An Open Source Workflow for Photographers?

In the 24 odd years of teaching, invariably at least one student will ask if there is an alternative to buying "industry standard software." There have always been alternatives to the industry leaders, but the fact remains that much of the industry has been structurally locked into the leader (and usually with a pretty sound logic behind it).

Let me say that I strongly advocate an industry standard workflow. The standardized plug-ins make negotiating things like color space matching very easy for beginners. And if you are doing anything that will appear in print, there is a whole other dimension to press profiles that needs to be added to the mix.

There are OPEN SOURCE software solutions. This recent PETAPIXEL article about an entire free, open-source workflow solution intrigued me. And to the student/s about to ask me the question on a Photoshop Alternative, here you go.

It really looks quite impressive and comprehensive— addressing most of the concerns in a full-process workflow.

However for me, I'll stick with the 90 plus percent marketshare leader. But I will certainly check this out (and keep it book-marked for those adventurous enough to jump into a full-on Linux workflow.