DigiKam, KDE’s popular open source photo and image manager, just hit version 8.8.0. It brings a fantastic new tool that lets you easily blur the background or subject in a photo, and a ton of other improvements you’ll want to check out.

The star of the show in digiKam 8.8.0 is definitely the new enhancement tool in the Image Editor. It’s designed to progressively blur the background of a subject, or even the subject itself, giving your photos a more professional and creative look. This is a super-handy way to get those coveted depth-of-field effects without needing a high-end camera lens.

The G’MIC-Qt plugin has also been updated to version 3.6.0. If you’ve never used it, this plugin is an absolute powerhouse. The plugin has over 600 open-source filters for you to use as you process and improve your images. You can use this tool across the Image Editor, Batch Queue Manager, and Album View, so you have a lot more options when you’re editing photos.

One of the other major improvements is how digiKam handles color management across different operating systems. Version 8.8.0 now automatically uses the monitor color profile you have set for Windows, macOS, and Linux. This guarantees you get consistent and accurate color representation no matter which platform you’re working on.

DigiKam 8.8.0 has its core code fully ported to Qt 6.10.0. This basically means you get better overall performance and improved compatibility with the latest operating systems. KDE also updated the Progress Manager to use native desktop notifications under Linux, macOS, and Windows for seamless integration. You’ll want to use the Qt6 version if you can, as they recommend it for the best user experience.

If you’re a photographer, you’ll be happy to hear that the Preview module has added focus point visualization for both FujiFilm and Olympus/OM Systems cameras. This gives you precise information on focus accuracy and composition right within the digiKam interface, which is fantastic for reviewing your shots whenever you need.

For those who manage massive photo libraries, the new tag management features are a lifesaver. You can now import or export tag hierarchies to and from text files, and it even supports the Controlled Vocabulary Keyword Catalog format. This way, you’re in total control over how your images are organized.

As generally expected, the team has been busy under the hood too, fixing over 100 bugs and errors. This includes stability improvements for Wayland sessions and Windows 11 background processes, as well as fixing crashes related to face recognition and database operations. However, it also came with improved language support as digiKam now supports 61 languages for the graphical interface.

If you want to grab this update, you can download digiKam 8.8.0 right now from the repository for Windows, Linux, and Mac. The team already has future plans for a maintenance release in early 2026, and you can expect that to bring more bug fixes, performance improvements, and even new AI-powered tools for image improvement.

Source: KDE