Thanks for this brief and yet comprehensive tutorial to get me started. Just bought the lifetime license for Luminar Neo as I've now decided to switch from Lightroom. Already love the ease of use that Luminar Neo provides!
What a great overview tutorial! Simple, concise, and right to the point. I use Neo almost exclusively now. I use another program when I need to do re-naming, keywording, tagging, etc, but for serious edits, it's all Luminar Neo. My workflow is: Develop, Enhance AI, Structure AI, Color (if needed), Dodge and Burn, Vignette, and lastly Erase if needed. I keep these grouped together, so editing goes rather quickly. Thanks for posting!
I have Luminar since it first came out so it was a one time payment I just don’t use it much but always had a good experience I almost bought affinity today but I think I will stick with lumina
I’ve been using Aurora HDR for years and it’s the only software I use. I just purchased this yesterday since I had a good discount for being repeat customer and can’t wait to use it
I have subscribed, I like the way you present your reviews. Some others talk too much and don't show enough action. It is best to talk and show at the same time. This is what you do well. Looking forward to more from you. Thanks
Yes - I saw it wasn't 100% after I went back and reviewed it. However, it did an amazing job and left very little clean up to be done. For photos where the power lines are more visible (like against a sky), it does an even better job.
They aren't in Ukraine: Skylum is a software developing company that is based in Bellevue, Washington[1]. The company is most known for its photo editing software Aurora HDR and Luminar[1]. Skylum was founded as Macphun in 2008 by two gaming developers and amateur photographers, Dmitry Sytnik and Paul Muzok[1]. Initially, the company developed applications for iOS, and one of its first applications was Vintage Video Maker, which was later named Vintagio[1]. In 2009, Apple named Vintagio among Best... In 2015, Skylum released a new image noise reduction application called Noiseless[1]. Skylum has expanded its US presence with a new office in Bellevue, Washington in 2017, which is led by world-class photographers[2]. The company decided to change its name to Skylum in 2017 following the decision to develop its Mac-only software for Windows as well[1]. As of 2023, Skylum has around 150 employees[1][3] and the business location is at 1450 114th Ave Se Ste 125, Bellevue, WA 98004-6934[4].
Skylum was founded as Macphun in 2008 by two game developers and amateur photographers in Kyiv, Ukraine. Since then, Skylum has grown to be an international company. But to this day, the core development center where all major products like Luminar and Aurora HDR are created remains in Kyiv. In light of the war, we’re doing the best we can to ensure the safety of the whole Skylum team and continue to work for you as we have over the past 14 years. Our team of 130 people is now scattered around Ukraine and across the world. While it’s a challenge to keep up normal operations, the majority of the team is now working from different locations: bomb shelters, on the road, or in the homes of relatives and friends in safer locations.
Nice video but can I just mention I use Neo as an 'extension' to Apple Photos and it works very well as a non-destructive editor with my files kept in the cloud. Unfortunately it doesn't work as a plug-in with Lightroom (cloud based) only Classic and Photoshop as you say.
Very good tutorial indeed, and thank you for that! However, I don't see Luminar Neo as a program for professionals. It has so many shortcomings that professionals cannot put up with them. There's no proper photo administration, no search function that deserves that name, no Exif data editing, no GPS tag editing, no camera profiles except those that you have to steal from Adobe, no lens correction profiles and that list goes on and on. Luminar Neo can be used as a plug-in for Adobe, but definitely not as a stand-alone app when you need to do professional work.
Eric - I don't disagree with you at all. I do find it useful for some instances that saves me time that I would have to spend in Photoshop though. Obviously for people getting started or not a professional photographer, I think it is a decent piece of software that is a lot easier to get around in.
Hoi. Kan ik ook een nieuwe achtergrond toevoegen? Of iets uit de foto knippen en ergens anders invoegen? Ondanks dat het Engels is, super goede video. Groetjes Annie
Yes. You can add a new background like I did in the video. As of now I do not think it allows you to cut out something from one photo and paste it into another.
Hi, I produce 3D interior visuals and am interested in this, can you work on a shot, save it and then open the shot with it's adjustments to carry on working on again or is it that once you have saved/exported it, is it baked in at that?
