ART vs RawTherapee

ART is a free, open-source RAW image processor for Linux, macOS and Windows. Derived from RawTherapee, it aims for a simpler interface while retaining processing power and quality. Its editing capabilities include layers, batch editing and local adjustments using drawn or parametric masks. It handles metadata and can optionally read and write XMP sidecar files. A plugin system supports custom input and output formats, including true HDR output. For color work, ART supports ACES CLF LUTs through OpenColorIO and CTL scripts through the ACES CTL interpreter. It also includes automatic perspective correction adapted from darktable. User commands can connect external programs; documented AI masking and denoising workflows rely on separate open-source tools, and the project says full AI-tool integration is unlikely in the foreseeable future. ART is licensed under GPL version 3 and comes without a warranty. Stable binaries are linked from GitHub releases, with additional builds listed for Windows, openSUSE, Arch Linux and notarized macOS. Questions and bug reports can be directed to its GitHub issue tracker or discussion board.

RawTherapee is a free desktop program for developing raw images on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its non-destructive, 32-bit floating-point engine handles raw files from many digital cameras, including HDR DNG, as well as JPEG, TIFF, and PNG images. Photographers can control demosaicing and development with multiple algorithms, use masking tools, and batch process images. Editing parameters can be copied or pasted across files, and the program can also be used from a command line. RawTherapee can open raw images from GIMP as a plugin and return edited images there, or send processed images to GIMP or another editor. It is libre software under the GNU General Public License version 3, with RawPedia documentation and a community forum for help. The project says it does not include digital asset management, printing, or uploading features. The macOS 5.13 build has different minimum system requirements for Apple Silicon and Intel, and must be installed in /Applications to start.