A few days ago it was announced official release of the new version of "Darktable 5.4", A powerful open-source photo processing and RAW development system. This update introduces changes structural aspects of bookstore management, new color processing algorithms inherited from the film industry and optimized for modern graphical environments on Linux.
The project continues to evolve to offer a professional alternative to proprietary tools, focusing its efforts on color accuracy and workflow flexibility for photographers handling large volumes of images.
Main news in Darktable 5.4
One of the most functional new features of this version is the compatibility with multiple workspaces. Now it is possible Configure completely separate configuration files and databases with each other. By activating this option, the program allows you to create new environments or select a default one at startup.
This function It is ideal for photographers who want to separate their personal libraries from their professional ones.so working with project-specific catalogs without making the databases too large. Furthermore, The option to create a temporary workspace has been implementedwhere the database is stored only in RAM, eliminating any trace on the disk when the session is closed.
Another new feature of Darktable 5.4 is the significant advances in detail recovery and color representation:
AgX tone mapping
A has been incorporated New tone mapping module based on Blender's AgX algorithmThis system offers color reproduction similar to the Sigmoid module, but with much more precise control. It allows for explicit configuration of white and black points (in the style of Filmic RGB) and establishes an adjustable reference point (defaulting to 18% middle gray) to control contrast.
The result of AgX is a gradual and natural desaturation in the highlights, mimicking the behavior of chemical film and avoiding strange color shifts in overexposed areas.
Capture clarity in the Demosaic module
The Demosaic module, responsible for reconstructing color information from the raw sensor data, It now includes the "Capture Sharpness" section. This tool is designed to recover details lost due to the intrinsic blur of the shot, such as lens diffraction or the smoothing effect of low-pass filters (antialiasing) in sensors.
Jump to Wayland
Darktable has reached parity performance between Wayland and X11. The Fixed numerous visual and performance bugs Specifically designed for Wayland environments, including proper handling of ICC color profiles. Users of modern distributions that have moved away from X11 will now find a much smoother interface and color representation identical to that offered by the traditional graphics system.
Performance and interface improvements
Speed ​​has been a key focus in this development cycle:
- Lut3D Acceleration: The 3D lookup table module has been optimized, achieving a speed increase of between 5% and 20%.
- Fast boot time: Boot time has been drastically reduced when image libraries are hosted on mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs) or network-attached storage (NAS).
- User interface: The Liquify module now responds more quickly, and the state of the toolbar buttons is automatically saved between sessions.
- Precise controls: The 360° sliders now display a color wheel or compass when right-clicked, making rotation and perspective adjustments easier.
Hardware and camera support
As usual, compatibility has been expanded to include new camera models for RAW processing, white balance profiles, and noise reduction:
- Canon: EOS R1, EOS R5 Mark II, PowerShot S100V.
- Nikon: Z fc, Z5 Mark II.
- Fujifilm: X-E5, X-M5, FinePix HS33EXR.
- Sony: DSC-RX1RM3, ZV-1M2, ILCA-99M2.
- Leica: Q3 Monochrome, D-Lux 8, M EV1.
- Panasonic: DC-S1M2.
It is important to note that support has been discontinued for some older models from brands such as Hasselblad (H1), Kodak (EasyShare Z980) and Phase One (IQ250), due to the obsolescence of drivers or the lack of maintainers for those specific formats.
If you want to learn more about this new version of Darktable and check out the full list of supported cameras, you can check out the official announcement via the following link
How to install Darktable on Ubuntu and derivatives?
As for installing Darktable on Ubuntu and its derivatives, currently precompiled binaries are not available in the official repositories, although this is expected to change in a few days. Once the new version is available, installation will be as simple as running the command:
sudo apt-get install darktable
For those who don't want to wait and want to experiment with this new version right away, it is possible to compile the program manually from the source code. To get started, you must first clone the official repository with the following commands:
git clone https://github.com/darktable-org/darktable.git cd darktable git submodule init git submodule update
You can then proceed with the compilation and installation using the provided script, specifying the installation path and build type:
./build.sh --prefix /opt/darktable --build-type Release
Another method to install Darktable is by downloading the AppImage file from the following link.
After that, give execution permissions:
sudo chmod +x Darktable-5.4.0-x86_64.AppImage
And run the file with a double click or from the terminal:
./Darktable-5.4.0-x86_64.AppImage