| name | darktable-raw |
| description | Knowledge base from the darktable 4.6 user manual. Use when developing RAW photos (NEF/CR2/etc.) in darktable, driving darktable-cli for headless/batch export, reasoning about the scene-referred pixelpipe, modules (exposure, filmic rgb, color calibration, highlight reconstruction, tone equalizer), masking/blending, styles & XMP sidecars, or color management. Version-matched to darktable 4.6. |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Grep","Bash"] |
| argument-hint | ["module name","topic","or chapter number"] |
darktable 4.6 RAW Processing
Source: darktable 4.6 user manual (~318 pp) | Chapters: 12 (curated functional) | Generated: 2026-06-16
How to Use This Skill
- No args — load the core frameworks below.
- Topic/module — ask about
filmic, highlight reconstruction, darktable-cli, masking; I read the relevant chapter.
- Chapter — ask for
ch02; I load it.
- Chapters are loaded on demand; only this file is always in context.
Core Frameworks & Mental Models
Scene-referred is the default and the right choice for RAW. Keep edits in linear, unbounded scene-light space as long as possible; compress to the display only at the end via one display transform (filmic rgb or sigmoid). Tone curves/levels assume the legacy display-referred model and are deprecated here. (Ch 1)
The pixelpipe executes bottom→top of the right-hand module list; UI order = execution order. Some early modules are position-locked: highlight reconstruction → demosaic → input color profile. Don't reorder without a specific reason. (Ch 1)
The "3 modules" basic develop gets ~80% of most images:
- exposure → set mid-gray (artistic; let highlights blow, recovered next).
- filmic rgb scene tab → white/black relative exposure (pickers on brightest/darkest retained tones).
- filmic rgb look tab → contrast + latitude.
Then color balance rgb ("basic colorfulness") for saturation. Develop order overall: basics → corrections → creative → crop. (Ch 1, 2)
Tone: exposure sets mid-gray; filmic/sigmoid maps dynamic range to the display. Exactly one display transform. For portraits with sigmoid, keep skew = 0. tone equalizer (eigf guided mask) is the modern, local-contrast-safe dodge/burn — the tool for pulling down a bright window/sky. (Ch 2)
Color splits primary (neutralize illuminant — color calibration CAT, illuminant = as-shot) vs secondary (creative — color balance rgb). A neutral primary grade makes the secondary grade portable across a whole series via styles. (Ch 3)
Highlights: clipped data is estimated/disguised, never restored. highlight reconstruction (pre-demosaic) method by subject — inpaint opposed (default), clip/LCh (clouds), reconstruct color (skin), guided laplacians (spotlights). filmic's reconstruct tab is the late-stage partner. (Ch 4)
Edits are data, with a hard boundary. The history stack lives in the XMP sidecar (<file>.NEF.xmp). Legible/scriptable: enabled, operation, module order, xmp:Rating. Packed and NOT hand-editable: params= (hex), blendop_params= (gzip+base64). Apply edits via GUI-authored .dtstyle (darktable-cli --style), by copying a known-good sidecar, or lighttable copy-paste. (Ch 9, 10)
Headless batch via darktable-cli: applies a style or <xmp> sidecar to RAW input, no GUI. Always isolate --core --configdir/--library when a GUI might be open — the library lock terminates a second instance instantly. Verify outputs exist + exit 0 + a visual spot-check; silent no-ops look like success. (Ch 10)
Verify by looking. Export a small JPEG and read it; never tune blind. This is the core iteration loop. (patterns.md)
Chapter Index
| # | Title | Key topics |
|---|
| ch01 | Workflow & Pixelpipe | scene-referred, 3-modules, history stack, module order |
| ch02 | Exposure & Tone | exposure, filmic rgb, sigmoid, tone equalizer, area mapping |
| ch03 | Color | color calibration CAT, color balance rgb, primary/secondary |
| ch04 | Highlights & Recovery | highlight reconstruction, color reconstruction |
| ch05 | Detail | demosaic, denoise profiled, local contrast, diffuse/sharpen |
| ch06 | Masking & Blending | drawn/parametric/raster masks, blend modes |
| ch07 | Corrections | lens correction, rotate & perspective, crop |
| ch08 | Creative Effects | retouch, color zones, grain, B&W, framing |
| ch09 | Lighttable | culling, rating, styles, history copy-paste |
| ch10 | darktable-cli & Batch | invocation, variables, XMP, library lock |
| ch11 | Preferences & Performance | color management, OpenCL, tiling, defaults |
| ch12 | Deprecated Modules | warn-off index + replacements |
Topic Index
- area exposure mapping → ch02
- batch / series → ch02, ch09, ch10
- color balance rgb → ch03
- color calibration / white balance → ch03
- darktable-cli → ch10
- demosaic → ch05
- denoise → ch05
- deprecated modules → ch12
- exposure → ch02
- filmic rgb → ch02
- highlight reconstruction / clipping → ch04
- lens correction / crop / perspective → ch07
- local contrast → ch02, ch05
- masking / blending → ch06
- OpenCL / performance / memory → ch11
- pixelpipe / module order → ch01
- rating / culling → ch09
- retouch / color zones / effects → ch08
- scene-referred → ch01
- sigmoid → ch02
- styles / .dtstyle → ch09, ch10
- tone equalizer → ch02
- XMP sidecar / history stack → ch01, ch10
Supporting Files
- glossary.md — terms with chapter refs
- patterns.md — reusable workflows (basic develop, high-DR recovery, batch, mixed-light)
- cheatsheet.md — decision rules, darktable-cli refs, XMP boundary, defaults
Scope & Limits
Covers the darktable 4.6 manual. Version-pinned: module names/params match 4.6 — verify before assuming for other versions. This is the knowledge layer; an operator/workflow skill (the export-and-look loop, shoot-specific tuning, batch scripts) is a separate companion. For RAW capture metadata, use exiftool. The skill can run darktable-cli (Bash) but must isolate config/library per ch10.
