How to Get Started with darktable, 2026 Edition
No matter your experience with raw photo editing, darktable can be intimidating and has a number of unique features which can be hard to understand at first. So just jumping in and flailing around is not a good strategy for learning. With that in mind, here are my recommendations for getting started properly.
Fully updated for 2026 and darktable 5.4
For help and discussion, join the discuss.pixls.us forum, which is the “official” darktable forum and were you'll find the power users and developers. The Play Raw section, in particular, can be a great way to learn. If you don't get the activation email, you can ask in one of the IRC or Matrix channels to have your account activated manually.
A Word on Evolution, Old Tutorials and AI
Darktable has evolved a lot over the years, and especially starting with version 3.0 and through 3.6, but not really finishing until 4.0, it underwent some big changes in the workflow and tools that means tutorials made before 3.6 came out (in July 2021) are likely going to contain outdated or even wrong information. Those tutorials dealing with specific modules are probably fine, but anything more general should be avoided. – Darktable 3: RGB or Lab? Which Modules? Help! (written for the release of version 3.0, so some of the specific recommendations are no longer relevant)
This evolution, coupled with the relatively low amount of written material to train on, also means that AI/LLMs (ChatGPT etc.) are going to be even more unreliable than usual, and should be avoided when learning. Not only will you almost certainly be given bad advice, but there's a good chance Lightroom-specific things will be polluting the answers as well.
The Tone Mapper Ménagerie
The tone mapper is responsible for mapping the dynamic range of the raw file to that of the output (screen or print), by compressing or expanding the tonal range. Currently there are four to choose from: AgX, Base Curve, Filmic RGB and Sigmoid. In the tutorials below you'll see all except Base Curve used, so here's a quick overview to help you understand the differences.
Base Curve: The original. Not used much these days, but if you understand its limitations, there's no reason why you can't use it if you want.
Filmic RGB: The second tone mapper, based on Filmic from Blender. Gives good control over tones, but hues in the highlights can be tricky with certain scenes, such as sunsets.
Sigmoid: The current default. Easy to use, with good control over hues, but only basic control over tones. The smooth preset is often a good starting point. An important difference from Filmic RGB and AgX is the lack of white and black relative exposure sliders. Instead these are set implicitly by adjusting the contrast.
AgX: Added in 5.4, and also coming from Blender, it essentially combines the most powerful features of Filmic RGB (tones) and Sigmoid (hues), and then gives the user even more control.
There's really no best or worst. Other than the level of control, they also differ in how they render hues in the highlights, so the choice ultimately comes down to what you prefer. There's also the option to not use one at all, but that's arguably more advanced usage, so I don't recommend it until you know what you're doing.
Be aware that you should never have more than one tone mapper active at a time.
The Basics
You need to understand that the workflow and many tools are nothing like in Lightroom or most other raw editors, and trying to fit your old ways of working into darktable is almost certainly going to be frustrating. Therefore it's important that you spend a bit of time learning the basics first. There are also some points that you're unlikely to figure out on your own. If you have experience color grading video in programs such as Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve, you should find the overall editing workflow fairly familiar, though. – FAQ: Is darktable a free Lightroom alternative?
The FAQ
Read the New Users section before anything else, since that will probably answer some of your questions. – darktable FAQ
The Manual
Keep it handy and don't be afraid to read it. It's excellent, and there's a good chance that what you want to know is in there. I strongly recommend at a minimum reading the Overview, Lighttable and Darkroom sections. Most of the beginner questions and confusion I see could have been avoided by having done so. – darktable manual
If you try to find it using Google or another search engine, there's a risk that you get an old, outdated version, so I recommend always going through the darktable homepage (it's under resources). You can also use the built-in help feature by first clicking on the ? in the top panel and then on whatever you need help with.
