Photoshop and Lightroom on Linux [2018]

[diogofm]

Linux users have great tools for editing images. But when we want something like a photoshop or lightroom that are more excellent tools we become helpless.

I ask: Why does Adobe do these tools for Windows and Mac and does it for Linux? Everyone knows that the Linux platform is one of the most used on the planet, if it is not the most used today, and Adobe does not pay attention to this platform. The only product I know for Linux is Flash.

I would like to be a Photoshop and Lightroom user on Linux.

[Guest]

diogofm  wrote

Everyone knows that the Linux platform is one of the most used on the planet

Hi

You may want to check out the facts about that statement

The True Market Shares of Windows vs. Linux Compared

Photoshop on Linux has been discussed here

Photoshop for Linux OS?

[roc97007]

It's a chicken-and-egg problem.  The ONLY thing I still use Windows for is Adobe Creative Cloud.  Everything else I use regularly either runs on Linux or runs out of a web browser.  So I have servers running CentOS and laptops running Mint or Debian, but I have this one silly Windows box so that I can run Adobe Creative Cloud.  It's ridiculous.

If Adobe CC ran on Linux, ANY version of Linux, I'd drop Windows and never look back.  Windows is not a good operating system.  For a very long time now, its only value has been that certain software only runs on it.

Macs aren't a good alternative.  They're an overpriced, overdesigned, boutique product deliberately designed not to be upgradeable or repairable.

The world runs on Windows and Macs because, and only because, the software we need only runs on Windows and Macs.

[Lumigraphics]

A lot of us will disagree with most of that. Linux is great for servers but a PITA on the desktop. I'd MUCH rather have Macs than either Windows or Linux. You are entitled to choose your OS but don't bash others, and understand that choices have consequences.

[roc97007]

You're talking to someone who originally used Photoshop on a Mac G4.  I gave up on Apple when they started getting into a pi$$ing contest with Adobe on how the touch pad should work, and at the same time Apple's prices got frankly outrageous.  I could buy or build a much more powerful Windows box for less money.  I don't care about style or pretty brushed metal, or really expensive stylish looking monitors, I just want to get my work done.  But then, I had to deal with Windows.  And the really annoying thing is, Adobe Creative Cloud is the *only* thing I use Windows for.  Every other tool is either already ported to Linux (sometimes works *better* on Linux) or is a cloud based tool that works out of a browser.

I don't need Windows.  I don't need Apple.  Except for Adobe CC.  It's infuriating.  And it's about to drive me away from Adobe.  Darktable is a pretty good tool.  I'm actively considering migration.

The days of Linux being a PITA on the desktop are long past.  Linux on the desktop was a rocky experience initially, but so was Windows and so was Mac OS.  The only difference is that Linux improved more recently than those other two platforms, so everyone (and those who continue to spread FUD) still think of Linux as that horrible command line thing where nothing works.  It hasn't been true for some time.

In the meantime, Windows and OSX are high enough up on the curve that they struggle to provide new compelling features in successive releases.  And sometimes get it dreadfully wrong.  (Windows 8.)  We've reached the point where the OS doesn't really matter anymore, so there's no reason to struggle with the issues of Windows or break the bank buying Mac gear.

And yes there's "many different versions of Linux".  Let's leave for now that they tend to be binary compatible, I stipulate that Adobe could support *any* desktop version of Linux -- Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, Deepin, elementary, and their customers who want to use Linux would convert to that.  Because the distribution doesn't really matter.  I'm currently running Mint.  But I could switch to elementary in less than a day, if there were a reason to do so.

Answering another thread, it doesn't really matter what OS runs on the most machines or what the casual user feels comfortable using, because Adobe CC is not a tool for the casual user.  It's a niche product, and what's important is what their actual audience wants, not on what platform everyone else runs Solitaire.

[darthcrombie]

Mc OS is just a Unix/Linux Distro they heavely locked down and started charging for.

