Natron is a free and open-source node-based compositing application. It has been influenced by digital compositing software such as Avid Media Illusion, Apple Shake, Blackmagic Fusion, Autodesk Flame and Nuke, from which its user interface and many of its concepts are derived.
Natron supports plugins following the OpenFX 1.4 API. Most open-source and commercial OpenFX plug-ins are supported.
Natron is named after Lake Natron in Tanzania which, according to Natron lead programmer Alexandre Gauthier, provides "natural visual effects" by preserving its dead animals.
Natron was started by Alexandre Gauthier-Foichat in June 2012 as a personal project. The project was the winner of the 2013 Boost Your Code contest by Inria. The prize was a 12-month employment contract to develop Natron as a free and open-source software within the institute.
From the Wikipedia article “Natron (software)”, CC BY-SA 4.0
What is Natron?
Natron by The Natron developers is open-source Windows software in the photo editors category. It ranks 4th by popularity among photo editors in this catalogue. It is written in Python and C++. Besides Windows, it is available for macOS, FreeBSD and Linux.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (Inno Setup) installers for 64-bit Windows. Installation asks for administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 13,780 times. The source code on GitHub (NatronGitHub/Natron) has 5,591 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 10 of our languages. Similar programs include Pinta, Upscayl and XnView MP.
Project description on GitHub: “Open-source video compositing software. Node-graph based. Similar in functionalities to Adobe After Effects and Nuke by The Foundry.”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Also runs on macOS, FreeBSD and Linux
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- Installation needs administrator rights
- No update for more than a year
In short: Natron is an open-source photo editor tool for 64-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Screenshots
Is Natron safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
CAED0B649FF2515B963F0B4FC009EB451A41D8BA3D6E5D4260253DD9E104C517· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 1 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5.0Latest | December 29, 2022 | — | 64-bit ZIP64-bit ZIP |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id Natron.Natron -echoco install Natron -yscoop install extras/natronNatron-2.5.0-Windows-x86_64.zip /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NORESTART /SP-Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
flatpak install flathub fr.natron.NatronInformation
- Publisher
- The Natron developers
- Category
- Photo editors
- Licence
- GPL-2.0 Licence
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/NatronGitHub/Natron
- Written in
- Python and C++
- Content rating
- All ages
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (Inno Setup)
- Other platforms
- macOS, FreeBSD, Linux
- Version
- 2.5.0
- Released
- December 29, 2022
- Added to the catalogue
- July 14, 2023
- Versions listed
- 1
- Chocolatey downloads
- 13,780
- GitHub stars
- 5,591
- GitHub forks
- 421
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- Natron.Natron
- Chocolatey package
- Natron
- Scoop package
- extras/natron
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to Natron
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Frequently asked questions
Is Natron free?
Yes. Natron is open-source software under the GPL-2.0 Licence licence.
Is Natron safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Natron with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Natron be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Natron run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Can I use Natron without administrator rights?
Yes, there is a per-user installer that does not need administrator rights.
What are alternatives to Natron?
Pinta, Upscayl, XnView MP, ART and PhotoDemon. The alternatives page compares them.
