RawTherapee
A raw processor built around demosaicing and colour accuracy, with a 32-bit floating point engine and unusually deep controls.
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7 more ways to get RawTherapee
Other download sites
Run by third parties, not by The RawTherapee team. Prefer the official page above when it works.
Package managers
- winget
winget install --id RawTherapee.RawTherapee - Chocolatey
choco install rawtherapee - Homebrew
brew install --cask rawtherapee - Flathub
flatpak install flathub com.rawtherapee.RawTherapee
About RawTherapee
RawTherapee develops raw files from a broad range of cameras, plus HDR DNG files and ordinary JPEG, TIFF and PNG images. The engine is non-destructive and works in 32-bit floating point, with modern demosaicing algorithms and detailed colour and detail editing.
Its raw handling is the standout: best-in-class demosaicing, the ability to run two demosaicing algorithms on the same image, pixel-shift compositing with automatic ghost masking, multi-frame raw files, dark frame subtraction, flat field correction and hot or dead pixel correction. It rewards people who take the time to learn it.
Strengths
- Non-destructive 32-bit floating point processing engine
- Two demosaicing algorithms can be applied to the same image
- Pixel-shift compositing with automatic ghost masking, and multi-frame raw support
- Dark frame subtraction, flat field correction and hot or dead pixel correction
- AppImage, Windows x86_64 and ARM64, and macOS builds; over fifteen languages
Limitations
- The project itself says it benefits users who take the time to learn it
- No library or catalogue management; it develops files, it does not organise them
- The interface exposes a great deal at once and is not friendly to beginners
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source under GPLv3.
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Developer
- The RawTherapee team
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Getting the most out of a raw file when you care about demosaicing and colour
- Categories
- Photo tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Photos); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 6 sources on file.
Alternatives to RawTherapee
Compare allSoftware that can replace RawTherapee for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
ART
Raw photo processor derived from RawTherapee with a simpler interface.
ART is derived from RawTherapee and keeps its processing quality while cutting the number of controls, so it is quicker to use but allows less fine adjustment.
darktable
A non-destructive raw developer and photo workflow application: a virtual lighttable and darkroom for photographers.
darktable is also free and GPL-3.0, adds a database-managed library, GPU acceleration and colour management through to print, but still has a steep learning curve.
RapidRAW
Develop camera RAW images in a GPU-accelerated editor.
RapidRAW is a free AGPL-3.0 raw editor with GPU-accelerated local processing that also runs on Android, but requires compatible graphics hardware and supported cameras.
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe's photo organizer and RAW editor with a library synced across desktop, web and mobile.
Adobe Lightroom adds cataloging and a library synced across desktop, web and mobile, but is closed source, subscription only and has no Linux version.
Capture One
Professional RAW photo editor and tethering tool used by studio photographers.
Capture One is a paid Windows and macOS RAW editor with tethered shooting and precise color handling, with no Linux version and a higher price than mainstream editors.
Affinity Photo 2
Raster photo editor for retouching, compositing and RAW processing.
Affinity Photo 2 is a paid Windows and macOS editor that adds layer-based retouching and compositing to RAW processing, though version 2 is now legacy.
Photomator
RAW photo editor from the Pixelmator team with ML enhancements and color grading.
Photomator is a paid macOS and iOS RAW editor with machine-learning enhancements and color grading, trading Linux and Windows support for Apple ecosystem integration.
RawTherapee as an alternative
Listings that name RawTherapee as an alternative.
Luminar Neo
A desktop photo editor for Windows and Mac built around AI tools for skies, portraits and relighting.
RawTherapee is a free GPL-3.0 raw processor with deep manual colour and demosaicing controls, but no AI tools or library management.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
digiKam
A photo manager built for libraries of a hundred thousand images, with face recognition, batch processing and heavy metadata support.
GIMP
The long-running free image editor for photo retouching, compositing and general pixel work.
DNGLab
Convert supported camera RAW files to DNG from the terminal.
ExifTool
Reads, writes and edits metadata in almost every image, audio and video format there is, and is the reference tool for the job.
nomacs
A fast image viewer that opens RAW and PSD files and can show the same picture in two synchronised windows.
Topaz Photo
Desktop image enhancement software that uses AI models to sharpen, denoise, unblur and upscale photos.
