p.1 #2 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
I use DXO Photo Lab for raw processing (you can use the micro contrast in this for sharpening) and Affinity Photo for pixel based editing (that provides decent sharpening options). Photo Lab is non subscription, whereas Affinity Photo has changed their model a bit recently. Free version (V3) is non subscription, however I use the earlier version(V2). You may want to check both of them out. Photo Lab gives a 30 day free trial version as well.
p.1 #5 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
ChicagoJeff wrote:
I'll upgrade my PC later this year
My old versions of Photoshop & Topaz were purchased prior to cloud based subscription pricing.
What non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software products are the FM users running these days?
DXO Photolab is a very good program that sells as non-subscription. But many people buy the upgrade new version each year, which makes it about the same cost as a subscritpion to LR.
While DXO is very good, I still prefer LRC. For example, DXO has no equivalent to LRC's snapshots, which let you conveniently save multiple edits of a photo for comparison or refinement and development of an image. Yes, DXO has Virtual Copies, but they clog up your feed and are not as flexible or as convenient as Snapshots in LRC. I also prefer LRC's masking and removal features.
p.1 #7 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
ChicagoJeff wrote:
I'll upgrade my PC later this year
My old versions of Photoshop & Topaz were purchased prior to cloud based subscription pricing.
What non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software products are the FM users running these days?
FWIW, I would not be too quick to rule out the subscription-pricing applications.
When Adobe moved to subscriptions I was pretty upset about it. I thought that they would quickly jack up the prices once people signed p at the initial relatively low rates and that they would be less inclined to update the software once they had us “locked in” to subscriptions. (It always seemed like new features came in new releases back in the era of purchasing the products.)
But I was wrong.
The price didn’t change at all for over a decade, and if pay on an annual basis and eschew the versions with a ton of cloud storage the price is still about the same. I’m paying about $10/month. I can’t get out of a Starbucks for less than that, and $10 won’t buy me two gallons of gas where I live.
And Adobe has continued to update the software, if anything accelerating the pace of upgrades.
I don’t think Adobe is a perfect company at all. (I’m not a fan of their recent moves to make core features into add-ons, and a court case recently determined that they had misled customers about how to opt out of subscriptions.)
But the software is at least equal to the best out there, and if you keep up to date with current versions the subscription costs no more than purchases costs us back in the day.
p.1 #8 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
gdanmitchell wrote:
FWIW, I would not be too quick to rule out the subscription-pricing applications.
The price didn’t change at all for over a decade, and if pay on an annual basis and eschew the versions with a ton of cloud storage the price is still about the same. I’m paying about $10/month.
YMMV.
Thanks for the reply.
The lowest price I see for PS is $19.99 per month. Add $21 per month for Topaz and we're up to $494 per year. Not worth it for me as an amateur. I started with GIMP and switched to PS 15 years ago but I'll look into Affinity Photo.
p.1 #9 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
ChicagoJeff wrote:
Thanks for the reply.
The lowest price I see for PS is $19.99 per month. Add $21 per month for Topaz and we're up to $494 per year. Not worth it for me as an amateur. I started with GIMP and switched to PS 15 years ago but I'll look into Affinity Photo.
Affinity is a really good application. You only need to go into subscription mode if you want to use their AI stuff. As am amateur , you don't need that. Their V2 was powerful enough for me (as an amateur) for all my pixel based editing. If you are already familiar with PS, the learning curve is not that steep as well. I would say look into it before you pay for anything, after all it is free.
p.1 #10 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
guywithgas wrote:
Affinity is a really good application. You only need to go into subscription mode if you want to use their AI stuff. As am amateur , you don't need that. Their V2 was powerful enough for me (as an amateur) for all my pixel based editing. If you are already familiar with PS, the learning curve is not that steep as well. I would say look into it before you pay for anything, after all it is free.
I don't mind paying for software, I just don't want to pay for a subscription. BTW, what are you using for sharpening?
p.1 #11 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
ChicagoJeff wrote:
I don't mind paying for software, I just don't want to pay for a subscription. BTW, what are you using for sharpening?
I understand, same here. I use "micro contrast" option in DXO (RAW processing). If I needed more to do on pixel editor, Affinity has multiple options. Unsharp mask / High Pass filter / Clarity. They are non-destructive as well.
I bought Nik Collection (from DXO again). Some of those filters are good as well when it comes to working on sharpening. It all depends on the RAW file and how I decide to process it, mostly based on feel/mood.
p.1 #12 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
ChicagoJeff wrote:
I don't mind paying for software, I just don't want to pay for a subscription. BTW, what are you using for sharpening?
There is a dedicated sharpening tool in Photolab. This works mostly in auto, although the amount can be reduced if needed.
Another tool that adds sharpening is the DeepPRIME XD3 denoising. Lastly, (as mentioned above) the Microcontrast has the effect akin to sharpening, however, this isn't a primary sharpening tool.
There are many very useful and good quality Masks in DxO Photolab 9 - I find masking works better in Photolab 9 than in the other program that I use regularly, Capture One.
Among other strengths of Photolab 9 are the Linear Curve and outstanding denoising.
