Downloading PhotoDemon
Before using PhotoDemon, you first need to download it. The latest PhotoDemon release is always available at photodemon.org/downloads.
You can choose between two versions of the application: a stable release, and a nightly release.
(If a new stable release is imminent, a beta release may also be available. A beta release is a nightly release that has been aggressively tested, and we think it’s ready to become the new stable build. If you find a beta release available for download, please try it and share your feedback!)
Stable releases
Stable releases are the “safest” version of PhotoDemon. They have been exhaustively tested by many developers and users, and we believe them to be largely bug-free.
You can download the latest stable release here.
Nightly releases
Every night, a new Nightly release is built from PhotoDemon’s current source code. Nightly releases include new tools, effects, and user-interface improvements, but because they are constantly evolving, they may contain bugs or regressions.
You can download the latest nightly release here.
Which version should you download?
It’s really a matter of personal preference.
If you prize stability over cutting-edge features, download the stable version.
If you prize cutting-edge features over stability, download the nightly version.
Importantly, if you are ever unhappy with either version, please let us know! We want PhotoDemon to provide a great experience for everyone, and we can’t do that if users don’t share their experiences with us.
Switching between PhotoDemon versions
Because PhotoDemon is a portable application, you can download and keep as many different copies as you want.
So don’t feel “trapped” into using a single version of the program. If you want, download the latest stable build and nightly build. After trying them, keep whichever one you like best!
In a downloaded a copy of the program, you can also switch between stable and nightly builds using the Tools > Options > Updates dialog.
screenshot TBD
This setting tells PhotoDemon which versions it can update to. You can change the setting at any time.
If you are currently using a stable build, and you change this setting to stable, beta, and developer builds, PhotoDemon will update to the latest nightly build the next time it checks for updates. (When it checks for updates is controlled by the other setting on this page. You can always force the program to check for updates via the Help > Check for updates menu.)
If you’re using a nightly build and you want to revert to the last stable release, please note that toggling this setting will cause PhotoDemon to stop downloading nightly build updates - but it won’t download a stable release until it finds one that is newer than the current nightly build.
Said another way, PhotoDemon never updates to an older version of itself. Why? When using a nightly build, new tools and features are saved to the program’s settings files. If PhotoDemon were to download an old version of itself - one that doesn’t understand those new settings and features - it might become unstable, defeating the whole purpose of using a stable build.
So if you’re currently using a nightly build and you want to revert to the last stable build, you need to manually download the last stable release from photodemon.org.
When are new stable versions released?
Several times a year (ideally), PhotoDemon’s developers stop adding new features and spend a few weeks exhaustively testing the current nightly release. This is accompanied by a public beta which anyone - including you! - can download and help test.
Once all known bugs are resolved, that build gets promoted to the new stable build.
The biggest variable in shipping new stable releases is actually… users like you! The more people download and use PhotoDemon’s nightly builds, the faster bugs and problems get found and resolved. If PhotoDemon’s developers have to do all the testing themselves, it takes much longer to ship a new stable release.
Continue to Installing PhotoDemon