December 6, 2025
What does “Darktable Pro” mean? Do I have to pay for it?
No, Darktable is and remains free open-source software.
We use the term “Pro” because our configuration (Themes & Shortcuts, Presets, Styles, etc.) transforms Darktable from a (very good) overloaded toolbox into a professional working instrument.
The idea behind it is: Less is more.
- Pro means: You work more efficiently, not more complicatedly.
- Pro means: No distraction from outdated modules.
- Pro means: An interface optimized for speed and the modern workflow.
“Why English screenshots?”
Darktable is an international project. Even though our texts are in German, we show the software in the images in English. This helps enormously when you search for specific modules or problems on the internet, as most solutions are found in English forums. Furthermore, it keeps the path open for us to easily translate darktable.info into other languages later.
Darktable sometimes behaves differently than you are used to from other programs. Here are the solutions for the most common “moments of shock”.
“Why do my RAWs look so dark/flat when opening?”
Don’t panic, this is normal!
- The reason: Your camera shows you a processed JPEG on the display (with contrast, sharpness, saturation). Darktable, however, shows you the “naked” raw data.
- The solution: This is exactly why we use the Standard Workflow. As soon as you activate AgX or Filmic and Color Balance RGB, the image looks lively again immediately – but with much higher quality than the camera JPEG.
“My exported image has very flat colors on the web!”
This is almost always a profile error.
- The solution: You probably exported in AdobeRGB or ProPhotoRGB. Browsers often cannot display this correctly. In the export module, you must set the profile to
sRGB.
“Darktable is extremely slow!”
Image processing is computational work.
- The solution: Check if your graphics card is being used. Go to Settings (gear icon) -> Processing -> Activate OpenCL support. If it says “not available” there, you might be missing graphics drivers. With an active GPU, Darktable is blazing fast.
“Where are my images stored?”
Important concept: Darktable is a database.
- It does not store your images “inside” the program. It only remembers where they are located on your hard drive.
- Attention: If you move or rename images in Windows Explorer / Finder, Darktable will no longer find them (skull icon).
- Correct: Always move images within Darktable (in the Lighttable under “selected images” -> “move”), then the database knows about it.
“I have white borders (halos) around objects!”
You probably used an outdated module.
- The solution: Did you use “Shadows and Highlights” or “Sharpen”? Deactivate them. Instead, use the Tone Equalizer (for brightness) and Diffuse or Sharpen (for sharpness).