In case you’re a photographer or graphic designer, you almost certainly know all too well how complicated, expensive, and frustrating editing photos may be. As someone who has spent countless hours editing and designing in Photoshop, I still cannot fully wrap my head around masking, let alone keeping track of all my layers! Shouldn’t editing photos be fun and effortless?

I recently got here across Skylum Luminar Neo, an AI photo editing tool that claims to make the technique of photo editing effortless and enjoyable. Intrigued by its promise, I made a decision to try it and see whether it’s the simplest AI photo editing tool. To not spoil anything an excessive amount of, but I used to be thoroughly impressed.

On this Skylum Luminar Neo Review, I’ll discuss what it’s, who it is best for, and easy methods to create an account to download Luminar Neo. From there, I’ll discuss all its features with examples from each category so you recognize all the pieces it may well do.

I’ll finish things off with the highest Skylum alternatives I’ve tried so you’re aware of other options to make sure you are making one of the best decision. By the top, you will clearly understand whether Skylum Luminar Neo is the best AI photo editing tool for you!

Verdict

Skylum Luminar Neo is the simplest AI photo editing tool available on the market at a reasonable price. It offers a friendly user interface and powerful AI tools that streamline editing processes, making it a compelling option for photographers of all skill levels looking for efficiency and skilled results. Nevertheless, it lacks the granular control of more advanced image editing software.

Pros

• User-friendly and intuitive interface, making navigating editing tools and features easy for users of all levels.
• 30+ features and AI-powered tools with sliders simplify complex editing and deliver impressive results.
• 22+ presets for immediate skilled photo edits (purchase more on the Luminar Marketplace!)
• 8 Extensions for much more photo editing power, and recent extensions are being introduced.
• No more complex edits like masking: Supports local adjustments and simplifies masking with Mask AI technology.
• Use it anywhere: Windows, mac OS, or as a plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom Classic.
• Lifetime one-time purchase or monthly/annual subscription options!
• 24/7 technical support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
• Constant updates and recent features.

Cons

• Limited control over features in comparison with more advanced editing software available on the market.
• Some AI-powered tools may not consistently deliver perfect results and require manual adjustments.
• It just isn’t cloud-based (you have to download Luminar Neo).

What’s Skylum Luminar Neo?

Skylum Luminar Neo is an AI photo editing tool designed to streamline the editing process for photographers of all levels. It has an incredibly user-friendly interface, which makes navigating the editing tools and functions seamless.

Powered by artificial intelligence, Luminar Neo offers over thirty advanced editing tools and features to boost individual images easily. From sky alternative to portrait enhancement, the Skylum software delivers impressive results with AI.

Using the Luminar AI tools couldn’t be easier; select it from the toolkit within the editor and make adjustments using the sliders. It is a fun, easy, uncomplicated option to edit photos. It also comes with adjustable masking tools where you sweep over select areas of your image and make edits.

If that is not enough, it comes with three generative AI tools for mechanically removing and replacing elements and lengthening photos. There are eight extensions primarily for next-level sharpening, denoising, and more.

On this Skylum Luminar AI review, we’ll dive more into these tools and features afterward within the article so you’ll be able to have a behind-the-scenes look!

Who’s Luminar Neo Best For?

Luminar Neo is great for anyone looking for efficient, user-friendly photo editing solutions using AI. With advanced features, an intuitive interface, and robust AI tools, it’s a superb tool for streamlining photo editing and achieving impressive results!

Skylum Luminar Neo is a wonderful tool for anyone inquisitive about using AI to edit their photographs. Nevertheless, it is best for beginner and skilled photographers in addition to real estate agents:

