Skylum Luminar Neo Review
Advantages
- Distinctive AI tools for photo enhancement
- Intuitive and attractive interface
- Numerous adjustment tools, filters, and effects
Disadvantages
- Some functions can be sluggish
- Missing face recognition and keyword tagging features
Skylum Luminar Neo Specifications
- Keyword Tagging: No
- Face Recognition: No
- Layer Editing: Yes
Overview Skylum’s creation of Luminar Neo stemmed from a desire to produce a photo editing application that harnesses the power of AI to elevate digital images. The software boasts a user-friendly interface that makes editing a pleasurable experience. Building on the features of its predecessor, Luminar Neo includes sky replacement and an extensive array of filters and editing tools. It also introduces layer support with a comprehensive library of textures and overlays. The unique AI adjustment tools and filters, along with compatibility as a plug-in for Photoshop and Lightroom, position Luminar Neo as a valuable tool for photographers. However, it does not function as an all-encompassing photo editing or workflow solution. For a complete package, explore the Editors’ Choice winners, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Classic.
What’s New in Skylum Luminar Neo?
Skylum consistently introduces what they call extensions—optional features and effect modules that users can choose to install. These extensions are available through a subscription or can be purchased individually for $49 each or as a bundle for $299. This flexible approach means you don’t have to clutter your system with unwanted features.
Expert Testing and Evaluation
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Latest Features in Luminar Neo
The newest extensions include several generative AI tools, such as GenExpand, GenSwap, and GenErase, which create background content based on existing photo elements. Additionally, the software now features panorama stitching, neon and glow drawing tools, and a tilt-shift effect. Other recently added AI tools are Upscale AI, Supersharp AI, Background Removal AI, and Noiseless AI. Skylum continues to enhance the user interface and overall performance of Luminar Neo.
Pricing for Skylum Luminar Neo
Luminar Neo can be purchased from Skylum’s website as a subscription for $11.95 per month or $99 per year, or as a lifetime license for $249. While Skylum offers a free online photo editor, it lacks the robust features of Luminar Neo.
Comparable Photo Editing Software
- Adobe Lightroom Classic: $9.99/month
- Adobe Photoshop: Subscription pricing
- Adobe Photoshop Elements: $99.99
- DxO PhotoLab: $229.00
- Adobe Lightroom: Subscription pricing
- CyberLink PhotoDirector: $39.99/year
- Corel PaintShop Pro: $99.99
- Capture One Pro: $299
- Photopea: Free with premium features available
For comparison, other software like Capture One costs $299, CyberLink PhotoDirector is $99 per year, and DxO PhotoLab is $229. Lightroom requires a $9.99 monthly subscription for continuous use.
Availability and Setup of Luminar Neo
Luminar Neo is available as an app for both Windows Store and Mac App Store. This app store availability simplifies updates and installation on multiple devices while ensuring security and functionality. A 30-day money-back guarantee and a 30-day free trial are offered. Testing for this review was conducted on the subscription version, which includes all the latest features. Alternatively, you can download a small installer from Skylum’s website.
System Requirements and Installation
Luminar Neo requires Windows 10 (version 1909 or later), Windows 11, or macOS 11 or later. During setup, there is an option to install Luminar Neo as a plug-in for Photoshop and Lightroom Classic. Note that you cannot install third-party plug-ins within Luminar Neo itself. The software requires about 3GB of hard drive space, similar to Lightroom. Once installation is complete, you sign in to a Skylum account and can use a QR code to install the companion mobile app for wireless image transfer.
Skylum Luminar Neo offers a streamlined Catalog mode, displaying a grid of your images with a left-side panel for dates, folders, and albums, along with photo details. The initial interface is straightforward, featuring a prominent Add Photos button. Unlike traditional import processes, you simply select a folder, and all contained images are quickly added to your Luminar catalog. This method speeds up access to your photos, allowing immediate viewing and editing. For instance, my card with 858 files was added in seconds, and navigating through the catalog was faster than in many other applications.
However, the Add Photos button does not automatically detect attached camera media, functioning more like a File Explorer. While this requires manually locating your camera media folder, it’s a minor inconvenience. I had to grant the program access to my Pictures folder in Windows due to folder protection settings in Windows Defender.
Luminar Neo’s interface is compact, dark, and uncluttered, helping you focus on your photos. It is simpler than interfaces of other professional photo software like ON1 PhotoRAW or Capture One, giving it a feel akin to a mobile app. Despite its simplicity, the program isn’t highly customizable and offers minimal “getting started” guidance. However, its clarity and ease of use mitigate these limitations.
Rewritten Article
In Catalog mode, a filmstrip appears below the single photo view, and right-clicking allows you to pick, reject, and view the original unedited photo. (Credit: Skylum/PCMag)
The app offers three modes: Catalog, Presets, and Edit. In Catalog view, you can zoom using the mouse wheel, a simpler method than Lightroom’s, without being limited to preset zoom levels like 33% and 50%. Clicking an “i” icon opens an info panel with shot settings and camera model details. A search icon enables quick photo searches by filename, though it lacks advanced search capabilities based on metadata like f-stop or lens model, which are available in Lightroom and DxO Photolab. Unlike Photoshop, it doesn’t offer a tool search feature, which could be beneficial given the numerous tools available.