Your edits are non-destructive while you work. You can go back at anytime and access these. However, once you export your image, it is then "baked in" to the resulting file.
Ah, thank you for your response, I use Affinity Photo atm and i can save it as an AP file and then reopen it to work on, thats why I ask.@@JamesParkerPhotography
Hello Sir Can I apply the same setting to all the images in a cluster? I shoot weddings and I want to edit all pictures at once with the same edit setting with this software. is it possible Thank You
Luminar Neo does have a built in sharpen tool. You can also add extensions to the software (these are an extra cost and usually do specific things, like AI remove noise, or AI sharpen). No software will be able to recover extremely blurry, and some do better than others. Here's the link to the extensions: skylum.com/luminar-extensions
I have no skills when it comes to editing photos. But I enjoy using my camera and like to take photos. Is Luminar Neo easy?, and can I use it to make thumbnails for RUclips?
You can easily apply presets and use the sliders - so in that sense it is easy to get started. It doesn't allow any text overlays though so I would not use it for RUclips thumbnails.
Luminar NEO is super easy. You can apply presets and then still adjust as needed for your images. I primarily take Landscape photos and I live in the Pacific Northwest so it's generally overcast a lot and rainy, especially in the fall and winter. I do use Lightroom and even Apple's on photo editing within photos. Luminar NEO is a lot easier to use than Lightroom, but gives you more control and features than Apple provides in Photos. I take a ton of pictures as I get trigger happy LOL. But, even when I'm using a tripod, my images don't always come out super sharp, or sometimes my exposure is off. Luminar NEO has been fantastic at saving images that were not 100% correct straight out of the camera. I like it so much that I went ahead and paid for it annually vice monthly. Well worth it for this hobbyist photographer!
How do you switch between full scale before/after? I hear a keyboard click. And can you return to the original picture to start editing all over again? BTW, I was about to get my 30 days refund until I saw your video. Now I am looking for a detailed printable manual to get familiar with this product. I am a LcR user but it cost a lot to keep that hostage software running, thank you.
Thanks! Please note that my answer is using the latest version of Luminar - at the time of this post it is 1.20 In the edit panel, bottom right is an eyeball that can be toggled on/off. On a PC you can also use the "\" backslash key to do a before and after. To the left of the eyeball is a an icon that if you click it will divide your image in half and allow you to move your mouse left and right over the image to see before and after - before on the left side, after on the right. To clear all of your edits, click the edits tab next to tools in the upper right - at the bottom is a button to discard edits.
@@JamesParkerPhotography Thank you! It would be if there were a list with keyboard shortcuts, I found some useful myself, like pressing the shift key together with the scroll wheel to change the seize of the marker spot.
Great video. I have a picture of an old building that was converted into a restaurant. Its facade looks so cool but there are power lines in the shot. tried using the remove power lines function but it left a blur where the lines were. Is there a way to remove the lines but keeping the building intact?
Marcelo - If the one button remove power lines doesn't work as well as you need, you can try the erase tool and do just a little at a time. Make the brush just a LITTLE bigger than the width of the power line. Don't try to remove a huge width all at once (multiple lines). Hope that helps!
Excellent video...thanks!! I get the Adobe photographer package (LR & PS) and I often use them together, particularly when it comes to removing unwanted items. Additionally, I shoot a lot of HDR shots that LR handles quite easily. Does Neo process HDR images? Also, will Neo handle the images in the LR catalog? I really don't want to lose my edits. It sure is a big jump changing your "go to" software.
Yes - Luminar Neo will do HDR merge as well. It’s a separate module though and not included in base software. You can send your edited images from LR to Luminar and back no problem. Operates like a plug in from inside PS or LR.
@@iandavis1355 No - Luminar cannot read/load the LR catalogs. However, if you quit Adobe, you are able to access the LR catalogs and export images from it (with your edits intact) forever. You just don't have access to the develop module.
