# Need PS/LR Replacement for Fuji cameras



## pixmedic (Mar 24, 2021)

not doing near as much photography as I have in years past and I'm having a harder and harder time justifying that adobe subscription. I still need to edit the occasional photo and when I do, I still want something that is going to deliver quality results. 
Ive been using adobe products since the late 90's. 
I strictly use Fuji cameras now.  I have some with x-trans sensor and some with the Bayer. 
I know some software apps have issues with fujis x-trans sensor so getting fuji RAW files right will definitely be a deal breaker. 

so far im looking at a few options...

Capture One Pro (I really don't like how you can either pick ONE camera file type or pay extra for "ALL" types)
Skylum Luminar 4.
Exposure X6
DxO PhotoLab 4
ON1 Photo RAW

I have not done any deep-dive research on any of these yet, just looked at some brief overviews and user reviews....which may or may not have been biased. 
I don't mind spending $150 or so if it's a legitimate lateral-ish move from lightroom and can handle fuji's RAW files well.  i mostly just want to knock out a recurring monthly expense. 
so hit me with your best LR alternatives!


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## Ysarex (Mar 24, 2021)

pixmedic said:


> not doing near as much photography as I have in years past and I'm having a harder and harder time justifying that adobe subscription. I still need to edit the occasional photo and when I do, I still want something that is going to deliver quality results.
> Ive been using adobe products since the late 90's.
> I strictly use Fuji cameras now.  I have some with x-trans sensor and some with the Bayer.
> I know some software apps have issues with fujis x-trans sensor so getting fuji RAW files right will definitely be a deal breaker.
> ...


You can have Capture One Express (Fuji) for free. Add to that Affinity Photo on sale right now for $25.00 and you're up and running. C1 Pro is excellent but $$$$.

DXO PL4 does not support your Fuji X camera.

Luminar is from Skylum. Treat Skylum like they are the plague. They are a plague.

On1 is good software and will do the job for all your cameras and they just released new version 2021 and it's on sale for $65.00 which is a bargain for sure -- good software & good company. Still add Affinity if you want more in depth raster editing.

There's always DarkTable which is open source for raw processing and add to that Affinity for $25.00.


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## jcdeboever (Mar 24, 2021)

I use Exposure x6. Super easy. Download the 30 day trial. I don't edit much but it does a good job when I need it. I use it on portrait tweaks mostly...enhance iris, cropping it to a printed format, smooth skin, dodge / burn, heal, etc....small tweaks that make a world of difference to me. Powerful file manager.


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## pixmedic (Mar 25, 2021)

Ysarex said:


> pixmedic said:
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> > not doing near as much photography as I have in years past and I'm having a harder and harder time justifying that adobe subscription. I still need to edit the occasional photo and when I do, I still want something that is going to deliver quality results.
> ...



Dang... That's a shame about DxO. That one was actually at the top of my list. 
What's wrong with Skylum? I have never heard of them before.
Any experience with Exposure X6?

It may come down to simply getting capture one pro but I'll do a little more digging when im not on shift. On1 did look pretty good too.


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## SquarePeg (Mar 25, 2021)

Affinity is great for most uses.  I used to recommend the $20 Affinity iPad app for easy edits but I would stay away from that right now. The latest version is crashing almost constantly.  If the desktop is available for $25 that sounds like a bargain.  

Also for jpeg edits, Snapseed is free and has some great features.


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## Ysarex (Mar 25, 2021)

pixmedic said:


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It is indeed a shame about DXO. I use DXO for some work with my non-Fuji cameras and it is excellent software. They do have a problem with hidden costs. You purchase the raw converter and eventually you bump into a missing feature that you'd swear should be there and it's not like adding a vignette. Then you find out it's available just pony up another $50.00 for the the film pack. However the software does an excellent job.

Skylum is out of control. Their software is poorly conceived and engineered. For example we expect by now that a parametric raw converter functions 100% non-destructively. LR does. C1 does. On1 does. PL4 does. DarkTable does. Luminar does NOT. They get a product to beta stage and release it. If ever there was a company that uses it's paying customer base to debug their beta products it's Skylum. Then before they finish the debugging job they get distracted and head off in another direction with a new beta product. Product support is poor.

I'm not qualified to say much about Exposure X6. I downloaded a trial last year. It seemed like reasonable software but it was obvious to me fairly quickly that we have very different approaches. I want a raw converter to hand me full control and otherwise stay out of my way. Exposure X6 is built around supplying the user with canned effects. It may be possible to ignore all that but I didn't see anything in a few days to keep me interested and I removed it.

