“How am I supposed to take this software seriously now?” I said in an email to the rest of our reviews team when testing the new Luminar Neo in reference to the fake bokeh feature. “It’s like those mobile editing apps you see that promise to transform you from the pre-reality TV Kim Kardashian into the one you know now, but are usually made by the shadiest of software companies.” Not quite everyone’s first choice for photo editing, Luminar still seems to be producing software these days that aims to help photographers perform complex edits with ease. Although they were one of the first companies to integrate AI into their editing software, I’m still not quite sure who their target audience is. Luminar Neo does come with some handy tools that can do a decent job, but is this really a software for serious photographers or just those who want to seem like one?
Table of Contents
Luminar Neo: A Quick Overview Of What’s New
Before I list out what’s new, here’s a saying that I often heard from my primary school teachers when I was young – The first impression is the best impression. I tend to agree with this, although I can’t say it’s applicable in all scenarios. But when it comes to editing software, it certainly does matter. The splash screen, the initial layout on the first ever launch, and the sample images and edits showcased when someone opens the app for the first time, be it on the paid or trial version (the latter even more important), matter for sure.
Do you really want to be doing this with your photos?
As a software company trying to get users onto your platform, you want to really win over people who are trialing the app. Capture One did this superbly with an excellent set of sample images and edits when I downloaded my first version of their software three years ago. Topaz Labs consistently inspires with their sample images and tutorials. Having downloaded a Luminar software three years after I reviewed the last one, the initial impression of this latest Luminar Neo version pales in comparison.
Seriously, who is this supposed to impress?
If I thought the sample images were weak, the edits they’ve used here to try and showcase the prowess of the software were awful. They were so bad that, if I weren’t reviewing this software, I would have instantly uninstalled it. Because these edits scream amateurism at times. Whether the results were from improperly using the new tools or just the limitations of the various modules, I didn’t even want to find out. It’s like getting a free ticket for a test flight on a popular airline, only to climb aboard and find out the interiors are garishly outfitted with headache-inducing UV lights, purple velvet carpeting, and remind you of your experience on that limousine ride you got sloshed on some years ago one night. Anyhow, here are the top features of the new release:
● Color transfer: Transfer colors from a reference image to your own photos. Adjust results with sliders and use AI to match colors between similar objects, such as sky-to-sky or car-to-car, offering both creative flexibility and precision. You can mimic your favorite photographers’ styles, recreate colors from an inspirational shot you found online, or even one of the older photos you captured in the past.
● Smart Search: This machine learning-based search tool enables users to find images not only by basic attributes like file name and date, but also by the type of content, such as objects and scenes (e.g., tree, stop sign, car). The tool offers an advanced search capability that makes locating specific images within your catalog much faster and easier.
● Color Masking: Create masks based on selected colors in your images. Adjust the color range with a slider for precise control over affected areas, making targeted edits easier and more effective.
● Improved generative tools’ performance. Thanks to the new algorithms added to GenErase, GenSwap and GenExpand, users will be able to generate more detailed and realistic images with a higher success rate.
● The Filmstrip in the Edit tab allows users to switch quickly between images without exiting to Catalog mode. This helps maintain focus on image editing and enables quick synchronization across all images, streamlining the editing workflow and enhancing productivity.
● Improved catalog navigation: Enhance your photo organization with the filtering options by camera model, focal length, ISO, shutter speed, aperture, rating, and other parameters to effortlessly locate the exact image you need. Additionally, sort folders and albums by various attributes for easier access, and use star ratings to further organize and manage your photos.
“if I weren’t reviewing this software, I would have instantly uninstalled it.”
Gear Used
We tested the beta version of Luminar Neo (v 1.21.0) on my Apple M1 Mac Mini, using images from my Nikons J5, Z6, Z6 II, and Zf. For the sake of this article, we’ve tested out only the new features listed below. Skylum provided us a 7-day trial version of Luminar Neo.
Pros
- Can work as a standalone app or plugin with Adobe PS and LR.
