This morning, Skylum announced additional details about the forthcoming upgrade to its flagship software, Luminar. In addition to new features like AI Sky Replacement, AI Structure and several portrait enhancement tools, Skylum is reworking the interface to make for a faster, more efficient process.
With this refreshed interface, Luminar 4 shifts from having a tool-based approach to one that is purpose-based. It shortens the learning process, helping any photographer experiment creatively and expand their vision.
“Luminar 4 will be our biggest release yet,” said Alex Tsepko, CEO of Skylum. “The changes we’ve made to the interface and workflow will make the photo editing process faster, and open up new possibilities to photographers everywhere.”
Luminar 4 will combine Luminar and Luminar Flex into one application, meaning you can take advantage of all the tools in Luminar 4 either as a stand-alone application, or through plugins for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic and Photoshop Elements. Plugins will also be made available for Apple Photos for macOS and Aperture.
New organization
In Luminar 4, filters are now known as “Tools,” making for a simpler understanding of the software. Instead of having to search for filters, the tools are organized into six tabs for their intended purpose, making it easy for users to locate and understand what they do:
- Tools: Basic tools to work with, including Crop, Transform and Erase.
- Essentials: Everything necessary for basic Color and Tone Correction.
- Creative: Photo processing tools that allow photographers to take their photos to the next level, including AI Sky Replacement.
- Portrait: Tools oriented for processing portraits, including AI Skin Enhancer and Portrait Enhancer.
- Pro: Sophisticated tools for professional photo processing.
- Deprecated: Tools left for compatibility of presets that have been created within earlier versions of Luminar. These tools are no longer relevant due to new technologies in Luminar 4 and will be removed in future versions.
Because of the new organization and updates to the interface, Workspaces are no longer necessary. The streamlined interface should make it easier for users to jump right in.
General interface improvements have also been made, including enlarged fonts, increased spacing to improve readability, enlarged sliders and more.
Pre-order and launch details
Luminar 4 has a release date of November 18, 2019. It can be pre-ordered today for $79, which comes with a bonus one-year plan to SmugMug. If you purchase through Photofocus, you’ll also receive a bundle full of Lookup Tables, training videos, skies for AI Sky Replacement and more.
If you’re a current Luminar 3 or Luminar Flex subscriber, you can upgrade for $69. Upon release, Luminar 4 will retail for $89, with the upgrade available for $69.