• Beginner photographers: The user-friendly interface and intuitive editing tools make it easy for newcomers to navigate. With over thirty AI-powered editing tools, beginners can edit and enhance images with just a number of clicks; no prior editing experience is required.
• Landscape photographers: Use tools like Enhance AI to realize perfect light and color in your landscape photos. The brightness map intelligently balances each light and color for stunning results.
• Wildlife photographers: Use Luminar’s powerful extensions like Supersharp AI, Noiseless AI, Upscale AI, and Focus Stacking to get even the wonderful detail out of your wildlife photos.
• Portrait photographers: Reap the benefits of the six easy-to-use portrait tools that include Skylum to smooth skin, deepen lip shades, slim faces, and more
• Family photographers: Use Portrait Bokeh AI to bring subjects to the foreground immediately. From there, boost colours with Enhance AI and take away unwanted objects. The opportunities are countless!
• Wedding photographers: Make the bride stand out by applying realistic bokeh with Portrait Bokeh AI. It’s also possible to whiten teeth, saturate lips, and smooth out skin!
• Newborn baby photographers: Use Face AI to immediately make skin, eyes, and mouth vibrant and smooth. Use Glow for more radiance and create ethereal images of newborns.
• Real estate agents: Make your listings pop by enhancing color and lighting. It’s also possible to use the HDR Merge extension to merge as much as ten bracketed images for one of the best dynamic range.

Getting Began with Skylum Luminar Neo

On this section, I’ll show you the way I created an account and downloaded Skylum Liminar Neo so you can too start. I’ll also show you the editing panel where all of your photo editing tools are so you’ll be able to see how easy the interface is!

I began by going to the Skylum homepage and choosing “Start Free Trial.” Skylum offers a 7-day free trial with no bank card required!

After creating an account, I used to be asked to confirm my email and was taken to my account on the Skylum website. All of my Skylum apps, add-ons, discounts, and more will probably be stored here. The ultimate step was downloading Luminar Neo!

Downloading Luminar Neo was easy. I went to “My software” in my Skylum account and chosen “Download.”

After a number of minutes, Luminar Neo successfully downloaded! Before downloading, ensure you may have enough space in your computer (you’ll have roughly 10 GB in your harddisk).

The Luminar Neo interface initially felt barely overwhelming with all different options. Nevertheless, the layout was excellent, and inside a number of minutes, I familiarized myself with the assorted editing tools and features of Luminar Neo.

I appreciated that Luminar had twenty sample photos to mess around with to check different presets and tools. You may add your personal RAW files to edit by choosing “Add Photos” on the left, but I chosen one among the samples.

Besides the generative tools and extensions on the best, the important panels you’ll be wanting to concentrate to are the three at the highest:

1. Catalog: Where all of your photos you’ve got uploaded to Luminar are stored.
2. Presets: Apply 22+ presets to your image.
3. Edit: Access 30+ photo editing tools and features.

You will probably spend most of your time within the Edit tab using Skylum’s tools to edit your photos. The whole lot is clearly laid out, with Layers on the left, tools and edits on the best, and a few prompts in the center for inspiration on easy methods to start using different tools.

What I really like about Skylum is how all of the tools are categorized, color-coded, and tucked away. This made finding the best editing tools much faster and sped up the general photo editing process.

One other one among my favorite things about Skylum is how easy it’s to change your edits within the “Edits” panel next to “Tools.” The “eyeball” icon may be turned on or off to preview the edit you applied, while the back arrow helps you to reset the tool completely. This gave me complete control over the ultimate look of my image!

Luminar Neo Key Features

Now that our account has been created and Skylum has been downloaded, it is time to dive into a few of Luminar Neo’s key features. I’ll cover all of Skylum Luminar Neo’s features, so you recognize what it’s able to and show you an example of every from every category.

1. Favorites
2. Extensions
3. Essentials
4. Creative
5. Portrait
6. Skilled
7. Generative Tools

1. Favorites

Two of Skylum Luminar Neo’s hottest tools (or “favorites”) include Enhance AI and Sky AI:

• Enhance AI: Adjust as much as twelve photo settings with intuitive sliders. Skylum uses intelligent AI algorithms to balance controls like shadows, highlights, contrast, tone, saturation, and exposure.
• Sky AI: Replace skies in photos with a single click. It’s also possible to add realistic reflections in water to match your recent sky while intelligently relighting the scene. This single feature is sort of reason enough to purchase the whole program!

Let’s take a look at how I used to be able to interchange a dull, grey sky with one which is rather more interesting and dynamic with a single click!

Easy methods to Use Sky AI

To begin using Luminar Neo’s Sky AI tool, I chosen a photograph from my catalog and went to “Edit.”