Thanks for the video. Can I have Neo access folders and sub folders on an external drive. I'm trying to index the drive with the trial version but it's only finding photos for the exact folder I point it to each time, which is a bit of a deal-breaker with a library of 20,000 photos in multiple subfolders
Yes - It does have layers but they don't work the way Photoshop layers work. It's more like a preset that is applied that you can adjust. Yes - you can edit an image and have those apply to all of your photos.
i understand luminar is an amazing tool, saves tons of time. but i couldnt help but notice in the second example erasing powerlines, i could see some horizintal sines leftover by the erase tool. you ignored it completely. gives me a feeling you are overselling the product. personally i appreciate honesty in a content. i'm not saying you are not honest, maybe you didnt notice it. i'd greatly appreciate if you could consider my suggestion in the future.
if you notices, it removed some branches too. im not complaining, just acknowledging the limitations of the tool. for a complicated shot like that, identifying powerlines and getting close to excellent edit in the click of a button is still amazing
Yes - it did leave a few traces that I just didn’t bother to clean up. It wasn’t absolutely perfect but it was soooo much faster than anything else I’ve ever used.
I'll tell Skylum,James, they do an amazing job of marketing, but I have no idea where I stand with my membership. I bought Neo, Luminar, Luminar AI, or do I have Neo Luminar? I bought a bunch of bundles, including HDR then the program said something to the extent that my Luminar Catalog ?
Steve - you can login to your account and it should list your purchases. Or just email their support/customer service. I too have numerous software apps from them.
I need an answer on two questions before I commit to buy this super software. Does it accept raw (DNG) files from DJI drones? Also does it support and process bracketing ??
Luminar ... would be ok, if they did not try to blackmail you into buying "at a special price" while displaying a clock for the ultimatum ... that is Putin style
That didn't happen to me when I purchased my annual subscription yesterday from off their website. It was a little tricky though when downloading as it kept wanting to download it to my Photoshop, but I could never find it as a plugin in Photoshop when I opened my app. Finally I thought to go into the App Store for Apple and I saw that it had a standalone app. I downloaded it and made my annual purchase via the app and then I didn't have any issues.
I did receive a copy of Luminar Neo and it does state in the description that I have an offer code that you can use and yes, I do receive a small commission off any sales. I just checked to be sure the Paid Promotion box was clicked as well.
@@JamesParkerPhotography I thought it was required for it to be said in the video itself, at the beginning. That’s what seems to happen everywhere. Perhaps I’m wrong. I’m really not trying to be officious here, I just like to know up front whether I’m watching an impartial review or a demo
Why is this guy comparing Neo with Adobe Lightroom Classic? Is this a commercial? What he shows, can be done excellently in Adobe Lightroom Classic and just imagine the compositing you can make in Adobe Photoshop. No, I prefer remaining with the Adobe team. Anyway, if you like Neo, you are welcome.
Thanks for this brief and yet comprehensive tutorial to get me started. Just bought the lifetime license for Luminar Neo as I've now decided to switch from Lightroom. Already love the ease of use that Luminar Neo provides!
I was on the fence about Luminar Neo, but this video really showcases its utility very effectively
What a great overview tutorial! Simple, concise, and right to the point. I use Neo almost exclusively now. I use another program when I need to do re-naming, keywording, tagging, etc, but for serious edits, it's all Luminar Neo. My workflow is: Develop, Enhance AI, Structure AI, Color (if needed), Dodge and Burn, Vignette, and lastly Erase if needed. I keep these grouped together, so editing goes rather quickly.
Thanks for posting!
I have Luminar since it first came out so it was a one time payment I just don’t use it much but always had a good experience I almost bought affinity today but I think I will stick with lumina
I’ve been using Aurora HDR for years and it’s the only software I use. I just purchased this yesterday since I had a good discount for being repeat customer and can’t wait to use it
I have subscribed, I like the way you present your reviews. Some others talk too much and don't show enough action. It is best to talk and show at the same time. This is what you do well. Looking forward to more from you. Thanks
The power lines are still there in multiple places. It needs a little more work I think.
Yes - I saw it wasn't 100% after I went back and reviewed it. However, it did an amazing job and left very little clean up to be done. For photos where the power lines are more visible (like against a sky), it does an even better job.
I'm surprised you didn't catch the vignetting in the corners. Just purchased Neo Pro subscription. What an amazing tool!!
Fantastic technology! This video is a very good showcase of its capabilities.
