Topic: Using Linux for Photography, where we stand

[sam]

http://jcornuz.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/using-linux-for-photography-where-we-stand/

Graphics and photography have been Apple’s chasse gardée for years but for quite some time, MS Windows is on par with the Mac and the system of choice for photographers boils down to personal preferences more than anything else. Mac users have the exclusivity of Apple Aperture, but Photoshop and Lightroom, Adobe’s behemoths, are available on both platforms - and the CS4 64 bits version of Photoshop for Mac will be delayed due to the necessity to porting it to Cocoa. Maybe Adobe could port it to QT and offer a Linux version, but I digress…

So what about Linux then?

My goal with this entry is to brush a big picture of where Linux stands as far as photography is concerned. What are the achievements, where improvement are needed and being worked on and which pieces are still missing. I will survey what I consider the 3 main areas that an OS has to cover for serious photography work: color management, printing support and workflow.

Note that this is a summary of subjects that are covered in more detail elsewhere in this blog; I provide internal links where appropriate.

[Rik]

Quite a way to go yet, from the look of that, Sam.

[sam]

its not too bad to be honest - but it does depend on the level of user you are - and what you do. Its very powerful for quick automated manipulations though - and to be honest it not that hard to get photoshop working... 

[Rik]

Under an emulation package?

[sam]

Under an emulation package?

using Wine, which is not really an emulation package but yeah that sort of idea - you can get quite a lot of windows programs running that way - that's how I can play quite a lot of games 

[Rik]

Does it handle colour management?

[sam]

Does it handle colour management?

Oh no, but I expect you might be able to get around this issues...

[Rik]

You might, Sam, I'd just disappear under a mountain of reading material.

[sam]

You might, Sam, I'd just disappear under a mountain of reading material.

 

give it time...

[Rik]

How long have I got?

[sam]

not long enough. 

[Rik]

I thought that might be the case.