[Wayne0D4D]

I'm in the same situation. I use Windows for FL Studio only, but now need it for Lightroom and Photoshop.

I tried running Windows in qemu, but it's a real hack trying to get everything to work with my graphics card and other things; all of which amounted to too much effort.

Using VM Fusion is certainly a possible alternative, but it's a bit pricey and purchasing a software license to run other paid-for software (Windows) that runs paid-for Adobe products is just frustrating and expensive.

Having a dual boot system is super-inefficient as far as workflow goes; as I'm sure you know.

After using Linux for quite a few years, it becomes apparent just how up-sell-bloated Windows is when you go through an install. All the options default to giving away personal/usage/system information either explicitly or through not-so-cleverly disguised services. At least there's the Windows Debloater script and Anti-Beacon.

Macs were amazing when they first came out and I was certainly blown away to use one in 1992; but they are locked down so much and it's more a case of Macs own people rather than people own Macs. When I had an electronics/computer repair business, so many customers came in with the same problems with Apple products; typically around access and flexibility.

I've only got the trial version of Lightroom/Photoshop and if I can't find a relatively easy way of running it on Linux, I'll stick with darktable/RawTherapee. I currently use GIMP and have done quite a lot of cool stuff with that; so I don't really need Photoshop.

Lightroom is just really quick and easy for processing HDR images and has good support for Phantom 4 Pro lens correction.

darktable is cool, but it also has some quirks too; though it has good support and will likely improve even more as time goes on. The developers have done an amazing job of it.

RawTherapee has super-amazing color-balancing tools (best I've seen) and does an incredible job, but doesn't produce HDR images.

The biggest advantages I see for Lightroom are that it is easy to use, quick, does a great job and with Photoshop, can handle everything from RAW captures to exported HDR images. It also has terrific community support and is stock-standard as you know.

I have been using Kubuntu for years now and it's so clean, non-distracting, simple, powerful and a breath of fresh air compared to both Windows/MacOS. I try not to run down Windows/Mac though as they were the operating systems I learned on back in the days when I was a very proud tech-guy and I thought I knew a lot about computers. Linux soon humbled me. Having said this, nearly every time I use Windows on my dual-boot system, I'll say at least once, "F&cking Windows!"

~ Sympathies 😄

[Ian9365]

Perhaps you would do well to actually read the article you have referenced

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Android uses a Linux kernel, but has extra libraries, a GUI, and some proprietary code. You can draw your own conclusions. I view the Android OS as a subset of the wider Linux world; therefore, I think it’s fair to include it on this list.

As of March 2018, both NetMarketShare and StatCounter agree that it controls around 70 percent of the combined smartphone and tablet market. Second is iOS with approximately 24 percent. Windows is a distant third with less than one percent.

There are an estimated 2.5 billion smartphones in the world, so we can safely assume Android is running on roughly 1.75 billion handsets. For comparison, Windows is running on an estimated 1.5 billion home computers.

Linux utterly dominates the list of the top 500 most powerful supercomputers in the world. In June 2017, 498 of the top 500 were running Linux. The only two non-Linux machines were running the Unix-based AIX"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The original posters statement is absolutely correct, your cherry picking bits of an article to try prove your incorrect assertion. True windows dominates the PC market where Adobe software is targeted but only by virtue of getting its foot in the door first

[Lumigraphics]

Most Android phones are cheap garbage/old versions. A fairly small percent are current high end models. Regardless, only a tiny subset of phones in use have powerful enough hardware to run Photoshop (current iPhone 11 models are similar to iPads in processing power.)

[roc97007]

"most android phones are cheap garbage/old version."  Amost certainly true.  And most Android users are not Adobe CC users, so the point is moot.  With a competent set of tools (not what they currently call Photoshop and Lightroom on Android -- those are toys) I'd fully expect needing higher end products to run them.  And that would be fine.  But more importantly, we'd need a set of gestures rich enough to use the tools effectively, and we don't currently have that.  Microsoft seemed to be going the right direction with the original Surface (now called PixelSense) but it seems to be only a movie prop now.  They don't seem interested in making it mainstream.