Just bought this! Will be cancelling Adobe. Thank you for your clear instructions!
I love Luminar Neo and the entire Skylum team. They are really putting out a quality product during very adverse times in Ukraine.
They aren't in Ukraine:
Skylum is a software developing company that is based in Bellevue, Washington[1]. The company is most known for its photo editing software Aurora HDR and Luminar[1]. Skylum was founded as Macphun in 2008 by two gaming developers and amateur photographers, Dmitry Sytnik and Paul Muzok[1]. Initially, the company developed applications for iOS, and one of its first applications was Vintage Video Maker, which was later named Vintagio[1]. In 2009, Apple named Vintagio among Best... In 2015, Skylum released a new image noise reduction application called Noiseless[1]. Skylum has expanded its US presence with a new office in Bellevue, Washington in 2017, which is led by world-class photographers[2]. The company decided to change its name to Skylum in 2017 following the decision to develop its Mac-only software for Windows as well[1]. As of 2023, Skylum has around 150 employees[1][3] and the business location is at 1450 114th Ave Se Ste 125, Bellevue, WA 98004-6934[4].
Skylum was founded as Macphun in 2008 by two game developers and amateur photographers in Kyiv, Ukraine. Since then, Skylum has grown to be an international company. But to this day, the core development center where all major products like Luminar and Aurora HDR are created remains in Kyiv.
In light of the war, we’re doing the best we can to ensure the safety of the whole Skylum team and continue to work for you as we have over the past 14 years. Our team of 130 people is now scattered around Ukraine and across the world. While it’s a challenge to keep up normal operations, the majority of the team is now working from different locations: bomb shelters, on the road, or in the homes of relatives and friends in safer locations.
this video is so detailed and informative. very helpful and I love it.
Nice video but can I just mention I use Neo as an 'extension' to Apple Photos and it works very well as a non-destructive editor with my files kept in the cloud. Unfortunately it doesn't work as a plug-in with Lightroom (cloud based) only Classic and Photoshop as you say.
I would like to use it as a plug in for Affinity Photo,but it won,t work
Great video, great tips ❤
Great video, glad I found you!
Very good tutorial indeed, and thank you for that!
However, I don't see Luminar Neo as a program for professionals. It has so many shortcomings that professionals cannot put up with them.
There's no proper photo administration, no search function that deserves that name, no Exif data editing, no GPS tag editing, no camera profiles except those that you have to steal from Adobe, no lens correction profiles and that list goes on and on. Luminar Neo can be used as a plug-in for Adobe, but definitely not as a stand-alone app when you need to do professional work.
Eric - I don't disagree with you at all. I do find it useful for some instances that saves me time that I would have to spend in Photoshop though. Obviously for people getting started or not a professional photographer, I think it is a decent piece of software that is a lot easier to get around in.
Hoi. Kan ik ook een nieuwe achtergrond toevoegen? Of iets uit de foto knippen en ergens anders invoegen? Ondanks dat het Engels is, super goede video. Groetjes Annie
Yes. You can add a new background like I did in the video. As of now I do not think it allows you to cut out something from one photo and paste it into another.
Hi,
I produce 3D interior visuals and am interested in this, can you work on a shot, save it and then open the shot with it's adjustments to carry on working on again or is it that once you have saved/exported it, is it baked in at that?
Your edits are non-destructive while you work. You can go back at anytime and access these. However, once you export your image, it is then "baked in" to the resulting file.
Ah, thank you for your response, I use Affinity Photo atm and i can save it as an AP file and then reopen it to work on, thats why I ask.@@JamesParkerPhotography
Your use of the clone tool is also shown well.
I am just getting into NEO as part of my Lightroom workflow and they seem to work rather well together.
Removing those powerlines a WOW moment.
very good!
You are a Great teacher! Did you say this was a stand-alone program? I have Lightroom mobile but not desktop.
Thank you! Yes - Luminar Neo is 100% stand alone or you can use it as a plug in with Lightroom Classic and Photoshop.
Hello Sir
Can I apply the same setting to all the images in a cluster? I shoot weddings and I want to edit all pictures at once with the same edit setting with this software.
is it possible
Thank You
Yes. You can sync an edit to multiple images.
