With today’s announcement of the upcoming Luminar Neo, will LuminarAI fade off into the sunset?
The growth of photo editing powered by artificial intelligence has been astronomical. Skylum kicked things off with AccentAI back in Luminar 3. Topaz quickly followed with some amazing tools as well. And now, seems like AI is just about everywhere with things like Photoshop’s Neural filters and even smart processing on iPhones.
And today, Skylum announced Luminar Neo. Here’s the official description:
Luminar Neo is for those who want more editing options and more creative control. The application provides the ability to build detailed and expressive images with an advanced layer-based workflow and flexible tools that can be applied in any order. It also boasts a high-speed core engine that will help accelerate more complex tasks.
Luminar Neo is designed for:
- Photographers of all levels and creative artists
- People who like to explore visual creativity and build refined images
- Those who truly enjoy exploring new options through creative editing
The inventor of the product had this to say:
“As the latest member of the Luminar family, we designed Luminar Neo to allow artists to take on more challenging image creation work and achieve results which often seem unattainable,” said Dima Sytnik, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Skylum.
So, is LuminarAI dead?
Skylum is well-known for their rapid innovation. They’ve shown little fear in launching new products, making major changes and adjusting to feedback. That focus on innovation just led to them getting the 2021 Red Dot industry award for best user interface design.
But that rapid pace of innovation has often led to Skylum making quick pivots and changes in their product lineup. leading many to find themselves with a product that appears “dead” to some or “end-of-life.” To clarify, the applications keep running just fine in most cases, for example Aurora HDR is still our go-to application for HDR, but hasn’t received any new features since 2019. It doesn’t mean it’s not still a great application, it just can get frustrating for some.
So the short answer to “Is LuminarAI dead?”
No, but its complicated …
Who is LuminarAI for?
At Photofocus we’re big fans of LuminarAI. Its portrait tools are amazing. It offers a bunch of unique creative filters. And you can do some great stuff for landscapes. It also stands out for adding details with StructureAI and has the most robust set of color-grading tools on the market in a photo application.
So, who is LuminarAI for? When the company launched it, it was made clear that it was NOT an upgrade to Luminar 4. No migration of data, no layers, and a totally different way of working. The application wanted you to work with templates … but did give you the ability to custom edit. Here’s the official description:
LuminarAI is the easiest-to-use image editor fully powered by artificial intelligence for those who prefer a timesaving Template-driven workflow for quick results. The app can swiftly guide you to the best outcomes while still preserving editing flexibility. Moreover, it’s a compact and easy-to-navigate application that already packs the core tools that one needs for great results.
Skylum
LuminarAI is designed for:
- Entry-level photographers and amateurs in photo editing who love to start with templates
- Also useful to visual communicators looking for quality results with little effort
- Was not designed as a replacement for Luminar 4
But a lot of folks who are professional and semiprofessional used it. Its ability to use as a plugin is what really drove this. Luminar’s AI-powered tools are much faster than those found in Photoshop. Photoshop needs to transfer data to the cloud while Luminar runs locally. And there are several tools that only Luminar AI had, so longtime Luminar users switched.
But the more advanced users were often frustrated by a lack of pro features that Luminar used to have (like layers and advanced masking).
Explaining the relationship
The easiest way to explain it is this. Luminar Neo and LuminarAI are members of a family. A family that will also see mobile apps soon. A family is a group that often shares specific traits. You can often recognize family members. Often, each family member will have a job or a role. Families have things in common. Families have similar values.
Adobe does this well. There are so many flavors of Photoshop and its Lightroom child. Mobile apps, tablet apps, web apps. They all are a little different. They all have something in common. If you know one, the others are easy. While each application clearly shares some genetic code … they are not the same. You’ll find that some things transfer between applications, some things don’t.
They each have a special purpose.
Skylum insists that both apps remain for sale. They also are selling bundles with the two of them.
So LuminarAI IS still alive?
Sure sounds that way. Let’s breakdown some stuff from the Skylum FAQ document they posted.
“Will you continue to support LuminarAI? At Skylum, we love to provide you with a variety of options that suit your workflow best. That is why LuminarAI and Luminar Neo are designed to serve two different purposes.”
Skylum
So yes, both are being sold. And if you recall from the top of the article … the descriptions do define those roles. The short version is that LuminarAI = AI photo editor and Luminar Neo = Creative image editor. That’s not too dissimilar to how Photoshop and Lightroom coexist.
Here’s some of that FAQ:
“LuminarAI is the easiest-to-use image editor fully powered by artificial intelligence for those who prefer a timesaving Template-driven workflow for quick results. The app can swiftly guide you to the best outcomes while still preserving editing flexibility. Moreover, it’s a compact and easy-to-navigate application that already packs the core tools that one needs for great results.
“In its turn, Luminar Neo is for those who want more editing options and more creative control. The application provides the ability to build detailed and expressive images with an advanced layer-based workflow and flexible tools that can be applied in any order. It also boasts a high-speed core engine that will help accelerate more complex tasks.