Within the Tools on the best, I chosen Sky AI, which opened different adjustment and masking tools. I chosen a brand new sky from the Sky Selection options, immediately changing my sky!

The whole process was effortless; it only took a number of clicks to rework my photo’s mood and atmosphere completely. No meticulous outlining, jagged edges, or feathering is required.

From there, I played around with the adjustment and masking tools. I could fine-tune how my sky looked by adjusting the orientation, refining the mask, relighting the sky, and more.

In my case, I didn’t find these adjustments to be obligatory, as Luminar Neo already did an incredible job enhancing my sky and orientation. Nevertheless, these adjustment tools are an incredible addition for photographers who want more editing control.

2. Extensions

Luminar Neo also supports many extensions to expand your editing capabilities even further! These include:

• Supersharp AI: Enhances the sharpness and clarity of your images with advanced artificial intelligence algorithms.
• Focus Stacking: Combines multiple images with different focal points to create a final image with maximum depth of field.
• Background Removal AI: Effortlessly remove the background with AI.
• Upscale AI: Enhance the resolution and quality of your images without losing detail or introducing artifacts.
• Noiseless AI: Eliminates noise and grain out of your photos for a clean and skilled look.
• HDR Merge: Mix multiple exposures to create stunning High Dynamic Range (HDR) images.
• Magic Light AI: Adds sparkle to the lights in your images to create a magical and ethereal atmosphere.
• Panorama Stitching: Create sweeping panoramic images by seamlessly stitching together multiple photos.

Let’s have a look at how Supersharp AI does!

Easy methods to Use Supersharp AI

I began by choosing a blurry photo from my Catalog and going to “Edit.”

Next, I went to the tools on the best and chosen “Supersharp AI” from the Extensions. I kept all the pieces at default and chosen “Low.” I desired to see how much the low setting would sharpen my photo.

With a single click, Skylum began mechanically sharpening my photo using advanced artificial intelligence algorithms to research and sharpen the small print.

Supersharp AI is a quick and efficient option to immediately enhance my images’ sharpness immediately. I could transform my blurry photo right into a sharper, more professional-looking image with a single click. The low setting worked perfectly for my needs, however the medium and high options are great for much more sharpening power.

3. Essentials

Skylum Luminar Neo also has a set of essential photo editing tools for basic adjustments and enhancements:

• Develop: Make precise adjustments to photos acting as a “digital darkroom.” With it, you’ll be able to optimize exposure, color, tone, and more for the specified feel and look.
• Erase: Remove unwanted details with a number of clicks. Apply a red overlay mask and canopy the areas you must remove. Click “Erase,” and it’s done!
• Structure AI: Naturally enhances image details and textures using advanced algorithms. It selectively sharpens, adds detail, and enhances clarity, including edges and textures.
• Color: Add adjustments and vibrance, and take away the colour solid with the toggles.
• Black & White: Immediately convert a picture to black and white and control the luminance and saturation of every color channel for complete control.
• Details: Enhances and brings out crystal-clear sharpness with no halos or artifacts.
• Denoise: Remove image noise brought on by high ISO settings, underexposure, or long shutter speeds.
• Landscape: Improve the standard of landscape photos by controlling the haze, golden hour, and foliage hue. That is great for real estate, travel, and nature photos.
• Vignette: Darken or lighten the sides of your image while keeping the middle untouched. You may even have the flexibleness to position the middle point anywhere in the image.

Let’s have a look at how I used Structure AI to boost the sharpness and detail of my photo!

Easy methods to Use Structure AI

I wanted to emphasise and enhance the rocky landscape and night sky textures in my photo. I chosen my image from the catalog and went to the “Edit” tab.

From there, I chosen “Structure AI” from the tools and adjusted the Amount and Boost toggles to boost the sharpness and detail of my photo.

Listed below are my results!

By barely adjusting the toggles present in the Structure AI tool, I could reveal the intricate details of the rocky landscape and night sky in my photo.

The Structure AI feature in Luminar Neo truly elevated the general quality of the image without making it look over-processed or unnatural. Once more, the method was easy and fun without being overly complicated!

