Like so many others, I started out editing in Photoshop and moved to Lightroom. It was simpler and more focused. It felt less powerful, and it was, but it was the better tool for me. I owned it, and I paid to upgrade whenever a new version was worth it. Then Lightroom became a subscription, and things got confusing: Lightroom Classic, Lightroom, Lightroom Mobile, a web version, different feature sets, cloud and no cloud. I adapted, but I wasn't happy. This isn't about criticising Adobe, which has essentially defined the gold standard in several industries. I've worked for very large companies myself, and I understand how decisions like these come about, and how hard it can be to do the right thing even when it's obvious. I just want there to be a real alternative.

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p/redlamp

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3d ago

Redlamp: free and open-source Lightroom alternative, full feature parity, macOS native

I've been quietly working on Redlamp a free and open-source alternative to Adobe Lightroom, aiming for full feature parity, no fluff, and performance-conscious.

I'm fully aware just how ambitious an undertaking like this is, but in 2026 with the advances of frontier models, this is genuinely attainable. But not without help and a community to back it.

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Redlamp

Native, open-source RAW Lightroom alternative editor for Mac

Native, open-source RAW Lightroom alternative editor for Mac

Forum Threads

Redlamp: free and open-source Lightroom alternative, full feature parity, macOS native

Forum Threads

Redlamp: free and open-source Lightroom alternative, full feature parity, macOS native