“Both applications will be available on the market so that you can choose the software according to your preferred workflow and the desired outcome.”
Choice is good
Making things a little confusing is that fact that today was just the announcement of Luminar Neo. It doesn’t ship until this winter (historically they tend to ship apps just before the holiday season). So Skylum has room to add more details to Neo. But it looks like it significantly builds on what LuminarAI can do, by adding the following features:
- Layers
- AI powered masking
- Portrait Background replacement
- Ability to stack filters in custom order
- Ability to use multiple RAW files in a composition
So let’s be specific
Because the internet loves a good rumor … we’re already seeing posts that Skylum killed LuminarAI.
The truth in that is no …. but with a tiny asterisk. Let’s breakdown that official response a little more
“LuminarAI is a complete set of tools that will not grow in complexity.”
This sounds like they don’t plan to add more filters beyond what’s already there, but might add other things.
“You can continue to expand its template-driven workflow with new additions from the Luminar marketplace or with Luminar X.”
Since its template-driven, and you can buy more templates that’s cool. They also release free ones too and others as bonuses to customers. Templates are the editing and color grading recipes and the application even suggests them based on the photos you open. It scans the image and recognizes more than 7,000 details before it recommends things.
“We will ensure, however, that [LuminarAI] receives updates to its performance and camera support, so it provides an excellent experience for those who rely on it.”
This means it will get updates for operating system changes. It will get support for newer cameras (although Skylum lags behind Adobe here sometimes). And they’ll update existing tools for speed as well as fix bugs.
So bottom line, if you like the application, it will keep working well into the future and they intend to polish the experience and keep it fresh.
“We’ll also ship updates for things like the forthcoming Windows 11 from Microsoft.”
Microsoft featured Luminar AI in their Windows 11 launch events and even showed a cool Microsoft Photos integration. That still hasn’t been released and sounds like it will come in a free update. Windows 11 ships in October.
But, I want more …
That’s normal … and software is a business. Skylum has some pretty cool discounts right now on Luminar Neo and other bundles. If you already own another Skylum application they give you a discount.
Luminar Neo looks promising. Check out our first look review.
But if you’re a LuminarAI user … take a breath and relax. Upgrading is optional. If you want to push Luminar further as a creative image editor, then check out Luminar Neo. If editing is intimidating …. stay put with LuminarAI.
Editor’s note: Photofocus is an affiliate of Skylum, but the opinions above are our own. Our affiliate relationship with Skylum, as well as many other companies like Adobe and Topaz, help us keep the lights on.
Create the photos you imagined, with Luminar Neo
Your photos are precious. That’s why Luminar Neo puts them in the spotlight. Check out the latest in AI photo editing, with tools to make your workflow faster and allowing you to bring your unique ideas to life!
While Skylum is always at the bleeding edge of new features they fail terrible at fixing problems. When Luminar 3 had lots of issues, they brought out Luminar 4 saying they would continue to fix Luminar 3 which they didn’t. Then when Luminar 4 had issues they bring out Luminar AI saying it wasn’t an upgrade and they would fix the issues Luminar 4 had and they didn’t. Now they bring out Neo saying it isn’t the same as Luminar AI with no comments on fixing Luminar AI issues…. Same road… Same song.. Fool me once……
Actually, I’m told there’s already an update scheduled for bug fixes, and if you read the article above that is SPECIFICALLY addressed.
2021-09-15: on the other hand, credit where credit is due… and I quote from the current update.
Luminar 4.3.3: Support for new cameras & a steadier experience
etc, etc.
The bottom line: Luminar AI will be maintained so it works as-is. All of the new features now and in the future will be added to NEO. Nice to see AI templates will work in NEO. Hopefully Skylum settles on this platform for a while so users can carry their work forward in the years ahead.
It sounds like that’s going to be the case.
I have Aurora, Luminar 3, 4 and AI. You want to know the only one I use regularly, yep Aurora. I’ve pretty much stopped using L4, and only occasionally use LAI, why because I can match the bulk of the functionality in LR. Sure there are some special things in L4 and LAI, but the bounce time from LR to Luminar and back to LR makes it inconvenient to use. What Skylum needs to do is produce one tool that does what all these tools do. If they need to differentiate on price, find have levels that can be turned… Read more »
That bounce time to Luminar is Lightroom making the tiff file. Try the option to send the original raw file. Much faster.
https://manual.skylum.com/ai/en/topic/using-luminar-ai-with-adobe-lightroom-classic
use the File > Plug-in Extras > Transfer to LuminarAI option
This is just spin and marketing. Yes, it has new features but Skylum would be much better off just following a normal software upgrade path. I would happily pay a monthly fee as I do to Adobe.
The way they release things and ignore users with existing issues is really frustrating. Noting what Rich is saying in comments here but every version of Skylum software has major bugs. Maybe that is the price to pay for leading-edge software at a low cost?
