The Luminar 1.2 Neptune update brought a bunch of new and interesting tools, and one of them is the AI Accent filter. AI stands for ‘artificial intelligence’, which is used to analyse different parts of the picture for objects, structure, colour, light and dark tones and more. When you drag the slider it intelligently enhances […]
Skylum Luminar and Luminar Flex
Luminar is a clever and innovative photo-editing program that is constantly evolving in new and sometimes unexpected directions. Luminar 4, the latest version, is a radical departure from its predecessor.
The in-built Libraries feature for organizing and browsing your photos is the same, but the editing tools have had a major revamp. The multiple customisable workspaces have been slimmed down into four and the filters have been slimmed down too and locked into these specific workspaces.
It feels constrained and strange compared to the 'old' Luminar, but it's also more locked down and logical. What's more, Luminar Flex, the plug-in version sold briefly alongside Luminar 3, has now been rolled back into the main program and installed alongside Luminar 4 at no extra cost.
Luminar continues to be a strange, bold, exciting and high-value Photoshop alternative that offers instant 'Looks' and some new, out of this world AI augmented imaging technology that is potentially controversial but is also rather extraordinary.
Using the Luminar Quick & Awesome workspace
When MacPhun (or Skylum, as it is now) updated its innovative photo-editing app to Luminar 1.2 ‘Neptune’, it added a number of new features. One of these is the new Luminar Quick & Awesome workspace, which is designed to bring three key filters for getting awesome results quickly. These are the new Accent – AI Filter which […]
Using the improved Luminar Vignette filter
This filter was improved in Luminar 1.2 with new Vignette Styles, a Place Center button for off-centre positioning and new Pre- and Post-crop options. Here’s a quick tour: 01 Our start shot This clown sign at a fairground might make a good picture, but there’s a lot of bright and confusing detail in the background. […]
How to use MacPhun plug-ins with Luminar 1.2 Neptune
The Luminar 1.2 update brought a whole bunch of useful additions and enhancements to MacPhun’s clever image-editing application. One of these was support for MacPhun’s own Creative Kit plug-ins. Even though Luminar has arrived on the scene, these are still being supported and do provide some effects and features not yet available in Luminar. Just […]
How to use the Luminar Adjustable Gradient filter
The Luminar Adjustable Gradient filter is a great tool for all kinds of photography, but for landscapes in particular. It tackles that thorny old problem of bright skies and dark ground and the brightness difference between them. You can fix this at the shooting stage by using a graduated filter on the front of the […]
Skylum Luminar Golden Hour filter
The ‘Pluto’ update to Luminar brought a selection of new tools including a new Golden Hour filter. If you want to know more about it, you can download the Luminar trial version. This filter is designed to simulate the warmth of a late afternoon sun, something which is actually a lot more difficult to do digitally […]