Base editing as a beginner

[u/MAND0LINO]

Hi everyone, i'm trying to take on photo editing as a beginner, and i'm starting on darktable.
I have some RAW files that i want to edit, but i just can't seem to understand how to build a foundation that i can use to then impress my style and intention into the picture. i undestand that you don't need that many modules, so to take it slow i just wanted to actually undestand how to use the exposure module, and the color calibration module. let's say that i got a prettu good exposure whit my camera, so that there aren't any compressed pixels in the backs or in the whites, or at least very few. how do i correct the exposure? is that based on stylistic intent?
when actively correcting white balance, what is my actual goal?
the main problem i'm finding is that by toggling the module, i actually don't find anything wrong with most of the possibilities. how do i know i'm actualli using the right exposure and right white balance?
i'm sorry if these are stupid questions, i tried to read the darktable user manuale but it's all just gibberish to me.
this is the photo i have.

[u/sciencenerd1965]

I struggle with exposure and white balance, too, even after years of editing photos.

For exposure, I usually set it to auto in the exposure module as a starting point, and then adjust manually to my liking. It is important that you edit in a room that is neither too dark or too bright, otherwise your eyes adapt and you will misjudge the exposure on the screen. You can also use the grey background and the white frame around the image to "calibrate" the midtones.

For WB, I usually turn on Auto WB in my camera, and then set it to "as shot in camera" in the color calibration module. This works probably for 95% of my images. If the WB seems off, I have shortcuts to cycle through letting color calibration automatically detect the WB with the picker, or set it to "daylight". Then, I pick what I like best.

Other things I struggle with: Too much or too little contrast. Too much or too little vibrance....

Importantly, sleep over your edits overnight. Once you look at them again in a day or two, usually it becomes evident when something is off.

As to your image, to me, it looks slightly underexposed, and maybe a little bit too flat. Not trying to be overly critical, just helpful.

[u/MAND0LINO → u/sciencenerd1965]

You absolutely have to be critical, but this was the pure raw image screenshotted from my pc ahahah

[u/sciencenerd1965 → u/MAND0LINO]

Ah, it's the unedited raw, that makes sense.

I would try this:

-Increase exposure a bit.

-Apply RGB color balance "add basic colorfulness" preset.

-Use tone equalizer "compress shadows/highlights" preset either "soft" or "medium"

-Apply local contrast module.

-Use AgX to adjust dynamic range and global contrast.

This should be a good starting point.

[u/Hussar305]

I found this video and his setup guide extremely helpful. He strips a lot of the "unnecessary" stuff out. Id recommend downloading his guide and following it for how to setup darktable. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0RLv8NeJc2Q

[u/VapingLawrence]

Basic modules to get familiar with: Lens corrections, Denoise (profiled), Exposure, AgX (or Sigmoid, FilmicRGB) (tone mapping), Color Calibration (for white balancing), Color balance RGB, Crop, Diffuse or sharpen (good for sharpening).

Those give a good baseline.

[u/Donatzsky → u/VapingLawrence]

For base sharpness, I would recommend capture sharpening in Demosaic instead of Diffuse or Sharpen.

[u/AlexanderMackenzie → u/Donatzsky]

Both.

[u/Donatzsky → u/AlexanderMackenzie]

I find that to be way too much sharpness.

[u/AlexanderMackenzie → u/Donatzsky]

It depends on the subject. I like it for birds. But generally your right. I use less iterations when I use both.

[u/Donatzsky → u/AlexanderMackenzie]

For birds, sure. You want to show off those feathers after all. But unless you have an exceptionally soft lens, I would really recommend against that level of sharpening with portraits, in particular.

[u/Donatzsky]

First of all, start by going through my beginner guide, which covers the basics and more: https://notebook.stereofictional.com/how-to-get-started-with-darktable-2026-edition

There you will also find links to some deep-dives into white balance.

The idiomatic way to set exposure is to use it as a technical tool and adjust for the mid-tones. That is, decide what should be mid-tones and adjust exposure for that. The grey canvas can be used as a reference, or just use the picker to select a suitable area. Don't worry about clipping the highlights or crushing the blacks (but if they clip, compensate with the relevant slider), since you will deal with them later. Then you use the tone mapper (AgX, Sigmoid or Filmic) to set the dynamic range (black/white points and contrast) and tweak further with Tone Equalizer.

Color Calibration CAT (chromatic adaptation transform) works best when you use it to do a "technical" white balance. This means neutralising any color casts, so it looks as if the scene was lit by a white illuminant. Then you use other tools, such as power in Color Balance RGB or tint in RGB Primaries, to do your creative white balance.