Given the current sale with the new release of On1 2021 that's a tough choice to pass up. I switched from Adobe to Capture One back in 2012. My reason was then what it is now. I want all my editing done parametrically and non-destructively. I want nothing to do with a raster editor if at all possible. Back in 2012 it looked like C1 was the best choice to realize that goal and now in 2021 I'm convinced of that. I process hundreds of photos using only C1 before I encounter a task  for which I have to break out a raster editor. If I have a stubborn photo in which C1 can't get the keystoning/distortion correction right I move to DXO PL4 and back to C1. C1 is more expensive than Adobe if you upgrade each new release. Of course you could invest in a license and then skip further upgrades bringing the price down over time.

I keep current versions of a number of other editors/processors like On1, ACDSee, SilkyPix, Affinity, etc. so I can help my students. However the pandemic seems to be bringing that to an end.

Good luck.


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## pixmedic (Mar 25, 2021)

Ysarex said:


> pixmedic said:
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I definitely want non destructive editing.
I loved the layout and control of LR and it seems like a lot of the alternatives went with a similar layout.
Well, with DxO and skylum out of the running I'll have to take a closer look at On1, capture one pro, and exposure x6.


Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk


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## Ysarex (Mar 25, 2021)

pixmedic said:


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I want my editing in a raw workflow to be 100% non-destructive and 100% non-linearly re-editable. For me that is a very high priority. LR provides that but with a weakness which is reliance on PS for cloning/healing work. LR's tools to do cloning/healing are weak and the easy answer to that is just pop over to PS and do it. That move to PS however notches down 100% non-destructive editing to less than 100%. You lose the 100% if you leave LR.

C1 is the best option for keeping your raw workflow 100% non-destructive but the same would apply in that you lose 100% if you trip over to a raster editor. So C1 does the best job of keeping you away from the raster editor.

Luminar editing is destructive out of the box -- badly designed junk.

On1 can be used 100% non-destructively in a raw workflow but you have to pay attention and avoid some of their features that will compromise that. To their credit they are aware of the design requirement and have done the job right -- it's an added enhancement that they've built in additional functions like adding another image as a layer. C1's cloning/healing tools are better than On1's but I haven't looked at the new version yet and that's one item On1 claims to have improved -- on my to do list.

Speaking of raster editors -- you still need one for some type of work. Affinity is the best choice then if you're going to leave PS.


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## pixmedic (Mar 25, 2021)

Ysarex said:


> pixmedic said:
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I very rarely use PS so its really just a matter of replacing LR.
Between On1 and C1 which would you recommend just on replacing LR? 
Honestly, I would like better cloning snd healing than LR provides...your right about that....kinda weak.

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk


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## JBPhotog (Mar 25, 2021)

Have you checked out Silkypix?

SILKYPIX - RAW development software -


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## Ysarex (Mar 25, 2021)

pixmedic said:


> I very rarely use PS so its really just a matter of replacing LR.
> Between On1 and C1 which would you recommend just on replacing LR?


I would have answered C1 a month ago without much hesitation. I'll still say C1 but now I'll hedge that a little until I see the claimed improvements in On1's cloning/healing tools for the 2021 version. That's what primarily keeps me away from the raster editor. Given the huge price discrepancy right now with the On1 software on sale for $65.00 that's tempting.


pixmedic said:


> Honestly, I would like better cloning snd healing than LR provides...your right about that....kinda weak.
> 
> Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk


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## pixmedic (Mar 25, 2021)

JBPhotog said:


> Have you checked out Silkypix?
> 
> SILKYPIX - RAW development software -


Not yet, but I will when I get off shift.

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk


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## stevenjbimages (Mar 26, 2021)

I am on Lightroom and looking for an alternative.

My LR catalog is local on a Surface tablet. The raw photos are on OneDrive. 

Q. Can ON1 work in this configuration. Local catalog and working from images stored on OneDrive.

This works well with LR due to generated Smart Previews (LR is not constantly downloading images from OneDrive)

Thanks in advance.

Steven


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## pixmedic (Mar 26, 2021)

Ysarex said:


> pixmedic said:
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Well, I got On1. $63. I also picked up the mega pack with a bunch of presets on sale for $10.

I did really like capture one, but it was $200 for just one camera system or $300 for all camera systems. While we only have Fuji cameras now, the wife and I have a lot of Nikon raw files saved on our computers and if we went Fuji only we couldn't go back to re-edit any of them. So....On1 won out on budget and compatibality.

Now to get over the slight learning curve.
I appreciate the insight. It really helped narrow things down.

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk


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## stevenjbimages (Mar 27, 2021)

Last time I did a Capture One trial. The splash screen (after a few startups) offered a discount (at that time 25% off purchase) - don't know if they still do this.


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