FediFollows

#Adobe just raised its prices, some are over US$100 a month 😬

Stop paying rent on your tools, switch to #FOSS alternatives:

➡️ @kdenlive - Video editing

➡️ @ardour - Digital audio workstation

➡️ @tenacity - Audio editing

➡️ @Blender (main) & @[email protected] (videos) - 3D animation & video effects

➡️ @Krita (main) & @[email protected] (videos) - Painting & illustration

➡️ @inkscape - Vector drawing

➡️ @darktable - Organise & develop raw photos

➡️ @www.scribus.net.news - Desktop publishing (feed)

May 22, 2025 at 5:10pmWeb
Show threadAI6YR BenMay 22, 2025
@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @darktable @www.scribus.net.news Oooh, thanks for this!!! Was trying to come up with this list for someone the other day.
Show threadJames M.May 22, 2025

@FediFollows

Here's another good list of Adobe alternatives, as of last summer:
https://sfba.social/@jamesmarshall/112572875016535983

James M. (@[email protected])

Attached: 1 image @[email protected] @ XdanielArt put together this great list of Adobe alternatives. Some are free and some are not. I have not used them and can't vouch for the quality, but I'm sure each has reviews online.

SFBA.social
Show threadWeirdAlex03May 22, 2025

@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @darktable @www.scribus.net.news

Once again, the best advertisement for free software is proprietary software

Show threadraeMay 22, 2025
@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @[email protected] @www.scribus.net.news
I have used many of these programs, all have been amazing.
Show threadKevin Karhan May 22, 2025
@FediFollows or even if tools like @kdenlive ain't fitting, at least consider #OneTimePurchase #CCSS (i.e. #DaVinchiResolve) instead of #enshittified #Subscription-only #SaaS!
Show threadEarthshineMay 22, 2025

@FediFollows +1 Krita, Inkscape, Blender, Tenacity... even in my limited experience with these tools they're all a better experience than what adobe is offering anyway.

there are tons more to add to the list, too.

We've never had more choices than this in software to use... and yet we're more locked in than ever to the worst of them due to shitty policy favoring huge profit seeking corporations.

Reject their dominance and FUD. Advocate your own independence. Use FOSS. You won't regret it.

Show threadWalterMay 22, 2025
I've used Kdenlive and Krita in a professional agency setting before. If you think the cost of certain Adobe software is high, test FOSS alternatives for yourself! They aren't always a 1:1 replacement, but you owe it to yourself to see if FOSS tools belong in your workflow.
Show threadritchieMay 22, 2025
@FediFollows got another suggestion for a video editor, I've got a buddy who was looking for FOSS options a while ago and ultimately settled on Shotcut: https://www.shotcut.org
Shotcut - Home

Shotcut is a free, open source, cross-platform video editor for Windows, Mac and Linux

Show threadStefan 'lerothas' D. May 22, 2025

@FediFollows
"But they are so limited" I hear all the time. But who uses the "full potential" of adobe software? Literally a handful of professional artists. And they are feeding adobe's AI.

Those FOSS programs can do a lot which will please quite everybody.
And the main advantage: you can always access your data because of open formats. No paywall between you and your creations. 👍

Show threadSchafstelze 🎗🖤May 22, 2025
@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @darktable @www.scribus.net.news most of it i'll never need but i bookmarked, just in case
Show threadCorey 🇺🇸🇺🇦May 22, 2025
@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @[email protected] @www.scribus.net.news
While you are finding better alternatives maybe thing about making a switch to Linux
Show threadKevin RussellMay 22, 2025

@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @darktable @www.scribus.net.news

These are the tools used by Academy Award Winners.

Show threadsampwMay 22, 2025

@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @[email protected] @www.scribus.net.news

From experience, I made a whole album on #Ardour (listen @ https://oldsham.com), and it was delightful. I absolutely love that program.

second hand songs, by old sham

12 track album

old sham
Show threadMarkusMay 24, 2025
@sampw A great album - thanks for sharing
Show thread${GllmR}May 22, 2025
@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @blender @Krita @inkscape @darktable Where is the Gimp ???
Show threadGeorgi I.May 22, 2025
@FediFollows Last time I opened Scribus it was not ready for a professional use case. Perhaps things have changed now. It's a common thing with FOSS, although I love it, it's often not a great replacement for the popular market leaders. :(
Show threadFediFollowsMay 22, 2025

@givanov

It's worth checking FOSS again if you haven't tried it lately?

