve isn’t officially documented anywhere, and from what I could find… it’s not even supposed to be possible.But this goes way beyond just DCP profiles. We’re talking about capturing... Continue Reading →
10 minutes read time Birds, Bucks & Backaches: How Camera Brands (and some people) Mess With Your Wildlife Dreams How the “Equivalent” Madness Began Following up on my “You Don’t Need Expensive Pro Gear for Pro-Like Results” rant—and just to clear up a few misunderstandings, there’s pro gear… and then there’s pro gear. What I... Continue Reading →
Why and how I use ChatGPT - and why you probably should too Let me guess. You like photography. You’ve got your gear sorted. You probably even know your way around Lightroom, your RAWs, and your RAM. And then suddenly... this AI thing. ChatGPT. Everyone’s talking about it. It can write, plan, code, give advice.... Continue Reading →
Today, we get the chance to help a reader with a problem many of you will recognize. So first, let’s look at the question- and then we’ll work our way toward a real solution. This will be our main focus for now, but keep in mind: there are a few extra steps you can add... Continue Reading →
Recently, I found myself chatting (as usual) about raw files and compatibility issues between various cameras and editors. You’d think a raw file is just a raw file, right? Not quite. Some manufacturers just can’t resist tinkering with their raw formats now and then. The result: certain new formats refuse to open in your favourite... Continue Reading →
5 minutes read time If you remember the last article, ‘Chasing the Aurora: Overlay Experiments with Northern Lights’, you’ll recall that while the results were more or less okay, there were definitely some flaws—mainly with the overlay technique itself. I first came across this method years ago from Trey Ratcliff, who used it—probably in Adobe—to... Continue Reading →
Aurora Study no. 11 - Well, I do have a few earlier experiments lying around, but honestly, it’s not like these version brought any major change compared to the previous attempts. With no. 4, I tried refining the original approach—adding an alpha channel, mapping colour to alpha for a transparent aurora, and tossing in a... Continue Reading →
Intro : Site changes and making better use of the gallery—well, this is exactly the kind of direction I want to take things. As I mentioned before, the gallery hasn’t really lived up to its potential, but by connecting it more closely with Open Source Photography, I’m hoping to change that. So, you can expect... Continue Reading →
Well, I did warn you that OSP won’t always take the most obvious route - especially when photography and tech start cross-processing each other. And yes, this is one of those moments. Let’s kick things off with a little context. I may not be in my twenties anymore (my inner nerd strongly disagrees, by the... Continue Reading →
Weekend Special - 5 minute read time Because not every conversation needs a billion-dollar data center. Alright, thought AI was just for brainy professors and quantum physics geeks, and that you’d need a million-dollar mini data center to use it? Think again. Nope, it won’t be ChatGPT or Gemini-level smooth out of the box, but... Continue Reading →
This will be the final Deep Dive in the RawTherapee series — at least for now. If you have any questions about RT or ideas for another Deep Dive, feel free to drop them in the comments. I’ll gladly take a look and see what I can do! A Practical Tool-by-Tool Editing Workflow in RawTherapee... Continue Reading →
10 minutes reading time for Linux systems - 15 minutes all operating systems - 1 minute video Don’t worry - no lead suits or Geiger counters required. We’re not dealing with cold fusion or Soviet-era nuclear tech here (tempting as that sounds). This kind of Fusion is much friendlier - though still deliciously technical. We're... Continue Reading →
To avoid confusion, let’s clear this up first: HaldCluts, Halds, Cluts, Luts, Cubes, and so on are all Color Look-Up Tables or LUTs. However, many photographers on sites and YouTube casually use terms like Preset, Profile, or even Style for the same thing, even though these are usually not "real" LUTs, but rather a collection... Continue Reading →
Creating a Natural-Looking HDR Image with RawTherapee and Luminance HDR When it comes to creating an HDR image that still feels natural, rather than screaming "overcooked", a careful workflow and thoughtful tone mapping choices are crucial.Let me walk you through how I recently processed a water lily to maintain realism while bringing out depth and... Continue Reading →
Every image has a story, and this one starts as a humble RAW file—just data, just potential. But like the forest floor quietly waking up in spring, it only needed the right touch to bloom. With a careful edit in RawTherapee, some luminance tone mapping (Reinhard 02), and a bit of patience, this wood anemone... Continue Reading →
Read this six-minute tweak for RawTherapee, and get a total workflow upgrade. A Fresh Start with RawTherapee: Setting Up Your Favorites for a Smarter Workflow, and Color Management with Adobe Camera Profiles. In a previous article, we talked about ART and other RawTherapee forks. One thing ART definitely has going for it is a simpler... Continue Reading →
6 minutes read. Well, I said I was pretty happy with this quick and simple edits – and I meant it. Honestly, in most cases I’d just throw this kind of result straight into my gallery without chasing perfection.But… can it be improved? Sure. In my first version, I used Shadows & Highlights to bring... Continue Reading →
Well no, it’s not some magical recovery job – this is just a plain RAW file, shown in Neutral. But yeah... it is very dark. So the question becomes: can you still make something out of it in RawTherapee? Absolutely! RawTherapee’s bag of tricks can handle way worse than this. And honestly, with just a... Continue Reading →
