I do photography as a hobby and need to edit my photos but Photoshop is too expensive. What free photo editors are actually worth using? I need something that can handle RAW files, has good adjustment tools, and doesn't watermark everything. Tried a few online editors but they're too limited.
For free photo editors that handle RAW files, Darktable is absolutely essential. It's like a free version of Lightroom specifically for photographers. The RAW processing is excellent and it has all the adjustment tools you'd expect. I've been using it alongside GIMP for my photography workflow and it works really well.
RawTherapee is another great option for free photo editors that work with RAW files. It's a bit more technical than Darktable but gives you incredible control over the processing. Between these two free photo editors, you can handle 90% of what Lightroom does without paying a cent. The learning curve is worth it for the savings.
Don't overlook Photopea for quick edits. It's a browser-based free photo editor that looks and works almost exactly like Photoshop. It handles PSD files, has layers, masks, all the basic tools. For someone who needs Photoshop-like functionality without the cost, it's amazing. The fact that it works in your browser means you can use it on any computer.
The main challenge with free photo editors is that they often have different workflows than the paid alternatives. Darktable doesn't work exactly like Lightroom, and GIMP doesn't work exactly like Photoshop. But once you learn them, they're just as capable for most tasks. The key is committing to learning the specific workflow of whatever free photo editor you choose.
I use a combination of free photo editors depending on what I need. Darktable for RAW processing and catalog management, GIMP for more complex edits, and sometimes Photopea for quick fixes when I'm not at my main computer. The beauty of free photo editors is that you can mix and match to create your ideal workflow without any licensing costs.