I tried Kdenlive years ago and wasn't happy, but when I tried it recently it was exactly what I wanted and I use it as my main video editor now.

Show threadAlynMay 23, 2025
@givanov @FediFollows
Could you define "professional use case" please? I run a production company and we've used #Scribus to create promotional materials for our properties that are distributed amongst other industry professionals. The finished product is easily a match for what others are showing (from Indesign).
The fact FOSS doesn't work the same way as rental software is often a barrier to switching users because they won't invest the time in learning again - apparently once is enough.
Show threadGeorgi I.May 23, 2025
@alyn @FediFollows I meant book layout. :)
Show threademeMay 25, 2025

@givanov @alyn @FediFollows I laidout this beautiful mushroom guide all in Scribus.

https://books.ms/main/16BE8ED5A47B826C0FCDE60D63F82B91

Show threadGeorgi I.May 26, 2025

@eme It looks great! Awesome work! I read you also used GIMP and while on Debian! Bravo! :)

I'm mainly working with text, like a lot of it. Also scientific books with 2-3 thousand footnotes, tables, etc. That I found very difficult to do with Scribus a while back. I have to check if Scribus now has something like the 'book' option in InDesign where you combine different documents together and how it handles cross references, indices and so on. Perhaps it's better.

Show threademeMay 26, 2025

@givanov Yeah, I wouldn't know about that. It's been a while since I used it. And I find that Scribus isn't the best mantained FOSS, I don't see as many updates and new features on it as I see on Kdenlive, for instance.

But it's a great tool for many use cases, maybe it just needs a bigger community and more financial support to get all the features you need.

The greatest thing about FOSS is the community and how you can make feature requests and talk directly to the developers.

Show threadThomas P. MoonisMay 22, 2025
@FediFollows Does @darktable offer the ability to edit photos on devices like an iPad with Lightroom feature parity? If I could do that and have my library stored on a NAS here at home, I'd totally switch. If not, it's not 1:1 and I can't.
Show threadAl & Val's Modern HomesteadingMay 22, 2025
@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @[email protected] @www.scribus.net.news
Love me some Kdenlive. Do all my editing with it. Use audacity for audio editing. LibreOffice for all my basic needs. Thunderbird for email. FOSS.
Show thread⚡Tasin 🚀May 22, 2025

@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @[email protected] @www.scribus.net.news

I just want to thank you for all those accounts you mentioned. I followed them all. Beside they are cool alternative but we really need a alternative for photoshop. Something at least of photopea's level. GIMP isn't that much good.

Show threadsupertobiMay 23, 2025
@tasinone @FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @darktable @www.scribus.net.news From my last test GIMP is for much better then photopea. What are you missing in GIMP?
Show thread⚡Tasin 🚀May 23, 2025
@supertobi @FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @[email protected] @www.scribus.net.news It doesn't even have basic tool such as Shape. You need to select an area then paint that area, that's how you draw shape on GIMP. Too much hassle for a simple thing. Also you can't select a png image by pressing Ctrl + and clicking on the thumbnail of that image on the layer. There are a few more. I wish it has at least the basic tool for photo editing.
Show thread⚡Tasin 🚀May 23, 2025

@supertobi @FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @[email protected] @www.scribus.net.news

Also I am seeing the 22.08 for a long time. Not seeing any more update of it.

Show threadsupertobiMay 23, 2025

@tasinone @FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @darktable @www.scribus.net.news

I'm not sure what you mean by 22.08. The current #GIMP version is 3.0.4 and not even a week old:
https://www.gimp.org/

GIMP

GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program: The Free and Open Source Image Editor

GIMP
Show thread⚡Tasin 🚀May 23, 2025

@supertobi @FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @[email protected] @www.scribus.net.news

Sorry bro, my mistake, it was maybe 2.08 or 2.80. After you said I check the website and saw some new versions. I will give it a try, I hope they brought something new 

Show threadcandide ꘎ mediaMay 23, 2025
@tasinone I'm a fan of #Krita for raster graphics editing. is there a particular feature or workflow that you need your Photoshop replacement to have?
Show thread⚡Tasin 🚀May 23, 2025
@candidexmedia yes, like crop, image resize, remove background, draw shape, select object, etc. I never tried to learn it as it is mainly for drawing, but I am seeing many people talking about it. So first I am gonna try YouTub,e then if I need help I will message you. Thank you for wanting to help me  
Show threadcandide ꘎ mediaMay 23, 2025

@tasinone Amazing! Most of what you listed is possible, although, #Krita doesn't have a background remover out of the box.

