DARKTABLE AI Masking - Which model is the best?

Darktable 5.6 finally has AI masking built in — but which model should you actually use? I tested them head-to-head on two images, same click coordinates, same crops, so you can see exactly where the differences show up (and where they don't). No subscription. No cloud. No telemetry. Just open-source models running locally on your own machine. In this video: ✅ How to install the AI masking models (it's easier than you'd think) ✅ What actually separates the different models ✅ Easy image vs hard image — where each model wins ✅ My practical recommendation for which to use day to day 00:00 - Introduction & Darktable 5.6 Release Overview 01:06 - The 4 AI Masking Models Available (SAM 2.1 & SegNext) 02:04 - Model Sizes and Performance Requirements 02:50 - Comparing Images: Clean vs. Complex Backgrounds 04:05 - How to Download & Install AI Models in Darktable 05:32 - Selecting and Enabling Models in Settings 06:36 - Testing the SAM 2.1 Tiny Model 08:00 - Comparing Models on a Complex Image (Cow Test) 09:22 - Analysis: Which Model is Actually Better? 11:18 - Tips for Refining AI Masks with Vector Tools 13:39 - Final Recommendation: Choosing the Right Model for Your PC 14:51 - Future Outlook for Darktable AI 🔗 LINKS darktable-ai repository: https://github.com/darktable-org/dark... Darktable download: https://www.darktable.org ☕ If these tutorials help you, you can support the channel here: ko-fi.com/marienphotography 🎞️ More Darktable 5.6 AI tutorials: AI Masking Intro :    • Lightroom's AI Masking in Darktable   AI Denoise :    • Darktable's NEW AI Denoise: Better Than Li...   AI Upscale :    • Darktable's New AI Upscale: Better Than Li...   #darktable #photography #opensource #lightroomalternative #photoediting