The AI-powered photo editor for stunning image enhancements
Luminar AI is an AI-powered photo editing software that dramatically enhances images with just one click. Offering instant professional quality results, it’s an invaluable tool for photographers of all skill levels who want to save significant time while producing visually stunning photos.
Through AI-powered templates and filters – crafted by professional photographers – Luminar AI delivers instant image optimization and style transformations worthy of winning photo contests.
- What is Luminar AI?
- Why Use Luminar AI?
- How Luminar AI Improves Your Photos
- Key Luminar AI Features Explained
- Comparing Luminar AI Versions
- Getting Started With Luminar AI
- Luminar AI vs Lightroom – Which is Better?
- Tips for Getting the Most Out of Luminar AI
- Common Questions about Luminar AI (FAQs)
- Summary – Who is Luminar AI For?
What is Luminar AI?
Luminar AI is an advanced AI-powered photo editor created by Skylum. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, it applies complex enhancements and adjustments to transform images with one click or slider move.
As either standalone software or plugin, it supercharges workflows. Luminar AI’s signature AI-based tools analyze elements of images to instantly improve portraits, landscapes, still-life, street photos, and more.
Main Benefits:
- Quickly enhances all image elements automatically
- Saves hours of manual editing
- Quality on par with pro photo editors
- Intuitive for amateurs and experts alike
Skylum utilizes input from top professional photographers to develop Luminar AI’s presets, filters and tools. As a result, stunning effects like atmospheric skies, fine detail enhancement, and accurate color adjustment can be achieved in seconds with no photo editing expertise required.
Key Features:
- AI Augmented Sky: Instantly replace skies using a library of beautiful, real skies or your own photos. Applied elements blend seamlessly using AI.
- AI Structure: Sharpen details and give flat-looking images more depth and texture.
- AI Accent: Balances colors, tones, saturation, contrast, exposure for a professional look with one click.
Why Use Luminar AI?
Luminar AI simplifies the editing process while still providing top quality results worthy of photography contests and glossy print magazines.
For amateurs, it skips the frustrating and steep learning curve that comes with pro photo editors like Lightroom.
With pro photographers spending an average of 5 hours editing images, Luminar AI does the heavy lifting – saving massive amounts of time and effort through automation. This allows creatives to get back behind the lens faster.
Other key advantages include:
- Fixes color casts instantly
- Creates magazine-style images in minutes
- Less guesswork than manual editing
- Available as plugin and standalone app
- Affordable pricing compared to advanced editing suites
Amateurs benefit from pro-grade tools minus complexity, while for busy pros, the time savings are invaluable.
How Luminar AI Improves Your Photos
While traditional photo editors rely solely on human input and tweaking, Luminar AI uses artificial intelligence to analyze images and apply complex adjustments tailored to the unique elements within each photo.
This provides far superior color correction, detail enhancement, composition improvements, and more than could typically be achieved manually in less than 5 hours by even expert editors.
Luminar AI’s algorithms assess key attributes within photos to make intelligent adjustments, including:
- Color balance, exposure, contrast, saturation
- Presence of faces
- Sky area and quality
- Degree of texture, detail, depth
It then applies a combination of hundreds of built-in presets through non-destructive layers, allowing the editing results to be adjusted or removed at any time.
Common improvements include:
<table> <tr> <td>Issue</td> <td>Luminar AI’s Solution </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Bland, dreary skies </td> <td>Realistic sky replacement</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Lackluster color </td> <td>Vibrant, balanced color</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Flat, dull texture</td> <td>Enhanced detail and depth</td> </tr> </table>
The software excels at transforming lackluster photos into eye-catching images worthy of displaying.
Key Luminar AI Features Explained
Luminar AI isn’t a one-trick pony. It offers a robust toolbox of AI-powered effects to breathe life into images. Below we dig deeper into some of the most popular features photographers use daily:
AI Augmented Sky
Real skies made from scratch are generated using an extensive library of sky images. Unlike simple sky replacement tools, Luminar AI’s AI examines the entire landscape to insert dramatic skies that truly fit the scene with balanced lighting.
Automatic mask creation ensures new skies seamlessly blend into even intricate scenes like forests and cityscapes. Augmented Skies takes dull shots from boring to brilliant instantly.