There's a G'MIC integration built-in which can do it (although it's kind of meh), and these new third-party plugins:

https://github.com/Acly/krita-vision-tools (tried it recently: https://mastodon.design/@candidexmedia/114566530590949824)

https://github.com/agoulddesign/krita-bg-remove-bria (haven't tried yet)

In any case, I have a long list of free background removers that I like to use instead, so feel free to @ me if you have any questions.

GitHub - Acly/krita-vision-tools: Krita plugin which adds selection tools to mask objects with a single click, or by drawing a bounding box.

Krita plugin which adds selection tools to mask objects with a single click, or by drawing a bounding box. - Acly/krita-vision-tools

GitHub
Show thread⚡Tasin 🚀May 23, 2025
@candidexmedia Thank you so much. I will check them out ☺️
Show threadKo Simon toku ingoa May 22, 2025
@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @darktable @www.scribus.net.news thanks for this list! I’ll give some of them a go!
Show threadpeaoPerdidoMay 23, 2025

@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @darktable @www.scribus.net.news

I would add Gimp to this list

Show threadDavid W. JonesMay 23, 2025
@FediFollows
I use:
･ KPhotoAlbum for organizing photos
･ RawTherapee for developing them and making some exposure stacks
･ Hugin for making panoramas and some exposure stacks
･ Luminance HDR for high-dynamic-range images
Thanks to the many people that make open-source software!
@kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @[email protected] @www.scribus.net.news
Show threadCubeOfCheeseMay 23, 2025
@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @darktable @www.scribus.net.news may I ask why tenacity is recommended over audacity? I hadn't heard any complaints about audacity
Show threadcandide ꘎ mediaMay 23, 2025

@cubeofcheese Here's OP's explanation:

https://social.growyourown.services/@FediFollows/114553583648850165

FediFollows (@[email protected])

@[email protected] Was there some particular functionality you're missing in Kdenlive? Some of the features are there but a bit hidden, or require installing a plugin. Audacity was unfortunately taken over by a company that started adding trackers into it to phone home. Tenacity was forked from Audacity as a response to the problems at Audacity.

social.growyourown.services
Show threadJohn QMay 23, 2025
@FediFollows @tenacity Nice, I was not aware of Tenacity, I was still lamenting the loss of their predecessor. Looking forward to editing some audio once again.
Show threadGxnxsMay 23, 2025

@FediFollows

Any Autocad solid alternatives? I use it for landscape design

Show threadBenjamin Alan JamieMay 23, 2025
@FediFollows I feel that @penpot should be included here as well :)
Show threadoatmealMay 23, 2025

@FediFollows

I recently used #Inkscape to edit a PDF file that contained embedded images. I haven’t used any #Adobe tools for years, but I did briefly try a proprietary solution on macOS that had some fancy AI integration, was subscription-based, and still couldn’t perform the simple tasks I needed it to do.

@inkscape

Show threadANDRÉ M. CHANGMay 23, 2025
@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @[email protected] @Krita @[email protected] @inkscape @[email protected] @www.scribus.net.news if @[email protected] can support more IPTC standard fields will be great
Show threadbeanMay 24, 2025
@FediFollows @kdenlive @ardour @tenacity @Blender @blender @Krita @krita @inkscape @darktable @[email protected]

I don't think they have a Mastodon, but rawtherapee.com/ is fantastic for raw photo editing as well, and ardour.org/ for a DAW (related to audio editing, but not quite the same thing)
Home

About RawTherapee is a powerful, cross-platform raw photo processing system, released as Free Software (GPLv3). It is designed for developing raw files from a broad range of digital cameras and targeted at users ranging from enthusiast newcomers who wish to broaden their understanding of how digital imaging works to professional photographers. RawTherapee provides a powerful suite of tools for you to produce amazing photos and showcase your creativity.

RawTherapee
Show threadChantaruMay 25, 2025
@FediFollows Affinity is great and also a big fan of Blender. I learned Blender in 1999 and it only got better since.
Show threadSalvaJun 8, 2025
@FediFollows and @GIMP 😉