Skylum kept reviewers full of pre-release versions of Luminar Neo, and I reported on the results. Now that we have the release version, although it’s still incomplete, I’ll detail it below. Here is our review.
The software introduces several unique AI technologies, including RelightAI, Powerline Removal, and Dust Spot Removal. These technologies dramatically change the way photos are edited, using AI to speed up previously complex editing tasks. For professionals, time is money and Neo can save a lot of time for photographers.
Skylum says the Luminar engine is built from the ground up, and by using artificial intelligence, the software analyzes your photos to unlock new, AI-driven editing capabilities. Here are some details about the new features:
RelightAI builds 3D Depth Mapping of 2D images to provide quick, targeted control of scene lighting, allowing artists to independently adjust lighting and color warmth for distant subjects and close to the whole. It can make it easy to correct portraits where the foreground subject is underexposed. RelightAI isolates problem areas for editing, leaving the rest of the image intact. Combine RelightAI with other scene-aware tools and photographers can precisely adjust the lighting of any photo.
Remove dust spots: Automatically identify and seamlessly remove small artifacts, such as dust marks, from any photo with the help of AI.
Remove power lines: Use AI to automatically identify and easily remove power lines from landscape photos to create pristine images without clutter.
Layers: Combine different images into unique layouts and include new elements from built-in overlays and object libraries.
Presets: Instant style changes designed by professional photographers every detail. Or, build and save your own unique images to reuse for future shoots.
Skylum says the software is faster in many operations than Luminar AI: faster when adding effects and exporting. As is the case with Luminar AI, Luminar Neo can run standalone or as a Photoshop or Lightroom plugin.
Some features will not be released today. Portrait Background RemovalAI and MaskAI are planned for the first free update to Luminar Neo, scheduled for release in spring 2022.
My impressions
At this point, when it ships today, it’s a good, well-functioning app. All in all, when inside the app, I don’t see any speed from the Luminar AI, but on my M1 Mac Pro laptop, it doesn’t appear to be any faster. Luminar AI took about five seconds to launch on my Mac laptop. Neo takes 15 seconds until it’s ready to edit the image.
Luminar AI users will see many of the same tools. The big changes are dust stain removal and power line removal tools. They work very well. In the early builds of Neo, the power lines were removed, but if you look closely you can see some artifacts. In this latest release, power lines were eliminated perfectly in my tests, even when the lines were in front of mountains or behind trees. Dust stains are also removed cleanly.
Here is my original photo:
And after removing the power line by one click.
The reflect command has more problems. While it does what it advertises, the dark and bright areas in the distance extend to the sky, which I don’t think it should do. I think most experts would agree that changes in light in distant objects shouldn’t change the sky. Luminar Neo has other tools in the sky control for that. I hope Skylum changes this behavior, and I think they missed the boat here. I like the idea of being able to configure the lighting this way. I just think the implementation is bad.
Once you’re in the app, the speed seems pretty comparable to that of Luminar AI. Replacing Sky and adjusting raw files is fast, almost real-time. You can open Neo as a plugin from Photoshop or Lightroom, and you can open it from Apple Photos or the equivalent Microsoft program. Luminar Neo runs natively on the Mac M1, which is a real boon.
As a landscape photographer, I wish the upcoming masking tools would be included now, not later. I like Skylum’s design of their gradient tool, and it would be nice to have the Relight tool instead, which is disappointing.
The Neo class engine was also devised. It doesn’t add anything that other editors don’t, but it’s nice to see it added here.
The preset is a mixed bag. I doubt pros will want them, but less experienced photographers will enjoy experimenting with preset styles. You can also save a bunch of parameters and create your own presets, and that will be valuable to many people.
Neo also includes Luminar Share. Luminar Share is an application that allows Luminar Neo users to transfer photos from desktop to mobile (and vice versa) wirelessly. It also makes it easy for users to share edited photos to their social media accounts. You have to be connected on the same network as your PC or Mac, but I found the app to work well, and that’s something some users will be enthusiastic about. Free to share in Apple and Google app stores.
There are some great tools out there for portrait photographers, and the Relight feature will be well worth it. You can also use the Portrait Bokeh tool to soften the background, slim the body and face, change the look of the eyes and skin, and adjust the key lighting.
synthetic
Luminar Neo is a solid editor. I can pretty much use it to create stunning landscape images without having to switch to Lightroom or Photoshop. The exception is loss of masks and gradients, but that’s coming soon.
Like I said, the Relight tool needs to work. It’s a great idea, but it doesn’t limit itself to distant objects, and instead, it bleeds into the sky.
I also don’t like having your edits placed in a separate place in the GUI. For example, if you try to adjust the sky, the controls will be grayed out if you made the adjustment. That’s true of most editing tools. If you use them, they will leave the normal editing interface and end up in the edit column. I may get used to this over time, but for now, it’s a nuisance. I like the way Luminar AI works, and to me, it seems like a more casual, streamlined workflow. User opinions may differ from mine.
Everything else looks solid and useful.
What I Like
- The AI tools are pretty magical. They can save you a lot of time and are mostly very safe. The wire removal and sky replacement tools are first class. Other editors are trying to do some of this. Nothing looks as good as the Luminar Neo.
- The Develop panel is the equivalent of any raw editor I’ve used. All the controls are there to work with a raw file and get the most out of it.
- The GUI is very smart and easy to understand. I love that it highlights the editing tools you’ve used, and in general, photographers will find the order of tools, top to bottom, will suit your editing workflow.
- The app is reasonably priced based on the depth of features and performance.
What I think should be improved
- I think there are still speed improvements to be made.
- I’m disappointed that the masking tools didn’t do that in this first release.
- I think the relight command for remote objects is not useful. If masking is included in this version, I can fix it. Now, I have to find another editor to get the same effect.
- I want Skylum to rethink this new editing structure. It’s like a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist
I think Skylum has revolutionized AI in editing. I’ve liked all of their apps, but that doesn’t mean they’re perfect. However, I think photographers of all skill levels will benefit from using the Luminar Neo. I hope it will be faster and more features will be added regularly.
Luminar Neo will be available as a standalone app in the App Store for macOS and Microsoft Store for Windows, as well as a plugin for Lightroom Classic and Photoshop, as well as an extension for Apple Photos. To learn more about Luminar Neo and sign up for updates, visit Skylum website.