4. Creative

Skylum Luminar Neo doesn’t stop at basic photo editing tools. It also comes with various creative features to further enhance your images:

• Relight AI: Get complete control over the lighting in a photograph. This tool is good for enhancing a picture creatively and resolving technical issues with backlit photos.
• Atmosphere AI: Add fog, mist, or haze to photographs while preserving a sensible look and ensuring the topic of your photograph just isn’t covered by the effect.
• Sunrays: Control the position, warmth, and glow for a subtle or dramatic lighting change. You may then mix it with other modes for added control.
• Dramatic: Add a gritty cinematic effect to photos that mimic the bleach bypass darkroom technique. That is great for stylized fashion shoots, urban images, and grungy athletic portraits.
• Mood: Enhance your photo’s appearance with skilled lookup tables (LUTs). Pick from film stocks and black-and-white looks, or create custom color grades in seconds.
• Toning: Adjusts the general brightness and contrast for a balanced image. This is a vital tool for getting tonal harmony.
• Matte: Create a vintage appearance by utilizing muted colours and powerful contrast. That is great for altering the mood of each landscape and portrait images.
• Neon & Glow: Add artistic brilliance using an easy-to-use photo editing tool that infuses vibrant colours and fascinating radiance.
• Mystical: Enhance your image by softening the luminescence, increasing contrast and saturation. It adds a dreamy and fantasy look with a creative glow within the lighter areas of the image.
• Glow: Produce a lighting impact to boost vibrant elements like streetlights or the sky in your image.
• Blur: The Blur tool offers Gaussian, Motion, and Twisted styles. Using masking, adjust the intensity, angle, position, and goal specific areas. It’s excellent for fixing issues or adding creative effects.
• Film Grain: Add random, stylized grain to your photos that emulates analog film stock. This offers your color or black-and-white images an analog feel.

Let’s have a look at how I used to be in a position to

Easy methods to Use Atmosphere AI

I began by choosing a picture from the catalog where I desired to apply some atmospheric effects and went to “Edit.”

From there, I chosen Atmosphere AI and chosen “Mist” from the dropdown since that is the effect I desired to apply. The opposite options were fog, layered fog, or haze. Next, I adjusted the quantity of mist, the depth, and the lightness.

Here’s the way it turned out!

There is not an enormous difference between the 2, but for those who look closely (particularly on the grass), you will notice barely more haze/mist within the second photo.

5. Portrait

Skylum Luminar Neo also offers tools specific to portrait photography. These include:

1. Studio light replicates authentic studio lights.
2. Portrait bokeh creates a dreamy background blur, highlighting your subject whatever the camera or lens.
3. Face AI naturally enhances facial expression which might be vibrant and smooth.
4. Skin AI gives models natural skin texture effortlessly without meticulous retouching tools.
5. Body AI helps you to realistically adjust the dimensions of a model’s abdomen with sliding toggles.
6. High key applies high key lighting to overexpose the topic barely.

I’ll show you easy methods to use Face AI to boost the facial expression in your portrait naturally!

Easy methods to Use Face AI

To make use of Skylum Lumiar Neo’s Face AI tool, I began by choosing a photograph from my catalog with a model and going to “Edit.”

Next, I chosen “Face AI” from the tools to open the face, eyes, and mouth and zoomed into the model’s face. I adjusted the face light using the toggles and barely slimmed the model’s face!

It is a fast and simple option to bring out one of the best features in your portrait subjects. The Face AI tool in Skylum Luminar Neo simplifies enhancing facial expression without the necessity for complex retouching techniques!

6. Skilled

Skylum Luminar Neo also comes with some skilled photo editing tools:

• Supercontrast: Get precise tonal contrast adjustment using six separate controls for highlights, mid-tones, and shadows.
• Color Harmony: Adjust the brilliance and heat of the colours in your photos.
• Dodge & Burn: Precisely lighten or darken the tone in your images to simulate traditional darkroom techniques. That is great for adjusting light on specific areas.
• Clone: Replaces unwanted or damaged pixels. Select a source and paint those pixels on other areas of your image to cover dust spots and damage. There’s also feathering for seamless mixing.

Let’s have a look at how I used Supercontrast to bring out the tones of an image of a waterfall.

