An excellent digital photo management application is essential for anyone who likes to take photos. DigiKam is a superb option for Linux, Windows, and macOS users. It provides comprehensive tools for importing pictures from your camera or external storage devices such as SD cards/USB disks without breaking out the manual hex editors! The app also has excellent features like editing remotely through Dropbox integration which means no more juggling between different screens while trying not to miss anything important. Another great feature of DigiKam is its ability to tag photos with GPS location data. This makes it easy to organize and find photos later, whether looking for all the images you took on your last vacation or just those taken near your current location. Whether you’re a professional photographer or just someone who likes to take pictures, DigiKam is an excellent option for managing your digital photos.
In the following tutorial, you will learn to install the digiKAM on Linux Mint 21 LTS using three methods: apt package manager using the default apt repository or a newer version from a launchpad ppa or flatpak package manager, along with some tips for maintaining or removing digiKam in the future.
Table of Contents
Update Linux Mint
Before you begin, ensure your system is up-to-date to avoid any conflicts during the installation, and for good practice, use the terminal command as follows.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgradeInstall digiKam – APT Default Method
The first option is to use the default APT repository. This is a stable and secure version and is most recommended to install over any other package manager but can be outdated compared to Flatpaks alternative, usually up-to-date.
First, execute the following apt install command.
sudo apt install digikam -yInstall digiKam – APT with PPA Method
The second option is to use the LaunchPAD PPA APT repository by Rob Savoury. This PPA contains the latest version of digiKam at all times and is probably the best option for Linux Mint users to grab the newest version without resorting to third-party package managers.
Use the following command to install or check if the packages are installed before importing the PPA.
sudo apt install dirmngr ca-certificates software-properties-common gnupg gnupg2 apt-transport-https -yNext, import the GPG key needed for all the repositories.
If you have issues importing the GPG key, please see the end section on GPG troubleshooting at the end of the article.
sudo gpg --no-default-keyring --keyring /usr/share/keyrings/rob-savoury.gpg --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys E996735927E427A733BB653E374C7797FB006459Example output:
gpg: keybox '/usr/share/keyrings/rob-savoury.gpg' created
gpg: key 374C7797FB006459: public key "Launchpad PPA for Rob Savoury" imported
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: imported: 1Next, import the repository and the two recommended repositories to accompany it.
Before importing these PPAs, backup if you have a critical system; they will make many changes/upgrades to core packages. Mostly, it should be fine, but backups play a crucial role when installing packages that do not default in the Linux Mint team release.
echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/rob-savoury.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/savoury1/digikam/ubuntu jammy main' | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/digikam-rob-savoury.list
echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/rob-savoury.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/savoury1/ffmpeg4/ubuntu jammy main' | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ffmpeg-4-rob-savoury.list
echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/rob-savoury.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/savoury1/ffmpeg5/ubuntu jammy main' | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ffmpeg-5-rob-savoury.list
echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/rob-savoury.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/savoury1/graphics/ubuntu jammy main' | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/graphics-rob-savoury.listNext, run an APT update to reflect the new additions.
sudo apt-get updateBefore you continue, run an APT upgrade as many dependencies will need to be upgraded, it is best to do this before the installation.
sudo apt upgradeNow install digiKam from the PPA using the following apt install command.
sudo apt install digikam -yInstall digiKam – Flatpak Method
The third option is to use the Flatpak package manager. This is another popular option similar to Snap but is featured amongst many distributions as an alternative third-party installation package manager for the latest packages.
First, re-install Flatpak if you have removed the package manager previously.
sudo apt install flatpak -yBefore you proceed, reboot your system, or else you will have issues such as applications icons not appearing.
rebootNext, you need to enable Flatpack using the following command in your terminal:
sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepoNow install digiKam using the following flatpak command:
flatpak install flathub org.kde.digikam -yHow to Launch digiKam
Now that you have the digiKam installed, launching can be done in a few ways.
With your terminal opened, you can use the following command to launch immediately.
digikamLastly, Flatpak users can run from the terminal using the following command.
flatpak run org.kde.digikamHowever, this isn’t practical, and you would use the following path on your desktop.
Taskbar > Graphics > digiKam
Example:
The first time you open digiKam, you will need to go over some options, such as changing the default location, image previews, etc. The default setting is always selected. If unsure, keep these and adjust later on.
Example:
Once the first-time setup is complete, you will be prompted to download binary files for the first time.
Example:
Once done, you will be able to use digiKam.
Example:
Congratulations, you have successfully installed digiKam.
How to Update/Upgrade digiKam
Updates should appear in notifications, but if these fail to show sometimes, it is recommended to check using the terminal regardless of the following commands to check for updates.
APT Method
sudo apt updateFlatpak Method
flatpak updateHow to Remove (Uninstall) digiKam
Use one of the following commands to suit the original installation method for users who no longer require the application.
APT Remove Method
sudo apt autoremove digikam --purge -yNote that autoremove will also delete any unused packages from digiKam and any other leftovers from previous applications. This is usually safe and should be done to keep your system from bloating.
Flatpak Remove Method
flatpak remove --delete-data org.kde.digikam -yNext, run the following command for any leftover clean-ups required, similar to the autoremove command described for the apt remove example command.
flatpak remove --unusedHow to Fix Broken GPG Import
Users that have installed Linux Mint for the first time or have not imported a GPG key before using the command line terminal will often have issues importing GPG keys from LaunchPAD PPAs due to the directories not being created. This is an easy fix. Use the following command that will, in turn, generate the directories.
sudo gpg --list-keysExample output:
As above, the necessary directories have been created. This can be skipped, and use the following GPG import command below. If you have any issues with directories missing for this and any other PPA GPG key in the future, just run the above command.
Comments and Conclusion
If you’re looking for a powerful, free photo management application that runs on Linux Mint, digiKam is the app for you. The Dropbox integration makes it easy to edit photos remotely, and the comprehensive import tools make getting your images into the app a breeze.