Speaking from macOS and iOS use, Orion’s great in terms of performance and efficiency in my testing, and I’m excited to see what all can be done on Linux.

Hey, there you go. I’ve yet to encounter one myself, but the Fairphone 6 seems to finally be “viable” for most people. Battery’s still on the weaker side and performance is a bit behind most comparable phones, but in terms of ethics and sustainability, they’re unmatched.

I’d love to check out a budget flagship-killer like the Nothing or CMF Phones, but software update support was crucial enough to have kept me from fully switching to Android for years. I happen to be partial to Samsung after having their tablets for so long, but other brands (so long as they offer comparable update support) have stepped up significantly. Since Fairphone does have that much down though, go for it.

Shame… that stinks. Well, if it’s any consolation, Samsung phones are finally at the 7 years of software update promise, so you might be able to get an S24 or A34 (or higher, of course, just two options), load it up with Material-style launchers and icon packs, even maybe the open Pixel Camera app from that one website, and turn it into your new “Pixel” until the battery FULLY dies. That, or you can embrace ONE UI or another Android skin entirely, up to you.

Okay. You’re now the second person I’ve seen to have Linux issues. It sounds like it’s much more optimized for macOS and Windows for now, as everything worked well with macOS and Windows 11 (the latter in a virtual machine via VMware Fusion) on a 16 GB M4 MacBook Air. You might just want to submit an issue for optimized Linux support. The developer’s still focusing on building out core functionality, but optimization is definitely key.

It might be worth trying one or two other launchers (Nova and Microsoft, perhaps?) and checking OS versions to see if it’s possibly a Pixel issue, an OS issue, or something else entirely. I think recall vaguely hearing about Google discouraging third-party launchers, but I don’t know that they actually did anything to make them worse.

A simple change, but a welcome one to be sure.

Could be. Full file format support is hit-or-miss with newer programs – even if it can read and write the data, it may not be able to fully interpret it. Try running through *Adobe DNG Converter or converting it to a TIFF, then see if that works any better, perhaps? Also check if there’s already a “full resolution editing” suggestion on the GitHub, and if not, make one! I’m away from my computer right now, but if you find/make one, please link it here so I can also share it.

*Adobe DNG Converter is the one Adobe tool I do use since it’s 100% free and offline. It JUST converts images to “standard” DNG files or JPEGs, and I do this for iPhone ProRAWs or other unsupported images when trying to edit in Darktable. I had to make some “iPhone DNG presets” and all since ADC removes the Apple DNG-specific data, but it works well beyond that.

That’s definitely odd. I mean, it is still definitely WIP (even core-functionality wise), but at least on macOS (via M4 MBA with 16 GB RAM) and Windows 11 (via VMware Fusion with 8 GB RAM and 3D Acceleration on the same ARM Mac, mind you), RapidRAW ran well with my test 48 MP shot and some quick edits.

1. I think you have to release (or hold the mouse still) on an adjustment to see it rather than instant live previews, but aside from that, things generally worked pretty well in my testing. That might be the “issue” with it being “slow,” but if you mean just general scrolling around, that might be an actual bug or lack of Linux optimization yet.
2. The proxy resolution cap is definitely understandable, at least while the program’s still heavily WIP and probably not fully optimized for Linux (hence not being available as a Flatpak or AppImage which would be universal).
3. The highlights “falling apart” sounds like a bug. I know there was one bug where the slider directions for two things (possibly highlights and shadows) were accidentally reversed, so it might be worth looking into that, and if this is another issue, report it to the developer’s GitHub.

I’m with you though – Darktable’s an excellent piece of software, but I’d love a “Lightroom-esque” program and this looks promising!

Oh yeah, I literally just mean in terms of power and use case. I’m 100% for Darktable and have been loving it since version 3.0. I recognize Lightroom and LrC’s purposes though, and (at least for the tech support and recommendations I do for others) believe it important to keep these things in mind for anyone else looking to switch.

You’re entitled to your opinion about the interface (I personally think it’s quite sleek, especially for a user coming from Lr or other simpler editors but not wanting to get into Dt-levels of complexity), but it’s not intended to compete against Darktable in the first place. I would argue that it looks more like Adobe Lightroom (its actual competitor, as stated even in the developer’s ReadMe) than anything.

Keep in mind:

• Adobe Lightroom is the lighter, more streamlined editor with more of the ease-of-use. This is closer to what RapidRAW is trying to achieve. This is shown in the more lightweight interface with fewer options and controls.
• Adobe Lightroom Classic is the heavier, more powerful editor that tries to have all the features. That’s more of Darktable’s area. This is shown in the more detailed interface with more options and settings.