- Monthly subscription is cheaper than Adobe’s Photographer plan
- Fair bit of AI supported tools to try and help you edit more easily
Cons
- At times, the Gen edits using AI felt like they took very long to be applied
- Gen AI edits where prompts are applied don’t seem to turn out as expected
- Does not work on Apple computers with macOS Catalina (10.15) and macOS Mojave (10.14)
- Color Transfer Feature needs a lot of improvement
- Extra Presets, Skies, LUTs and Overlays can be pricey
- If you’re not already a Luminar user, I hardly think you’ll enjoy this. Especially if you’re already an Adobe subscriber
New Features
Here are our thoughts on the new features.
Color Transfer
The image above (seen without edits) is the one I chose to test the Color Transfer feature in Luminar Neo. Below is the reference image whose feel and look I wanted Luminar Neo to replicate.
The Color Transfer Feature comes under the Tools tab on the right of the Luminar Neo window. I added the above file as a reference and waited for the AI engine to hopefully do some magic.
While the AI was analyzing the reference image, I slid the Amount and Color Intensity sliders all the way to 100. I didn’t add any masking properties on purpose to see how good or bad the AI engine would be. I ended up with this edit.
My reference image was well-saturated and shot on a clear day with no fog or haze in the sky. The Color Transfer edits that the AI engine in Lumiar Neo gave me look like I took this photo with a fogged-up lens due to humidity or that I went crazy and slid the Clarity slider on Adobe Lightroom all the way to the left. Also, I couldn’t export the image to the desktop, as it seems the trial edition won’t let me do this. Weirdly enough, it exports a file with your desired resizing settings but devoid of any edits applied and still gives you the “7 days left on your trial” popup.
I decided to give it one more go, and used the below reference, which was an edit of the same image from some months ago, edited using the LA Sunset preset on our Phoblographer Lightroom Preset Pack (also available for Capture One, by the way)
Nothing seemed to show up in the Luminar Neo window. Even toggling the Quick Preview option on the Color Transfer tab didn’t show me any changes done. I deleted the image and re-added it, choosing the above image as a reference again. It churned out the below result.
This was a far better match, although not quite as saturated, but still far closer to the reference image than the previous attempt. What if I gave it a film-like image as a reference? I chose the one below to try out.
And I got this.
In my eyes, it transferred the colors in the way a preschool toddler might have. Maybe that’s the stage where the AI engine for Luminar Neo is at right now. It would be far easier to find out what preset was used for the reference image(s) you want to replicate, buy those and apply them. I was ready to give up on the software at this point, but I marched for the sake of testing out the other new features.
In my eyes, it transferred the colors in the way a preschool toddler might have. Maybe that’s the stage where the AI engine for Luminar Neo is at right now. It would be far easier to find out what preset was used for the reference image(s) you want to replicate, buy those and apply them.
Improved Generative Erase, Swap, and Expand
Could Luminar Neo easily remove the peeking tail of the majestic Arabian Oryx seen here? Not quite so perfectly as you can see in the result below.
The above erase attempt was done using the regular Erase tool under the Edit Tab. I then went into the Catalog tab and found GenErase
GenErase
In this instance, the generative AI erase did a far better job of erasing the tail of the oryx. I decided to give it a few more tries on other, more complex images.
The aim of choosing this image was to see if the GenErase in Luminar Neo could erase the facade cleaning staff seen in the above photo. I’d say it did a decent job, albeit not perfect. I decided to give it one more try
But to be completely fair, Adobe PS could do the same edits with equal ease, and often could even be quicker. I then chose a more complex image to really test out Luminar Neo
Still not totally convinced. The algorithm did what was expected, but it didn’t do a perfect job. The grass that was generated was a lighter shade, and the newly generated dry bushes in the background aren’t as sharp enough as the actual ones in the photograph. Was I really challenging it enough too? I figured I’d try and see how intuitively it could remove a football from a tight soccer shot.
Total failure here. There was a lot of hope that the AI algorithm would understand that this was a ball blocking the view of a foot, and since the shoe on the other foot was visible, it would generate the same after it erased the ball.