Do you have a tutorial on how to use layers
No, sorry. Not at the moment.
I'm very new to photography. My images are still just a bit blurry. Can Luminar Neo help fix that?
Luminar Neo does have a built in sharpen tool. You can also add extensions to the software (these are an extra cost and usually do specific things, like AI remove noise, or AI sharpen). No software will be able to recover extremely blurry, and some do better than others. Here's the link to the extensions: skylum.com/luminar-extensions
I have no skills when it comes to editing photos. But I enjoy using my camera and like to take photos. Is Luminar Neo easy?, and can I use it to make thumbnails for RUclips?
You can easily apply presets and use the sliders - so in that sense it is easy to get started. It doesn't allow any text overlays though so I would not use it for RUclips thumbnails.
Luminar NEO is super easy. You can apply presets and then still adjust as needed for your images. I primarily take Landscape photos and I live in the Pacific Northwest so it's generally overcast a lot and rainy, especially in the fall and winter. I do use Lightroom and even Apple's on photo editing within photos. Luminar NEO is a lot easier to use than Lightroom, but gives you more control and features than Apple provides in Photos.
I take a ton of pictures as I get trigger happy LOL. But, even when I'm using a tripod, my images don't always come out super sharp, or sometimes my exposure is off. Luminar NEO has been fantastic at saving images that were not 100% correct straight out of the camera. I like it so much that I went ahead and paid for it annually vice monthly. Well worth it for this hobbyist photographer!
@@MegUSN52 You should join me on a workshop! I'm in Vancouver WA!
How do you switch between full scale before/after? I hear a keyboard click. And can you return to the original picture to start editing all over again?
BTW, I was about to get my 30 days refund until I saw your video. Now I am looking for a detailed printable manual to get familiar with this product. I am a LcR user but it cost a lot to keep that hostage software running, thank you.
Thanks! Please note that my answer is using the latest version of Luminar - at the time of this post it is 1.20
In the edit panel, bottom right is an eyeball that can be toggled on/off. On a PC you can also use the "\" backslash key to do a before and after. To the left of the eyeball is a an icon that if you click it will divide your image in half and allow you to move your mouse left and right over the image to see before and after - before on the left side, after on the right.
To clear all of your edits, click the edits tab next to tools in the upper right - at the bottom is a button to discard edits.
@@JamesParkerPhotography Thank you! It would be if there were a list with keyboard shortcuts, I found some useful myself, like pressing the shift key together with the scroll wheel to change the seize of the marker spot.
Great video. I have a picture of an old building that was converted into a restaurant. Its facade looks so cool but there are power lines in the shot. tried using the remove power lines function but it left a blur where the lines were. Is there a way to remove the lines but keeping the building intact?
Marcelo - If the one button remove power lines doesn't work as well as you need, you can try the erase tool and do just a little at a time. Make the brush just a LITTLE bigger than the width of the power line. Don't try to remove a huge width all at once (multiple lines). Hope that helps!
Excellent video...thanks!! I get the Adobe photographer package (LR & PS) and I often use them together, particularly when it comes to removing unwanted items. Additionally, I shoot a lot of HDR shots that LR handles quite easily. Does Neo process HDR images? Also, will Neo handle the images in the LR catalog? I really don't want to lose my edits. It sure is a big jump changing your "go to" software.
Yes - Luminar Neo will do HDR merge as well. It’s a separate module though and not included in base software. You can send your edited images from LR to Luminar and back no problem. Operates like a plug in from inside PS or LR.
@@JamesParkerPhotography Thanks for getting back to me, James. If I ditch LR, are the LR catalogs still available and usable by Neo??
@@iandavis1355 No - Luminar cannot read/load the LR catalogs. However, if you quit Adobe, you are able to access the LR catalogs and export images from it (with your edits intact) forever. You just don't have access to the develop module.
Can you add sky in luminar neo, so you don’t need photoshop
Yes - if you watch all of my video I demonstrate it. 👍🏻
@@JamesParkerPhotography thanks for that, I cannot make my decision between Luminar neo and Lr/ photoshop. I am fairly new to this type of software.
