darktable 5.2 released with side-by-side snapshot viewing, multi-preset export, and more

darktable 5.2.0 delivers a substantial update for photographers and editors using this open source RAW photo editor. The center of the editing interface now enables snapshots to be compared side-by-side with the current image. Users can zoom and pan each panel independently, improving before-and-after workflows.

In addition, the metadata module gains full configuration options, letting users add and maintain any tags that exiv2 supports. This update empowers more flexible photo organization and compatibility with diverse workflows. The release also adds a new raster mask import module, allowing selection of PFM (Portable FloatMap) files as image masks. Users can set a root folder for these files, assign specific masks, and choose any combination of the file’s RGB channels for mask application.

Following these core changes, the export module now includes a multi-preset export feature. This lets users export chosen images with several presets simultaneously, streamlining batch operations. For new installations, the sigmoid module becomes the default tone-mapper. darktable 5.2.0 rounds out the update with interface enhancements, performance improvements, support for more cameras, and several other changes and bug fixes.