Ansel (ansel.photos)

Article summary

Ansel is an open-source photo-editing software designed to help digital artists achieve their own interpretation of raw digital photographs. It is based on darktable 4.0 and aims to provide a more stable and user-friendly experience. The software is still in development and has not published a stable release yet. Ansel's creator, a former darktable developer, forked the project due to disagreements over the direction of the software.

Main themes

• photo editing software
• open-source development
• user experience
• Darktable fork
• software maintenance
• FOSS community

What commenters say

• The Darktable project has been hindered by poor code quality and a lack of focus, leading to unnecessary bloat and unresolved issues.
• The fork of Darktable, Ansel, has improved the user interface and removed unnecessary features, but may have also removed useful modules.
• Some users prefer the original Darktable software and find Ansel to be lacking in features, while others appreciate the streamlined approach of Ansel.
• The inclusion of UX designers in open-source projects could greatly improve the user experience of FOSS applications.
• The Darktable project is still active and has seen significant improvements in recent years, with a consistent release schedule.
• The Ansel fork has sparked debate over the best approach to photo editing software, with some arguing for a more engineering-focused approach and others prioritizing user experience.