AI Structure
Bring flat, lifeless images into focus with enhanced texture, clarity and detail worthy of large gallery wraps. AI Structure algorithms analyze the degree of existing texture and detail before selectively sharpening areas to avoid an artificial look.
Tones and colors are also balanced to complement the new depth and dimension breathed into images.
Notice the boosted detail throughout the trees and pathway. Subtle color corrections also better highlight the autumn leaves.
Additional Key Features:
- AI Portrait Enhancer: Perfects skin, whitens teeth, intensifies eye color
- AI Erase: Removes unwanted objects like powerlines and trash bins
- Sunrays: Adds dazzling sun rays between objects
- AI Clear: Reduces image noise/grain for clean shots
Over 75 additional filters available provide stunning control over mood, texture, focus, light leaks, film grain and more.
Comparing Luminar AI Versions
Luminar AI comes in 2 versions based on tools included:
<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>Luminar AI</td> <td>Luminar AI Pro</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Price </td> <td>$79/year </td> <td>$169 (one-time)</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Tools/Features</td> <td>AI photo enhancers only </td> <td>All Enhancers + Over 75 Creative Filters </td> </tr> </table>
The Pro version unlocks all filters and is recommended for enthusiasts and pros. But the standard covers the core photo enhancing tools powered by AI that most users need.
Getting Started With Luminar AI
Installing and setting up Luminar AI takes just minutes. It’s cross-platform compatible with Mac/Windows and opens JPEG, TIFF, PNG and most RAW formats.
Steps to Begin:
- Download from official Skylum website
- Open app and select images to import
- Click AI Augmented Sky, AI Structure etc to start enhancing
- Further refine manually if desired
- Export final images to device/cloud storage
Luminar AI prioritizes user experience from installation to editing and output. Even as a Lightroom or Photoshop plugin it maintains a streamlined workflow.
Luminar AI vs Lightroom – Which is Better?
Luminar AI shines in automated editing and creative options where Adobe Lightroom focuses more on manual corrections tailored to user vision.
Luminar AI Advantages
- Quicker results through AI automation
- More expressive filter effects
- Better sky replacement capability
- Affordable ongoing cost
However, Lightroom provides superior cataloging and organization of full shoots. For pros handling thousands of raw images monthly, these DAM features are vital.
Luminar AI best suits photographers seeking to minimize grunt work who value unique styles over strict realism. It concentrates creative power whereas Lightroom focuses on library management plus precision editing.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Luminar AI
Follow these best practices when getting started for optimal efficiency:
- Try single-click presets first – Review auto results before refining further
- Adjust filter layers instead of deleting if overly strong
- Use RAW files – More data for AI to enhance
- Replace boring backgrounds – Boosts focus on subjects
- Enhance color last – Prevent oversaturation
- Save Looks to sync edits – Reapply adjustments easily
Little changes in approach go a long way in leveraging Luminar AI’s capabilities. Don’t try to force a rigid existing workflow, instead embrace the automation power to transform more images in far less time.
Common Questions about Luminar AI (FAQs)
Is my computer compatible with Luminar AI?
Luminar AI supports the latest macOS, Windows 10 64-bit editions with at least 8GB RAM.
Is Luminar AI a subscription?
No – Luminar AI is available as either a perpetual license (own forever) or subscription billed annually. There’s no monthly requirement.
What image formats work with Luminar AI?
Besides JPEG, most major raw file types from leading camera brands are supported: CR2, NEF, ARW, RW2, RAF, ORF, PEF, SRW, PDB, DNG files.
Is Luminar better than Photoshop?
Luminar AI specializes in quick, polished image enhancement powered by AI. Photoshop offers far more overall tools and control for compositing, drawing, graphic design etc – albeit with a steeper learning curve. Luminar AI also available as Photoshop plugin.
Can Luminar AI replace Lightroom?
Luminar AI can produce results faster through automation, but lacks Lightroom’s organization features. Lightroom publishes tighter integration with Adobe apps like Photoshop. Luminar better satisfies users prioritizing visual pop and creativity over rigorous editing/cataloging.
Reach out for personalized assistance on selecting the optimal editing software based on your habits and style.
Summary – Who is Luminar AI For?
Luminar AI excels for creatives focused on visual flair over nitpicking subtleties.
Its biggest strengths revolve around automated overall enhancement plus creative looks in a highly approachable package. For time pressed professionals and casual shooters alike who want pro-worthy shots minus the hours of editing, it delivers.