Easy methods to Use Supercontrast

I began by choosing a photograph from the catalog and went to “Edit.”

From there, I chosen “Supercontrast” under the Skilled section and adjusted the highlights, midtones, and shadow toggles. Here’s the way it got here out!

By simply adjusting different toggles, I used to be in a position to bring out the blues and oranges within the clouds and enhance the contrast between the sunshine and dark areas of the waterfall. The result was a more vibrant and impactful image.

7. Generative Tools

Skylum Luminar Neo also has three generative tools which might be value mentioning:

1. GenErase: GenErase permits you to seamlessly remove powerlines and unwanted objects or people out of your photos. This erase tool removes distractions and creates a clean, clutter-free composition with just a number of clicks!
2. GenSwap: GenSwap replaces elements in your photos with AI-generated visuals that integrate with the remaining of the image.
3. GenExpand: GenExpand uses AI to increase the sky, enlarge landscapes, or add more elements to your photos.

Each generative tool functions similarly. I’ll show you the way I used GenErase!

Easy methods to Use GenErase

To begin using GenErase, I chosen my photo from the Catalog and clicked “GenErase” under “Generative Tools” on the best.

This immediately opened GenErase. I used to be impressed by how easy the interface was! All of my tools were laid out on the underside.

I adjusted the comb size and highlighted what I desired to erase within the photo. After I was ready, I hit the “Erase” button.

Skylum did an excellent job removing and replacing the iceberg with a wave from the unique image, and it only took a number of seconds! I used to be completely happy with how natural the wave looked, as if it had all the time been there. Using GenErase to rework my photo was effortless.

With GenErase, I not have to spend hours meticulously editing out distractions or using complex cloning techniques. Select the thing you must remove, and GenErase will do the remaining.

Top 3 Alternatives to Skylum Luminar Neo

While Luminar Neo offers many features and capabilities, it is usually good to explore alternative photo editing software to search out the one which suits your editing needs most. Listed below are three top alternatives to Luminar Neo it is best to consider:

Photoleap by Lightricks

Photoleap by Lightricks is an all-in-one photo editor for creating incredible photo edits directly in your phone! With over thirty million downloads, it’s the final word photo editing app with many user-friendly tools to make cuts, remove backgrounds, and more. You may add a private touch by adding filters, effects, fonts, and stickers!

Photoleap and Skylum Luminar Neo are excellent, user-friendly photo editing platforms with AI capabilities. Nevertheless, essentially the most significant difference is that Photoleap is a mobile app with more creative editing features and a library of assets you’ll be able to mess around with. Meanwhile, Skylum is exclusively available on desktop and more geared towards beginner and skilled photographers who need to streamline their skilled edits using AI.

In case you take most of your photos in your phone and need creative fun editing them using AI, go for Photoleap. For streamlining your skilled photo edits using AI, I highly recommend Skylum Luminar Neo!

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is widely considered the industry standard for skilled photo editing software so that you just won’t overlook it. Adobe always updates its applications and has recently introduced cutting-edge AI tools like Firefly.

Photoshop and Skylum offer incredible AI features for photo editing, corresponding to removing and replacing content or expanding the borders of images in seconds. Nevertheless, essentially the most significant difference is that Photoshop is more complex but offers more advanced features. Skylum, conversely, is more user-friendly but is filled with all of the essential photo editing tools you’ll have. Photoshop also tends to be barely dearer.

In case you’re a beginner inquisitive about making skilled edits to your photos using AI tools on a less complicated interface, I’d recommend going with Sklyum Luminar Neo. For cutting-edge AI photo editing tools with more features and suppleness to edit your photos exactly how you would like them, select Photoshop.

For one of the best of each worlds, get each! Skylum Luminar Neo works incredibly well as a standalone application or an Adobe Photoshop plugin. You may’t go incorrect with either; Photoshop and Skylum offer continuous updates and enhancements to make sure users access the newest features and tools.

Topaz Photo AI

Topaz Photo AI by Topaz Labs is an AI-powered photo editing platform offering advanced features and image enhancement tools. It focuses on noise reduction to significantly reduce image noise without sacrificing detail or image quality.

Besides noise reduction, Topaz Photo AI sharpens, upscales, fixes light problems, and removes distractions. The very best part is you simply must pay for it once!

