darktable vs. XnView: eine gute Linux-Alternative?

darktable als Linux-Alternative zu XnView

Aktualisiert am 21. Oktober 2026

Unser Fazit

darktable can replace XnView for users who mainly work with raw images and need a non‑destructive editing workflow. It covers viewing, batch conversion, basic edits, and metadata handling, but it is geared toward photographers rather than general image browsing. If you only need a simple viewer or quick conversions, XnView remains lighter; if you want advanced raw processing and a database‑based library, darktable is a solid choice.

Funktionsabdeckung70%

Lizenz: GPL-3.0+
Preis: Kostenlos
Aktuelle Version: 5.6.2 (4. Oktober 2026)
Bewertung: —

darktable installieren Website ↗

Virtual light table, showing a collection

Was gleich funktioniert

Both can view hundreds of image formats
Both support batch conversion and renaming
Both allow basic edits like crop, rotate, resize
Both provide metadata editing (EXIF/ IPTC/XMP)
Both let you organize images into folders or tags

Was anders ist

darktable is focused on raw processing, XnView supports many more non‑raw formats
XnView offers a lightweight viewer with quick previews, darktable requires more system resources
XnView has built‑in image conversion tools, darktable relies on external tools or its own export options
XnView includes a simple tagging system, darktable uses a database with collections and keywords
XnView is cross‑platform with a single binary, darktable is Linux‑centric and requires installation

Ihre XnView-Dateien öffnen

darktable can open most common image formats that XnView handles, including JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and many RAW files. It can export to the same formats. XnView’s proprietary XnView format (.xnv) is not supported by darktable, so any projects saved in that format will need to be exported first.

Von XnView zu darktable wechseln – Schritt für Schritt

Export all images from XnView to a common format (e.g., JPEG or TIFF) if they are in a proprietary format.
Move the exported files to a new folder and launch darktable.
Use the lighttable mode to import the folder into darktable’s database.
Re‑apply any metadata or tags by editing the image properties in darktable.
Adjust any batch conversion settings in darktable’s export dialog to match your previous workflow.
Verify that all images appear correctly and that edits are applied as expected.

Wichtige Funktionen von darktable

Nicht destruktive Bearbeitung mit einem Verlaufsstapel
Lighttable- und Darkroom-Modi
Rohdatenverarbeitung mit hoher Präzision
Geotagging-Kartenansicht
Tethering-Unterstützung
Druck- und Diashow-Modi
Erweiterbar über Python-Skripte

darktable unter Linux installieren

Flatpak (Flathub)flatpak install flathub org.darktable.Darktable

Ubuntu / Mintsudo apt install darktable

Debiansudo apt install darktable

Fedorasudo dnf install darktable

Arch / Manjarosudo pacman -S darktable

openSUSEsudo zypper install darktable

Häufige Fragen

Does darktable support the same file formats as XnView?

Yes, darktable can open JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and most RAW formats. It does not support XnView’s proprietary .xnv files directly, so those must be exported first.

Can I use darktable for quick image viewing?

While darktable can display images, it is designed for editing and may feel heavier than XnView’s lightweight viewer. For quick browsing, XnView is faster.

Is darktable free?

darktable is free and open‑source under the GPL‑3.0+ license, with no paid version.