Thanks for the video. Can I have Neo access folders and sub folders on an external drive. I'm trying to index the drive with the trial version but it's only finding photos for the exact folder I point it to each time, which is a bit of a deal-breaker with a library of 20,000 photos in multiple subfolders
Hmmm. I’m not sure as I don’t use it that way but as a plug in for specific photos. I recommend contacting Luminar support on their website.
Does it have layers? Also does it apply to multiple images so I don’t have to sit edit one by one
Yes - It does have layers but they don't work the way Photoshop layers work. It's more like a preset that is applied that you can adjust. Yes - you can edit an image and have those apply to all of your photos.
Does Luminar Neo remove dust and scratches from old negatives and slides? And if so, would that be possible in batch automatically?
It automatically does dust spots but not scratches. You can sync your edits across multiple photos.
i understand luminar is an amazing tool, saves tons of time. but i couldnt help but notice in the second example erasing powerlines, i could see some horizintal sines leftover by the erase tool. you ignored it completely. gives me a feeling you are overselling the product. personally i appreciate honesty in a content. i'm not saying you are not honest, maybe you didnt notice it. i'd greatly appreciate if you could consider my suggestion in the future.
if you notices, it removed some branches too. im not complaining, just acknowledging the limitations of the tool. for a complicated shot like that, identifying powerlines and getting close to excellent edit in the click of a button is still amazing
Yes - it did leave a few traces that I just didn’t bother to clean up. It wasn’t absolutely perfect but it was soooo much faster than anything else I’ve ever used.
I'll tell Skylum,James, they do an amazing job of marketing, but I have no idea where I stand with my membership. I bought Neo, Luminar, Luminar AI, or do I have Neo Luminar? I bought a bunch of bundles, including HDR then the program said something to the extent that my Luminar Catalog ?
Steve - you can login to your account and it should list your purchases. Or just email their support/customer service. I too have numerous software apps from them.
Have you got to have a cloud storage account to use Luminar Ai like photoshop Elements have or is it a one of payment thanks
No cloud account needed. You can buy it outright one time if you want.
@@tonyskewes9190 - no. I don't have one and don't use one.
wow
Are discount codes available for plugins?
I’m not aware of any codes for the plug-ins. Sorry.
Are all the Mac features available for iPad ?
I am not sure as I am strictly a PC user.
I need an answer on two questions before I commit to buy this super software. Does it accept raw (DNG) files from DJI drones? Also does it support and process bracketing ??
Luminar ... would be ok, if they did not try to blackmail you into buying "at a special price" while displaying a clock for the ultimatum ... that is Putin style
That didn't happen to me when I purchased my annual subscription yesterday from off their website. It was a little tricky though when downloading as it kept wanting to download it to my Photoshop, but I could never find it as a plugin in Photoshop when I opened my app. Finally I thought to go into the App Store for Apple and I saw that it had a standalone app. I downloaded it and made my annual purchase via the app and then I didn't have any issues.
This software confuses the heck out of me.
The workflow/history is a little wonky. Watch a few videos and practice a little with it and it gets easier.
Those power lines are gone like the revenue of Adobe
Is this a sponsored video? It feels like it, but you don’t say so
I did receive a copy of Luminar Neo and it does state in the description that I have an offer code that you can use and yes, I do receive a small commission off any sales. I just checked to be sure the Paid Promotion box was clicked as well.
@@JamesParkerPhotography I thought it was required for it to be said in the video itself, at the beginning. That’s what seems to happen everywhere. Perhaps I’m wrong. I’m really not trying to be officious here, I just like to know up front whether I’m watching an impartial review or a demo
@@Arthur_My_Dear - I am not aware of a requirement. However I will take that advice and do so in the future.
That after look looks very unnatural, very plasticy. The relationship between shadows and high light parts is totally off.
Why is this guy comparing Neo with Adobe Lightroom Classic? Is this a commercial? What he shows, can be done excellently in Adobe Lightroom Classic and just imagine the compositing you can make in Adobe Photoshop. No, I prefer remaining with the Adobe team.
Anyway, if you like Neo, you are welcome.
" JParker10 " this code doesnt exist it says!
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM, and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!! 💣💣💣💣💣💣💣