The principle weakness, in my experience, is the way how the Highlights - Midtones - Shadows - Black sliders work. This is where Capture One shines and Photolab (basically) sucks because the changes are not selective enough. E.g., adjusting the shadows appears to affect the blacks and midtones. Also the sliders are rather crude - small changes may cause large changes. Because of this weakness, I prefer Capture One for most corrections. I also like the color profiles in Capture One. The trouble with Capture One, however, is that it doesn't have efficient denoising of the kind available in Photolab 9. Therefore, my work in Capture One is mixed, sometimes on raw files, and other times on the denoised linear dng files from Photolab 9.
I also find Photolab 9 useful when working on 16-bit TIF files exported from one of my cameras (GFX100S II).
There is arguably no single application for processing that is perfect in every way (I expect LR fans should disagree). If Capture One and Photolab merged their strengths into a single app one day - that could be a dream app.
p.1 #13 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
ChicagoJeff wrote:
Thanks for the reply.
The lowest price I see for PS is $19.99 per month. Add $21 per month for Topaz and we're up to $494 per year. Not worth it for me as an amateur. I started with GIMP and switched to PS 15 years ago but I'll look into Affinity Photo.
With how good Lightroom/Photoshop are these days I never use Topaz at all for anything anymore. The sharpening...well no matter what I do it looks too fake in Topaz, at least when I try to make it better than Lightroom or Photoshop can. I'd question your need for multiple software packages in this day and age. One of the upsides of the more rapid update cycles that are enabled by subscription fees is that most software packages are becoming more feature complete, negating the need for a million third-party packages that do one or two things. Something to consider at least.
p.1 #14 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
ChicagoJeff wrote:
I'll upgrade my PC later this year
My old versions of Photoshop & Topaz were purchased prior to cloud based subscription pricing.
What non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software products are the FM users running these days?
I second the recommandation for DxO PhotoLab. I have used it for many years now, and found it to produce great output for a wide range of cameras (Canon DSLRs, Leica M9, SL2s and M10). Contrast and de-noising controls are great and very effective.
Another thing to evaluate is Darktable. I had evaluated it some years ago (maybe 5 to 10) and did not like it at that time, but i heard recently some friends speak more highly of it. I will not have time to play with it any time soon, but it is maybe something you may want to take the time to do before selecting some photo editing software for years to come.
Regarding the non-subscription preference: I not only also feel the same way (it is not even only a question of price for me but a question of a dependency that I do not want to have), but also that it is very important that both options stay around. Even for people who are on subscription and are happy with that, it is beneficial that other options exist and keep the providers with this model honest with pricing.
p.1 #15 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
Most of the non-sub programs won't update their programs to recognize files from newer cameras over time, meaning that, sure, you have a perpetual license but if you ever decide to upgrade, you're frozen out of the program by default.
p.1 #16 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
The choice of software depends on what you want to accomplish. Here are just a few considerations.
Do you shoot raw and need to open files for printing or online viewing? If so, as a Canon user, I recommend Canon's free software, DPP4. It is a bit slow but does a great job of opening raw files and performing minor adjustments such as white/black points, overall brightness, sharpening, color adjustments. Again, free and it will work if you buy a new Canon camera. You can save files as jpegs or as loseless tiffs for further editing.
What level of complexity do you need for further post processing? There are quite a few tools that are available free or at low cost. Gimp is a free and still has a lot of capability for basic processing including techniques requiring layers. Affinity Photo is more capable and is now also available free. Other choices include On1, about $100 for a one time purchase. My favorite is Photoshop Elements. It is very capable and I like it because it meets my needs and is easy to use. I have an old copy but I believe it is now only available as subscription. Even so the cost is low.
p.1 #17 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
I’m fine with paying the $120 a year for Adobe, because it’s my core software and I use it almost daily. I have issues paying for a subscription for software that I don’t rely on constantly. So, Topaz is out, but DXO stays.
p.1 #19 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
Darktable is the most economically sensible option. But be prepared for a learning curve. I have tested the latest incarnation within the past year but found it cannot truly replace Adobe for me yet. The core functionality of Darktable is fine. Where it continues to fall short for me is with plugins. If Darktable alone does everything you need, it may be a viable choice. If you find you need lots of plugins to get all the features you're used to, the frustration level increases.
p.1 #20 · Non-subscription photo editing and sharpening software
ChicagoJeff wrote:
Thanks for the reply.
The lowest price I see for PS is $19.99 per month. Add $21 per month for Topaz and we're up to $494 per year. Not worth it for me as an amateur. I started with GIMP and switched to PS 15 years ago but I'll look into Affinity Photo.
Depending on your camera. Manufacturers provide free RAW converters. NX Studio for Nikon for instance. Its not bad at all.
In case you are interested in the PS/LR Photo Abo 1TB, the best time to buy it is as 1 yr prepaid package from newegg on Black Friday. Last year it was around $86+ with rebates, for one year. They used to be stackable. I was able to stack multiple years in the past.
Amazon at least in Germany has the Lightroom only 1 yr 1TB prepaid package on sale for 77 Euros. Amazon US has it on sale for $85.
When your Adobe account has a credit card on file, the subscription continues, when the prepaid time ended.
DXO Photolab has a no subscription option, but its not feature complete. It needs filmpack to get luminosity masking and one additional contrast slider.
On1 Effects 2025 still seems to be free. Its actually a module based plugin, but works as standalone too. The free version also allows to upgrade to On1 effects 2026 or On1PhotoRaw.
