Software-update: digiKam 8.8.0

Versie 8.8.0 van digiKam is uitgekomen. Deze fotobeheer- en beeldbewerkingsapplicatie heeft downloads voor Linux, BSD, macOS en Windows. DigiKam bevat ondersteuning voor uiteenlopende bestandsformaten en kan daarnaast via plug-ins van meer mogelijkheden worden voorzien, zoals het exporteren van een album naar Facebook of Flickr. Meer over de mogelijkheden van dit programma is op deze pagina te vinden. De complete releasenotes voor deze uitgave kunnen hieronder worden gevonden.

General Updates and Porting

digiKam 8.8.0 introduces a major update with the core code now fully ported to Qt 6.10.0, ensuring improved performance and compatibility with modern operating systems. English strings have been thoroughly reviewed using the codespell static analyzer for enhanced accuracy and consistency. In Windows, the default maximum path length is 260 characters. This limitation can cause issues when dealing with files or directories that exceed this length. However, starting with Windows 10 version 1607 and continuing in Windows 11, users can enable support for longer file paths. With digiKam 8.8.0 users can now benefit from support for long file paths when enabled as it’s described on this tutorial.

Tag Management

A new feature allows users to import or export tag hierarchies to and from text files, supporting the Controlled Vocabulary Keyword Catalogue format. This functionality simplifies the management and sharing of complex tag structures across different platforms, programs, and workflows.

Preview and Camera Support

The Preview module now supports focus point visualization for FujiFilm and Olympus/OM Systems cameras. This feature provides photographers with precise information about focus accuracy and composition, directly within the digiKam interface.

Color Management

digiKam 8.8.0 now automatically uses the monitor color profile set under Windows, macOS, and Wayland, ensuring consistent and accurate color representation across all supported platforms.

Editor and Plugins

The Image Editor includes a new enhancement tool to progressively blur the background of a subject in a photo, enabling creative depth-of-field effects. For more details, refer to the online documentation, which explains the core techniques and settings adjustments for optimal results. The G’MIC-Qt plugin has been updated to version 3.6.0, offering expanded image processing capabilities. Learn how to use this tool in the Image Editor, Batch Queue Manager, and Album View.

Internal Components Update

This release includes updates to several key components:

The QtAVPlayer video module has been updated to 20250913 for Qt5 users. The internal RAW decoder, Libraw, has been updated to the latest 20250727 upstream version with more RAW camera support and bugfixes. The Progress Manager now uses native desktop notifications under Linux, macOS, and Windows for seamless integration. We recommend using the Qt6 version for the best user experience, as Qt5 will reach end-of-life in the near future.

Notable Bug Fixes

Fixed crashes and freezes related to face recognition, DLNA server, and database operations.Improved stability for Wayland sessions and Windows 11 background processes.Resolved issues with tag management, including import/export and drag-and-drop operations.Fixed color management and focus point extraction for supported camera models.Addressed various UI/UX issues, such as incorrect sorting, thumbnail display, and language selection.

Fixed crashes and freezes related to face recognition, DLNA server, and database operations.

Improved stability for Wayland sessions and Windows 11 background processes.

Resolved issues with tag management, including import/export and drag-and-drop operations.

Fixed color management and focus point extraction for supported camera models.

Addressed various UI/UX issues, such as incorrect sorting, thumbnail display, and language selection.

Over 100 bugs have been fixed, ensuring a more robust and reliable experience.

Generalities

The application’s internationalization has been updated, and digiKam now supports 61 languages for the graphical interface. Brazilian Portuguese translations have been added to the documentation. Users can change the language via the Settings/Configure Languages dialog.

Future Plans

The next maintenance release is planned for early 2026, focusing on Qt 6.10 bundle migration for a better support of Windows 11 and macOS Tahoe, further bug fixes, performance improvements, and the introduction of new AI-powered tools for image enhancement and management.

Source: Tweakers.net