This is Skylum’s business model: screw current customers by creating a “new” program with a few new features that they can charge full price for instead of providing upgrades to existing programs. They this with Luminar 3 to 4 to AI and now to Neo. After promoting Luminar to my club and via my many presentations to other clubs and groups, I’m DONE with Skylum. And will warn others to stay away as well.
Luminar Neo is not a replacement for Luminar AI. Both programs are being sold side-by-side, and have different audiences and features. Think of it like Lightroom Classic and the cloud-based Lightroom app.
And if you look at other non-subscription software, Capture One, ON1, DxO and others regularly come out with paid upgrades, too, usually once a year.
I’ve really grown to like Luminar 4. I still use it a lot. I was hoping for good things in Luminar AI, but my computer’s processor refuses to run Luminar AI, so despite paying for it, I’ve never been able to use it. I’m heavily invested in my current computer – and it runs Adobe’s offerings just fine as well as Corel, CaptureOne and DXO Labs. Judging by feedback in support forums, Skylum kicked a lot of previous and potential customers to the curb with AI and now Neo with their coding that only supports Core I5, Ryzen and higher… Read more »
Intel core i5 has been around for quite a while, first being introduced in 2009. Do you really expect modern software to run on computers older than that? I don’t think many do. Heck, macOS Big Sur won’t run on anything older than 2013.
If your computer won’t support it and you can’t upgrade, it’s not like past versions are going to stop running on your machine. But I wouldn’t expect older machines to support modern software like that. Otherwise it’s way too limiting in terms of what the software can do.
Apple really never cared about the backwards compatibility, but stating, that something like core i5 should not be supported is unheard in an Wintel world, especially in a situation, when tonnes of other similar SW titles still continue to work.
I also hesitate to call anything Skylum related to a modern software – their development cycles, delays, weak support and constant product switches to just cut off previous audience, is all but hype.
The i5 IS supported… its the minimum spec
I have never ever seen as hyped app as Luminar is. I bought every generation till the Luminar 3 and all I a was able to see was a hype, and delays. Back then, on1 just started with their Photo RAW product, it was buggy, so was looking into alternatives. But man, Luminar was always slow like molasses. Not sure what they got Red Dot Award for, but I found their UI messy. Nowadays I am using on1, and if not on1, I might be using an Exposure. So – their constant product switches is a mess as well. Of… Read more »
I’m kind of surprised with the negative comments about the interface here. While it’s not perfect (no photo application is, IMO), I do think it beats ON1. That said, ON1 is really meant as a totally different type of editor than Luminar AI. It’s more geared toward that professional audience. It’ll be interesting to see how Luminar Neo tackles the UI with its expanded controls.
I had the same issue with Luminar 3 and 4 with the software that was slow and quirky. Masking tool would mask, but it would show the mask inches away from where I was drawing. Sliders or the pull tab for the slider would disappear and so on. I finally upgraded my Dell computer to 32 mb or RAM. A very good Nvidia graphics card and a 1 TB SSD drive. I now able to use L3 with very, very little problem. I have L4 to use in portraits but I have not bought L4AI nor will I buy L4… Read more »
Lumina A.I. will not be developed with any new features…sounds dead to me. I was sold on 4 and the jump to A.I. was good. I have two options ask google for “best alternative to Luminar” or wait until next year when Luminar “Trinity” comes out.
how exciting. another subscription software. i’ll pass.
Luminar Neo, and Luminar AI, are not subscription based software.
But if they are members of a family, should not they share the catalog? Because if I have well understood, they don’t, so if you are a Luminar Ai user you must start again from the beginning the editing.
Seems to becoming a rip off. Getting us to buy one product, then instead of upgrading they replace it in order to make more cash. Disgusting way of doing business.
Skylum got a lot of press from Macbreak Weekly when it first came out, and then some more interest from me when they made it available for Windows. Then i found myself chasing versions that would be the hot thing for a bit and then effectively abandoned. i didn’t bother with AI. I have no interest in NEO. The company needs to settle on a portfolio and grow existing products instead of using its customer base for $60 – $80 new products every few months to a year. The company also needs to honor it’s unsubscribe options from email notifications,… Read more »
I certainly understand the frustrations. As the site’s editor, I can tell you that while Skylum is an affiliate, we know that it’s not perfect. No software platform is; in fact I’m working on a piece that tackles some of the software’s shortcomings head-on. The responses here are trying to clear up any confusion, as there is a lot around whether Luminar Neo is meant to replace Luminar AI, etc. Skylum might not work for you, but it does work for others. The same can be said about Adobe (who we’re also an affiliate for) and other software platforms. In… Read more »
I just tried Neo and still be dizzy… I sent an email to claim a refund, confusing, frustrating, really disappointed. I will keep AI and hope they listen to users and improve it. Just an AI version with some new features would be enough.