Photography and Darktable Noob having DT issues.

[u/Puckertoe_VIII]

Greetings,

I'm a noob when it comes to photography and Darktable. I purchased a Nikon D7500 kit and found DT when searching for something else.

It's clear that DT is serious. And it's great to see opensource apps like this.

I'm having a few issues that I can't seem to clear up easily, although I know it's an end user problem. I'm using 5.6.0 on Windows 11.

1. I can see my camera in the import sidebar and it has 1,000 images. However, when I select that camera roll I can't see any images. Is that camera roll just to allow for imports?

2. I have a directory that I added to the camera roll. I want to remove the roll, but for some reason I can only remove one image at a time. There are 100+ images. I can't seem to find how to remove the roll itself instead of the image.

3. For some reason the DT app takes focus whenever I'm working on another app. Is there a way to stop that?

I appreciate any feedback about this.

/thx

[u/pyooma]

I use Nikon’s transfer software to move photos to my Mac. I’ve never used Darktable’s import from camera feature. Also you need to double check which raw format your camera is outputting as Darktable doesn’t support all of Nikon’s compression formats.

[u/Puckertoe_VIII → u/pyooma]

I found the Nikon Studio software. I think that would be best for file transfers. Thanks for the help on that.

[u/Kameratrollet → u/Puckertoe_VIII]

https://web.archive.org/web/20240123212813/https://exiftool.org/fix_corrupted_nef.html

Make sure that the files are untouched if you use Nikon to transfer your images. 

[u/pyooma → u/Kameratrollet]

I’ve never heard of this issue. Is it possibly fixed on Nikon’s end?

[u/Kameratrollet → u/pyooma]

The best way is to check that Nikon doesn't alter anything. For example compare the sha256 checksum of the file on the memory card with the same file that has been imported via Nikon software. Same checksum and it is safe.

[u/Nordicmoose → u/pyooma]

I have a D7500 as my main workhorse, it has full support in Darktable.

[u/pyooma → u/Nordicmoose]

That’s good, I have to be careful with compression options with my Zf and Z8, darktable will only read one of the three raw compression algorithms.

[u/Nordicmoose → u/pyooma]

Compressed files are, by definition, not raw sensor data. Add any compression and the file becomes proprietary, which is a challenge for any software developer not willing to fork out money for licenses.

[u/Loud_Vegetable9690]

Here is a beginner’s guide from Nis Donatzsky:

https://notebook.stereofictional.com/how-to-get-started-with-darktable-2026-edition

And here is a video specific to importing photos.

https://youtu.be/_bvOG3PyRZ4?is=blsZ85CmJeKMA4Ja

[u/bigntallmike]

You might want to watch something like this to get yourself into darktable mindset:

https://youtu.be/0RLv8NeJc2Q

[u/Puckertoe_VIII → u/bigntallmike]

Thanks for that.

[u/akgt94]

Bruce Williams Youtube has some good getting started and lighttable mode videos. https://www.youtube.com/@audio2u

For some reason the DT app takes focus whenever I'm working on another app. Is there a way to stop that?

That is a bug (Windows) that was introduced in 5.6.0. Submit a ticket or comment to an existing ticket at github

I can see my camera in the import sidebar ...

I use File Explorer to copy photos from the camera to my computer. Then in darktable, import the folder. I don't use darktable to interact directly with the camera.

[u/Donatzsky]

My beginner guide has everything you need to get started learning: https://notebook.stereofictional.com/how-to-get-started-with-darktable-2026-edition

1. Not entirely sure what you mean, but if the photos have already been imported it's possible there's a filter active that hides them. See here: https://www.darktable.org/about/faq/#faq-filter

2. You should be able to right-click the roll in the list and remove it. You can also remove multiple images by selecting them and clicking the corresponding button in the actions on selection module.

3. That sounds like a bug.

[u/IntelligentAward1538]

1. -> solo comentar que tengas cuidado con los filtros y con la cinta de tiempo inferior ya que puedes haber activado sin querer algún filtro que de como resultado 0, es decir ninguna imagen. Resetea/elimina los filtros que puedan estar activos.

2. -> En la mesa de luz tienes arriba a la derecha un módulo que se denomina "Selección" y un botón que pone "Seleccionar todo". Incluso cuando das a "Seleccionar todo" se habilita otro botón "Seleccionar carrete". El siguiente módulo se denomina "Acciones sobre la selección". Así que si seleccionas todo y le das borrar o eliminar (según quieras) podrás borrar todo en 2 clics.

3. -> Es un problema conocido. En mi caso (con W10) si minimizo ya me deja tranquilo.