– darktable manual: Top Panel
Importing Your Photos
There are a few ways to get your photos into darktable. They are of course explained in the manual, but Bruce Williams also has a video where he covers all the details. – darktable manual: Import module – Bruce Williams: Getting images into darktable
Editing
There's no single best tutorial, but, taken together, the following cover everything you need to know (and more). I recommend you go through them in order.
These three are all about the basic editing workflow. – darktable 5.4 – A Simple Beginner Workflow and Interactive Walkthrough – A Dabble in Photography: The darktable pipeline for beginners – Avid Andrew: The Darktable Scene-Referred Workflow With AgX
Kevin Ajili shows you not just how to edit (using Sigmoid), but also the basics of masking and other things you probably want to know about. He also covers how to customise the module groups to better fit your needs. – Kevin Ajili: SIMPLIFIED darktable workflow!
The manual has a full beginner tutorial, that takes you from importing, through editing and to exporting your photos. It uses Filmic RGB and has some more details on a few important points. – An introduction to darktable's workflow
Between these tutorials, you'll already understand more than some YouTubers making darktable videos... Do not skip them, no matter your previous experience.
If you're coming from Lightroom or a similar editor, Darktable Landscapes has a video that shows the rough equivalents to the tools you already know. – From Lightroom to Darktable – the Ultimate Guide
New User Traps
White Balance
By far the most common trap is white balance. In short, darktable uses a more modern and robust method known as a chromatic adaptation transform (CAT), which is adjusted in Color Calibration. However, for technical reasons the old white balance module is still required, but should be left at default settings. Trying to adjust White Balance while the Color Calibration CAT is active will cause darktable to show an error, which confuses many a new user. – FAQ: Why do I get an error about white balance being applied twice? – darktable manual: Color Calibration – discuss.pixls.us: Introducing color calibration module – Ansel: White balance(s) – discuss.pixls.us: Color calibration for dummies (without the maths)
Shadows and Highlights
There's a Shadows and Highlights module. Don't use it. It's old and has some serious quality issues. It's only there because removing it would cause too much complaining from some users. The modern way is to use Tone Equalizer (which also replaces curves). – darktable manual: Tone Equalizer – Avid Andrew: Adjusting the Shadows and Highlights Using Tone Equalizer – Boris Hajdukovic: Adjustment and usage of tone equalizer
Masking
Darktable probably has the most powerful manual masking of any raw editor, but that of course also means there's a lot to learn. – darktable manual: Masking & Blending
Bruce Williams has a series where he covers everything you need to know. – Masks Part 1 – Masks Part 1: Addendum – Masks Part 2: Parametric masks – Masks Part 3: Mask transitions – Masks Part 4: Intersection of masks – Masks Part 5: Combining drawn and parametric masks pt 1 of 3 – Masks Part 6: Combining drawn and parametric masks pt 2 of 3 – Masks Part 7: Combining drawn and parametric masks pt 3 of 3
Boris Hajdukovic goes in-depth on parametric masks and the mask manager. – Advanced masking part 1: Parametric masks – Advanced masking part 2: Parametric and drawn masks – Advanced masking part 3: Mask manager
There's no easy AI masking currently, although it is being worked on. But if you don't mind a little DIY, Ayeda Okambawa has several videos for you. – https://www.youtube.com/@AyedaOkambawa
Who to Learn From Next
There are other YouTube channels and tutorials, of course, but they vary greatly in quality, so these are the only ones I can recommend, without reservations, to new users.
Bruce Williams
Has done a very good job of explaining most features in darktable. His YouTube channel is like an annotated manual. – https://www.youtube.com/@audio2u
Boris Hajdukovic
The darktable wizard. He's the one to watch to take your editing to the next level and learn all the little tricks. – https://www.youtube.com/@s7habo
Darktable Landscapes
This is a solid channel for general editing. There are even some videos for users coming from Lightroom. – https://www.youtube.com/@DarktableLandscapes
Nicolas Winspeare/A Dabble in Photography
Also solid. Often a bit more technical. – https://www.youtube.com/@adabbleinphotography8721