GenSwap
Here’s the original shot that I picked to work on for this feature. It works once you select a portion of the image and then add a prompt to say what you want it swapped with. I chose the tall building on the right of the frame and put in the prompt “replace with an airport control tower.”
Not bad. Not bad at all. Since we’re being creative, I wanted to replace those two white Arabian pots in the foreground with two Bengal cats. After typing in the prompt, I got this.
The pots disappeared, and no Bengal cats, or cats of any kind, made their way to the frame. For some unknown reason, the control tower was gone, and in its place was another skyscraper. I also tried a prompt to add an Emirates Airline A380 aircraft to the sky, and it gave me nothing. GenSwap certainly didn’t impress. Think I’m being too harsh? Check out the result of the earlier image of the Arab man walking to the mosque when I asked Luminar Neo to replace him with an Arab lady.
My faith in AI in photography editing tools drops ever so slightly whenever something like this ends up after a prompt. This has been the case for two years now.
But to be completely fair, Adobe PS could do the same edits with equal ease, and often could even be quicker.
GenExpand
The name suggests that this is a tool that can help fill in the blank areas of your image when you want to extend the image beyond its borders. I picked a photo I clicked of Roger Federer, where the tips of his fingers didn’t make it to the frame. I also added a prompt to Luminar Neo to generate the fingertips wholly. Here’s what happened.
We got the fingers alright, but what’s that on the right? That isn’t a edit I could print. I extended the image borders and clicked on Expand, but before I did that, I cleared the prompt.
That’s as clean as it can get, and it came out looking perfect this time. I remembered an image of a horse race where the frame was a tight shot of a winning jockey celebrating. Could Luminar Neo help expand that?
I avoided the prompt again, and extended the bottom and left borders slightly. Look what came through when I clicked generate.
Erm, who added the stock library-inspired watermark on the right there? That really does raise some red flags there. Does this mean the AI in Luminar Neo was trained on images from stock websites? Look at this photo if you want to see how Getty watermarks its stock. It looks an awful lot like Luminar tried to generate something of this sort. How could it do that unless it was trained to learn from such photos?
This is another GenExpand attempt that isn’t looking great. The generated sides of the apartment building are horribly done and don’t look real at all. The results here are really frustrating me.
Smart Search
I had two golfing images and two tennis shots in the catalog, yet somehow the “smart” search can’t find any images that are sport related…
Also, why did a search for the word Nikon come back with results of a photo that was taken with a Huawei smartphone, ignoring every other image in the catalog that was taken with some Nikon camera or another?
Too long, Didn’t Read; Here’s the Conclusions
There was a time, maybe a decade ago, when creating edits like these would have been all the rage on social media. You could have even kidded yourself into thinking you were a good photographer. We’ve all done some over-the-top editing when we were younger and less aware of what it takes to create an eye-catching photograph. Luminar Neo is a jack-of-all-trades, trying to borrow on some of the more visible AI editing features from other software, in addition to some from its past, but it is clearly a master of none. Again, there is not one feature or tool in Luminar Neo that could coax me into subscribing to it, even if the monthly plans are more attractive than the competition. I simply cannot see it fitting into my editing workflow. It appears to be aimed more at those who want to edit their photos to no end, eventually creating not only something that doesn’t look right but also, in many cases, doesn’t feel right.
I was hoping the experience of this software would feel like one of those gourmet home-cooked meals. The ones where you get the finest ingredients for a delectable dish delivered to your home, along with easy-to-follow instructions, and you end up feeling like you’ve been crowned the Masterchef winner, licking your lips in delight. Somehow, I feel like I’ve ended up with a microwaved TV dinner right now. And for the sake of its own longevity, I hope it really considers changing the sample images and edits in future releases of Luminar Neo. Honestly, the ones shown in this version were either half-baked or terribly overdone edits. Seeing them really soured my experience of this app. In a world full of Kardashian wannabes, it’s not a bad idea to consider being a Susan Sarandon. Go easy on your editing if you want to be considered a serious photographer. You’ll be admired and adored for a lot longer.