Below the image, a heart icon allows you to favorite it, while an X icon lets you reject it for quick culling. However, there is no keyword tagging or color coding. A filmstrip ribbon along the bottom provides a view of the collection.
The left sidebar includes an option to view All Photos, organized by date, with filters for recently added or edited images. Below that, you can access computer folders and custom Albums. The app lacks standard program menus like File, Image, and View at the top; instead, you access these by clicking the Luminar logo.
In Edit mode, you can switch between Tools, Edits, and Presets. An eyeball icon shows the original view of your photo, but a split-screen before-and-after view would be a useful addition. Double-clicking on sliders resets them to their defaults, and the Edits tab allows you to see and undo previous edits easily
Compare the initial raw image import from a Canon 80D using Luminar Neo (left), Adobe Lightroom (center), and Capture One (right). (Credit: PCMag)
When you import raw files for the first time, the Develop tool in Luminar Neo’s Edit mode offers profile options like Luminar Default, Adobe Standard, camera defaults, or a custom profile from DCP or DNG files. I experienced no issues importing raw images from newer cameras such as the Canon EOS R6, Fujifilm X-T4, and Nikon Z 6. The default processing of my Canon EOS 80D images produced excellent quality, comparable to Lightroom and Capture One, as seen above. However, I found Capture One to provide the best initial import, with greater detail and less overexposure. The results can vary with different camera models, and all these applications allow for adjustments to enhance the initial import.
Luminar Neo’s Develop Profiles and Adjustments
Develop Profiles Overview Luminar Neo offers a variety of Develop profiles tailored for imported photos. These profiles can be accessed through the Develop panel on the right side of the interface.
Standard Adjustments Once a Develop profile is selected, users can fine-tune their images with several adjustment options. These include:
- Exposure
- Smart Contrast
- Highlights
- Shadows
- Blacks & Whites
- Curves
- Color
- Sharpness
- Noise Reduction
- Optics
The Optics section is particularly noteworthy, featuring a manual barrel and pincushion slider and a Defringe checkbox. Additionally, for certain raw file types, there are checkboxes for Auto Distortion correction and Auto Fix Chromatic Aberrations. In testing, both the chromatic aberration and geometric distortion corrections performed well, though the latter required a few seconds to display results on the test PC.
Optics Corrections According to a Skylum representative, the app includes a database of lens and camera profiles for automatic optics corrections. For equipment not in the database, Luminar Neo uses general algorithms to make adjustments.
Professional Section At the bottom of the right-hand control panel, the Professional section offers advanced controls, such as separate contrast sliders for Highlights, Midtones, and Shadows. It also includes RGB selectors in the Curves tool and White balance settings with an eyedropper tool.
Enhance Tool Unlike traditional auto settings for lighting and color, Luminar Neo uses the Enhance tool. This tool features a slider to adjust its strength, providing noticeable improvements in test shots by enhancing contrast and saturation, similar to HDR effects.
Crop Tool with AI The Crop tool includes an AI option that detects the subject and suggests a crop, effectively removing distracting same-texture areas. Although the AI performs well, the Horizon Alignment feature did not successfully level horizons in test shots.
Luminar Neo can provide suggestions for cropping photos (Credit: Skylum/PCMag). The Noise Reduction feature, found both in the Develop edit group and a separate Denoise section, lacks an automatic setting. However, the luminance and color noise sliders perform well, preserving a reasonable amount of detail. Despite this, it doesn’t match the level of detail recovery offered by DxO PureRaw.
For enhanced noise reduction, the Noiseless AI extension (available with a subscription) can be installed. Its results are comparable to DxO DeepPrime XD’s. In the comparison image, Luminar Neo is in the center, with Topaz DeNoise on the left and DxO DeepPrime XD on the right.
Evaluate the noise reduction capabilities of three programs: Topaz (left), Skylum Luminar Neo (center), and DxO (right). (Source: PCMag) Skylum’s software offers Low, Middle, and High adjustment levels, with additional sliders for Luminosity, Color, Details, and Sharpness, allowing for fine-tuning. The performance was notably impressive.
Luminar Neo boasts a wide array of Color tools, featuring options for saturation, vibrance, HSL adjustments, and hue shifts, each controllable with sliders for eight distinct colors.
Specialized Features of Luminar Neo
Luminar Neo stands out for its advanced AI capabilities rather than just its basic correction tools like exposure and saturation adjustments. Two AI-powered features, Relight AI and the Erase tool’s Remove Powerlines function, are particularly noteworthy. Additionally, new extensions introduce robust functionalities such as Neon Glow, Magic Light, Portrait Lighting, background removal, AI sharpening, AI denoising, HDR merging, focus stacking, and AI upscaling.
Relight AI Relight AI is a groundbreaking feature within Luminar Neo’s Creative section, and it alone might justify purchasing the software. This tool allows selective brightness adjustments for different parts of an image, identified through 3D AI mapping. It also offers Dehalo and warmth adjustments for both near and far areas of the photo. It’s effective for enhancing both portraits and landscapes.
In my test photo of a West Mexican chachalaca, Relight AI proved its versatility and effectiveness beyond just portrait photography.
