darktable is a free, open-source photography workflow application and raw developer. The project calls it “a virtual lighttable and darkroom for photographers”: it keeps your digital negatives in a database, lets you browse them on a zoomable lighttable, and develops raw files non-destructively in the darkroom. It is designed to help photographers handle the thousands of images a day of shooting can produce, and it is one of the few free projects that supports tethered shooting.
How to get the official version
The install page lists version 5.6.1 with files hosted on the project’s GitHub release:
- Windows:
darktable-5.6.1-win64.exefor standard PCs anddarktable-5.6.1-woa64.exefor Windows on ARM. The page links a list of known Windows issues. - macOS: separate DMGs for Apple Silicon (arm64) and Intel, supporting macOS 13.5 (Ventura) and later.
- Linux: AppImages for x86_64 and aarch64, the Flatpak on Flathub, OBS packages for several distributions, or your distribution’s own package.
The install page notes that the Flatpak does not include darktable’s AI features.
Opening darktable on a Mac
macOS may say darktable “can’t be opened” or is “damaged” because it was not downloaded from the Mac App Store. The project’s instructions are to right-click the app and choose Open, to allow it under Privacy and Security in System Settings, or to remove the quarantine flag with xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/darktable.app. Only do this for a DMG you downloaded from darktable.org or its GitHub release.
Price and account
darktable is free software under the GPL 3.0. There are no accounts, ads or paid editions.
Safety notes
darktable.org lists only its own downloads, the GitHub release, Flathub, OBS and distribution packages. Treat any other “darktable” download, and any paid version, as unofficial. Check your download against the SHA-256 values below.
Questions
Can I install darktable with a package manager?
On Linux, yes: it is available in many distributions and through OBS, though the timing of distribution updates is outside the project’s control. On macOS it is in MacPorts, and on Windows winget install darktable.darktable installs the official release.
Which Windows file do I need?
Use the win64 installer on normal Intel or AMD PCs and the woa64 installer on Windows on ARM devices.
Why are the AI features missing on Linux?
If you installed the Flatpak, that is expected: the install page says it does not include darktable’s AI features. Use the AppImage instead.
