Who RAW75 is for
Lightroom is a big product: a catalog, cloud sync, mobile apps, AI masking and a Develop module. Many photographers only really use the Develop module, and pay a monthly subscription for it. RAW75 focuses on that part: open a folder of RAW files, edit them quickly, export.
- No subscription: RAW75 is free and open source (GNU AGPL v3). No account, no cloud.
- Linux, too: Lightroom has never been available on Linux. RAW75 was designed there first.
- Fast: every slider runs on the GPU, so the preview keeps up while you drag.
- No generative AI: RAW75 doesn't add or invent content in your photos.
Lightroom tools and their RAW75 equivalents
| Lightroom Classic | RAW75 |
|---|---|
| Basic › Exposure, Contrast | Light › Exposure (slider or curve), Contrast |
| Basic › Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks | Light › High Dynamic Range |
| Basic › Texture, Clarity, Dehaze | Light › Clarity & Atmosphere (Detail, Texture, Dehaze, Distance) |
| Basic › Temp, Tint | Color › White Balance (Kelvin, Tint) |
| Basic › Vibrance, Saturation | Color › Color Editor (Vibrance), Light › Saturation |
| Color Mixer (HSL) | Color › Color Editor (Hue, Saturation, Lightness per color) |
| Color Grading | Color › Color Grading (shadow, midtone, highlight wheels) |
| Detail › Sharpening, Noise Reduction | Tools › Detail & Noise Reduction |
| Crop & Straighten, Effects › Vignette | Tools › Rotation, Geometry & Lens |
| Healing / Spot Removal | Tools › Spot Removal |
| Photo Merge › HDR | Merge HDR… |
| Presets, Copy / Paste Settings | Presets & Looks, Copy / Paste |
| Flags and ratings | Ready and Favorite marks, with filters |
RAW75's exposure curve works in stops across darks, midtones and lights, drawn over the photo's own histogram.
What RAW75 doesn't do (yet)
Things RAW75 doesn't have:
- No masks or local adjustments (brushes, gradients, subject selection).
- No catalog with keywords, collections, maps or face recognition. RAW75 works on folders.
- No cloud sync or mobile app.
- No lens profile corrections or panorama merge.
If you rely on those every day, Lightroom or darktable are better fits today. If you mainly develop and export, RAW75 will feel lighter and faster.
Moving from Lightroom
- Download RAW75 for your system and open it.
- Click Folder and pick a folder of RAW files. It becomes your workspace.
- Edit in Develop; use the Light, Color and Tools tabs on the right.
- Mark keepers Ready, then Export them all at once.
Your original RAW files are never modified. Lightroom edits stored in its catalog or XMP sidecars aren't imported; RAW75 starts each photo from the RAW file.
Price
RAW75 costs nothing and has no paid tier. It's developed in the open on GitHub; ideas and bug reports are welcome in Discussions.