[roc97007]

The problem with Android as I see it is that it is generally a touch screen OS, and there isn't yet a touch interface rich enough to effectively run Lightrom or Photoshop.  Yes, I know there are versions of Lightroom and Photoshop for Android/IOS.  They are toys.  To be effective tools, someone, probably Adobe, is going to have to invent some new gestures -- think of the Minority Report interface -- and standardize on them.  There is almost certainly huge development cost to do this, and the total number of Adobe CC users doesn't warrant it.  So we're stuck with a 1980's era point-n-click interface which is unlikely to get better.

At some point, someone other than Adobe is going to take full advantage of a sophisticated touch interface for a CC-like tool set, and we can finally turn our back on KVM platforms like Windows and OSX.  But that day is still not today.

[D Fosse]

diogofm  wrote

Everyone knows that the Linux platform is one of the most used on the planet, if it is not the most used today

This made me curious, so I checked some statistics. Concentrating on the desktop computer market - excluding mobile devices - most of them agree on roughly 80% Windows, roughly 18% MacOS, and 1.5% Linux. What the last 0.5% do, they don't say.

If you include mobile devices the balance tips a long way towards Apple, but Photoshop doesn't run on mobile devices, so that's irrelevant.

In the graphics/photography segment Apple has traditionally had a strong position. Adobe has always stated "roughly 50/50" Mac/Win market share for their graphics desktop applications. No actual figures have ever been released to my knowledge.

Anyway, Photoshop on Linux is never going to happen. Not only is the potential user base small both by numbers and percentages - but the whole point of using Linux is that you don't want to pay for software. Not exactly a golden business proposition...

[diogofm]

I think otherwise, if you use Linux you are using something free not for disinterest in paying, but by choice.

I bought a notebook that came with Windows 10. When I install Windows it automatically authenticates, but I prefer to use Linux because it suits me better at work. I always visit the Adobe website to get something for Linux and be able to get it but I never find anything.

The Linux proposal is not to stop paying for software but to facilitate access to computing technologies. There are paid versions of Linux that are supported by companies that have services on this platform.

Almost everything works on the basis of Linux. If you go to check the amount of desktop users you would be surprised. In China are millions, imagine around the world!

If you use a simple Android smartphone you are using Linux.

Anyway, I would like to buy Adobe products but I will not harm my work using Windows, and I do not want to pay the price of an eye to have a Mac.

Unfortunately I have to look for less robust alternatives.

[mcdac]

От ваших слов попахивает дискриминацией. Пользователи linux имеют право пользоваться продукцией Adobe. Как только начнётся поддержка этой операционной системы - пользователей на ней станет в сотни раз больше. Linux всё равно в скором времени будет самой используемой системой в мире, от этого никуда не деться, это неизбежно.

[aronh97973235]

You're about 15 years behind in this evaluation. I pay for a lot of software, but am in the process of switching to Linux due to MacOS -> iOS evolution and Apple's Intel -> ARM change. I was previously a Linux user in the '90s and I paid for StarOffice, Corel's full suite, and a bunch of other software.

Software costs personally run about $3k a year for me, and at my company it's far more. The reason few pay for software on Linux today is that there are precious few companies selling any software for Linux.

In the '90s, there was a "build it and they will come" movement htat fizzled because Linux just wasn't ready. People tried but had a bad experience with the Linux desktop environment, which was in its infancy. But times have changed. The Linux desktop is now a very, very good experience. This time around, if you build it, they will come.

[ryanw46927636]

From what I've seen online elsewhere, you can go to Wine HQ to see which versions of Photoshop and Lightroom work well with Wine on Linux or you could go and use one of the many other Windows image editors that are already known to work very well with Wine such as PhotoLine, PhotoScape, PhotoFiltre and PhotoImpact.