↑ LrC vs Lr interface

Not everyone needs both programs – most people would probably be fine with just Lightroom and don’t need the power/want to deal with the initial complexity of LrC. For people who want those programs without the Adobe, however, that’s where RapidRAW and Darktable come in.

Understandable – and that’s not what this is trying to be. Just as Lightroom ≠ Lightroom Classic, RapidRAW ≠ Darktable. Dt is much more suited to be a LrC competitor, and RR is much more of a Lr competitor in terms of features and usability.

Most WIP projects are missing things that might prevent some people from making the full switch just yet. That’s why they’re works-in-progress. Catch bugs, implement placeholders, flesh things out, and improve the product (and your knowledge along with it).

Again, something being vibe coded doesn’t have to mean a bad thing – no one else built it, so they did. You’re 100% allowed to question their means of getting there, and you don’t have to use it in the end, but the fact of the matter is… some things DO work and the basis has been laid out, it’s FOSS so anyone can take a look at things themselves, and the program exists when it did not before.

Easy: My Ex-dobe suite! Lightroom Classic → Darktable Lightroom → RapidRAW (fairly new, but looks promising) Illustrator → Inkscape Premiere Pro → Kdenlive (I usually use DaVinci Resolve, but Kdenlive is respectable for a FOSS program) Photoshop → GIMP + Krita

Could someone test this with programs like GIMP, Darktable, and Inkscape? I’m curious about the potential of the Android phone as PC, particularly with the merging of Android and Chrome OS. If Android’s desktop mode progresses enough to a level of maturity to run Linux programs sufficiently, this combined with the general Linux on ARM efforts of Asahi and others could prove to be THE solution. Just imagine one of those tri-folding phones unfold to a tablet size with a folio-style keyboard and trackpad, then plugging the tablet-phone into a monitor and desktop setup to “get real work done.”

In all fairness, RapidRAW still wouldn’t solve this person’s needs (a mobile editor with desktop sync) even if it didn’t flag their suspicion, and vibe-coded programs rightfully should warrant a bit more investigation. They are still a relatively new phenomenon and malicious programs DO exist. From my (admittedly somewhat brief) research, RapidRAW’s developer seems to be credible, though I understand caution.

On iOS and iPadOS, I usually resort to Snapseed, though that is also where one of Adobe’s few free editors exist in the form of Lightroom mobile. I’d love it if Darktable or RapidRAW got a mobile port, but at least here in the US where sideloading is still not the most accessible and the alternative is a paid developer account to be available in the App Store, I can understand where they’re coming from.

Fair point on the AI caution. The author actually shares a similarity to myself with my own “LaunchBack” Launchpad revival app which was also a good amount vibe-coded in the initial version. To quote the developer’s ReadMe,

I developed this project as a personal challenge at the age of 18. My goal was to create a high-performance tool for my own photography workflow while deepening my understanding of both React and Rust, with the support from Google Gemini.

The thing is, “vibe-coded” doesn’t always have to mean some terrible project stealing data with a million backdoors. From the looks of his GitHub page, he’s made a fair share of programs and contributions already, and he’s done a good amount of improvement and updates since the first release. Utilizing AI in development isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Now, as far as programs that sync between mobile AND desktop in this category, I’m afraid those are more sparse outside of Adobe’s offerings, and credit where due – Adobe does a good job of that.

I only dislike Adobe because it can be SO inaccessible for people just wanting to learn some photography, forcing them to think “I have to dedicate ##% of my salary to this program, even if I’m just learning things as a beginner.” That’s the primary reason I stand with FOSS and all, as any option that allows people to work without needing to subscribe to closed-source companies (that are most likely using your data ALSO to train AI models and whatnot) is a win, and you seem to understand that. I’m just suggesting that this app being largely vibe-coded doesn’t have to be a bad thing, y’know?

Understandable sentiments. I’m a MS Edge user, for instance, and despite slowly switching almost all my other services, MS Edge just gets it all right. Brave’s featureset is basically a lesser version, and Firefox is getting better, but Microsoft (of all companies) genuinely made a great browser.

I second this. I’m on Stable and have had basically no issues, though I did experience a few that only resolved after disabling Decky when I temporarily tested SteamOS Beta.

Software. Everyone gets hung up on the hardware aesthetic and all, especially with this new phone’s more… “questionable” design compared to the last ones, which were debatably more “cool.” Nothing’s supposed specialty is the software side, which goes beyond just a simple minimal monochrome skin or some fancy text.

According to most my friends with Nothing phones, it’s all the little details and refinements… but yeah, I’d still buy a Phone (2) or 3a before this since it’s otherwise an underpowered flagship. This formula’s great when undercutting the competition price-wise, but this phone just feels like a substantial price bump SOLELY for a better processor… and still not the best one.