While each Topaz Photo AI and Skylum Luminar Neo offer excellent AI photo editing solutions, Skylum Luminar Neo provides a more comprehensive suite of AI photo editing tools to boost photos, replace skies, and more. Skylum also offers sharpening and noise-reduction tools like Structure AI, but they do not focus on noise reduction as Topaz Photos does.

In case you’re searching for one of the best AI photo editor to sharpen and denoise your images, I like to recommend Topaz Photo AI. For a user-friendly interface with a more comprehensive suite of AI tools for skilled photo editing, select Skylum Luninar Neo!

Skylum Review: Is It the Easiest AI Photo Editing Tool?

After using Skylum Luminar Neo extensively to edit my photos, I can confidently say that it’s the simplest photo editing tool available on the market. The AI tools speed up the method, and the sliders make photo editing easy and fun. The interface is well laid out, with categorized and color-coded tools for simple navigation.

From my experience, Skylum Luminar AI strikes the right balance between user-friendly editing and professional-level results. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned photographer, you will find the intuitive controls and automatic AI features of Luminar Neo to be a game-changer in your editing workflow.

Ultimately, Skylum is the more cost-effective, user-friendly alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Nevertheless, for those who’re an avid Adobe user, you should utilize Skylum Luminar Neo as a plugin together with your existing Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop applications for one of the best of each worlds.

I hope you found my Skylum Luminar review helpful! Whether an aspiring photographer or a seasoned skilled, Skylum offers comprehensive AI tools to bring skilled photo edits to life. Why not give it a try to unlock the total potential of your photos?

Click Here to go to Skylum Luminar Neo

Regularly Asked Questions

Is Skylum Neo value it?

Yes, Skylum Luminar Neo is value it. It is the more cost-effective, user-friendly Adobe Photoshop alternative and an incredible option to use powerful artificial intelligence tools to boost photos. Nevertheless, skilled photographers will probably want to use Adobe Photoshop for more robust tools, features, and control over photo edits.

Is Luminar Neo higher than Lightroom?

Luminar Neo is healthier than Lightroom since it offers a more user-friendly interface and simplified sliders than Lightroom, aiming to streamline photo editing for beginners without extensive tutorials or learning curves.

What’s the difference between Luminar Skylum and Neo?

Luminar Neo is distinguished by its modular engine, making updates easier and more frequent by Skylum. This ensures that Neo all the time has the newest and best features and may accommodate Extensions to boost the present tools.

Do professionals use Luminar?

Yes, Luminar is widely utilized by skilled photographers. It’s the right balance between offering robust AI features with a user-friendly interface. Its big selection of editing tools caters to every kind of skilled photographers, whether you shoot landscapes, wildlife, weddings, newborns, etc. Plus, it integrates with other skilled image editing software like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom for versatility.

Is Luminar Neo pretty much as good as Photoshop?

Yes, Luminar Neo is pretty much as good as Photoshop. It offers easy-to-use AI image editing tools for skilled photo editing. Nevertheless, they differ because Luminar Neo is more user-friendly, and Photoshop has more robust tools and features for more advanced, precise photo editing. You may’t go incorrect with either; the selection between the 2 is determined by your needs, skills, and budget!

What are the disadvantages of Luminar?

A few of the disadvantages of Luminar include the shortage of advanced editing features in comparison with other software. Despite being compatible with Windows and macOS devices, Luminar Neo just isn’t cloud-based. You need to download the software, which takes roughly 10 GB of cupboard space.

Is Skylum Luminar a one-time purchase?

Skylum Luminar offers the flexibleness of a one-time purchase and a subscription model! With the one-time payment, you will receive one perpetual license that’s yours eternally. Additionally they offer 1-month, 12-month, or 24-month subscriptions!

What does Skylum Luminar do?

Skylum Luminar is an AI-powered photo editing tool that provides a big selection of features, including color grading, sky alternative, and portrait enhancement. It also comes with over 22 presets (plus more that you would be able to buy from the Luminar Marketplace) to edit photos easily and quickly. It could possibly be used as a standalone application or a plugin for popular photo editors like Adobe Photoshop.