Of course, you can go and use some of the many native Linux options instead such as Corel Aftershot Pro, Pixeluvo, Polarr, Neat Image (noise reduction), Photomatix HDR, PencilSheep (an Ubuntu snap), Gimp 2.10 (now getting much better), etc. Good luck in whatever you decide to do. 🙂

[K__A__T_]

No, u cannot. I;m a frontend developer, so I get sites from clients in PSD, GIMP opening that format, but always it is a disaster so I must run Photoshop, but I have linux and I don't want a windows only for that... so I must install VM for that, so now statistic could show window user + 1. It's ridiculous, I pay for photoshop but I can't use it:( I think if photoshop was on linux, MANY users would start to use it

[roc97007]

Adobe on Wine -- I've been down that road, and it's a red herring.  It's true that some people have gotten old versions of Photoshop running under Wine sometime in the past, and there are tales of success available on the intertubes.

You'll find that nobody has gotten the current tools running under Wine, and my understanding is that this is a deliberate move by Adobe.  They've figured out how to design the product so that it breaks under Wine.  It's just not possible.  And I'm unlikely to want to go back to Photoshop 4 just so I can run it on Mint.  The reason I originally went to CC was that certain new features of Photoshop (motion blur filter, smart object removal) and Lightroom (improved noise processing, graduated filter) didn't exist in the older versions.

[ryanw46927636]

If you want modern image editors that work well on Linux then I'd suggest trying out Pixeluvo (a native Linux Photoshop Elements equivalent) or PhotoLine with Wine that gets a Platinum rating for working so well with Wine (a full Photoshop / Affinity Photo / PaintShop Pro equivalent). If anyone wants to try out PhotoLine then I'd suggest looking at the PhotoLine guides from Russell Cottrell and Evren Comert.

[russelltracy]

While "the Linux platform is one of the most used on the planet, if it is not the most used today" may be true, that statement really only applies to platforms such as servers and supercomputers. Linux does indeed dominate that space.

However, when it comes to personal computers, used by "average people" the market is predominately Windows based followed (very far behind) by MacOS. In the personal computer market Linux makes up a very small fraction (about 2%) of users. Im going to assume that people aren't buying servers to edit on or building supercomputers in their basement.

If Adobe spent the money and developed the CC suite for Linux it would be an incredibly long time (if every) before they saw any return on investment.

[roc97007]

"average people" aren't Adobe CC users.  It doesn't matter what "average people" are using.

[rasheds83972846]

I feel you pain.  I use darktable. Its open source. and I am a proponent of supporting opensource.

rarely you will find knowledgeable person rooting for windows.

@russelltracy:

while it may take a bit of effort (lot of effort if they did not maintain best practices when software), I disagree with they "an incredibly long time (if ever) before they saw any return on investment." can you back your statement with any formal studies? you cannot make a business decision based on you have a feeling ... and so  ...

[tonusamuel]

Thank you for good recommendation. I was just googling for Lightroom Linux and came here. Sick of ignorance. Adobe once already burned itself by ignoring Apple users with flash and got punished. Surprised they attempt this again with Linux. 

[default26j8ao5zojx7]

You need to get your facts straight.  Adobe didn't shun Apple.  Apple shunned Adobe.  Steve Jobs refused to allow Flash on iOS, and removed it from Mac OS X in 2010.  His words were something to the effect that every time a Mac crashed, it more often than not was because of Flash.  He also made the argument that Flash wasn't necessary anymore, the Internet had moved on using open standards, which it hadn't, but finally did several years later.  The original letter to Apple employees isn't on the Apple website anymore, but reporting on the letter is covered here: https://www.cultofmac.com/706105/today-in-apple-history-steve-jobs-trashes-flash-in-devastatingly-bl...

[roc97007]

Darktable is a fine tool.  I have a quarter million photos in my Lightroom catalog.  Is there any way to migrate that to Darktable and preserve my collections?