Lightroom is the Gold Standard when it comes to photo editing- and probably that is why your clients keep coming back as a photographer(it makes your final product look flawless).
But AI is here and it’s making work quite easy across all fields and professions.
So, is there an AI photo editor like lightroom …maybe good enough to replace lightroom?
I did some research and here is what I found- try these tools and see if they’ll take your photo editing to the next level (while saving recurring LR subscription cost).
AI photo editor like lightroom
Darktable
Darktable has an assortment of really powerful AI features and you can use it to enhance all your images to near perfection.
So I recommend you give it a shot (you need to install it first).
Go here to try Darktable photo editing app with AI (keep in mind it’s open source, hence free)
PhotoPea AI
I’m a hobbyist photographer and recently I wanted to edit photos of a friend’s wedding occasion to their longtime girlfriend..my first trial (because I’m not very good at lightroom) was Windows built-in Photos App (by the way try it too..it’s quite good for basic, quick edits) but it didn’t exactly give me the results I wanted.
So I researched and stumbled on PhotoPea AI online photo editor ..and I have to say it’s way better than what people say out there and is my second favorite.
Oh, and it’s free too – and you can install it as well for offline editing!
Try Photopea AI, another excellent AI photo editor like lightroom
Capture One
This is paid- but comes with a solid free plan- and I have seen some good things being said about it from lightning-fast tethering, unmatched color grading, and precision editing.
And since you are just trying to check all of them out, why not try it?
AI photo editor like lightroom -Others
I have found a couple others and I will share links to them so you can go try them and compare the results.
Here:
Topaz- This Photo AI enhancement software gives you tbest image quality when it comes to essentials such as noise reduction, upscaling, sharpening, and more. Try it free (for first 10 images, no credit card details needed).
RAWTherapee – another fairly good freeware. Go here to test this open source AI photo editor.
DXO Photolab- has lots of great AI photo editing features (like Lightroom these days) and has a free trial. Try it. One time purchase, if it will make you happy!
ACDsee– ACDsee has a complete AI Photo Studio and can be a good choice for basic editing. It’s best feature is easy photo management(you can view your images in an organized, easier way. Paid as well but has a free trial. Go to ACDsee
DigiKam- More than an AI photoeditor. Complete online digital photo management software. Open source so free. Download it
Best AI photo editor like lightroom – Conclusion
For clean workflow and best-in-class color tools, go for Capture one(paid app however)
For 100% free, open-source photo editor with many of the basics (and not too AI biased), go for Darktable.
But based on your needs, you may find the others good so just try out and see what suits your workflow best.
Reminder: In my opinion, Lightroom is likely pretty far ahead regarding AI capabilities than many lightroom AI alternatives as AI is seamlessly built in so weigh out carefully before dumping the subscription.
PS: I ended up putting together a quick comparison spreadsheet of different AI photo editing platforms — from Lightroom alternatives with minimal AI to those that lean heavier on AI features.
It covers pricing, main AI editing strengths, and even popularity (how many users does it get). Thought it might save you some digging, so sharing it here.