The photo above shows that Luminar is a great photo editing solution. It is fast and has AI-driven image enhancements for pros and amateurs alike. Luminar 3.1.0 or Luminar Flex? What is the difference anyway?
Standalone version or plugin?
The biggest difference between these two amazing photo editing packages is that Luminar 3.1.0 is a standalone product while Luminar Flex is a plugin for other photo editing programs. Luminar Flex is tested and works in Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Apple Aperture and Mac Photos. Luminar 3.1.0 doesn’t need a separate program host as it is a complete editing and management program.
Library vs. no library
Another big difference is Luminar 3.1.0 has a library feature that acts as a digital asset manager, think catalog, to store and handle your photographs, RAW or not. Luminar Flex works on a photograph that is already open in a separate application.
To batch or not to batch
Luminar 3.1.0 handles batch processing of a folder or group of photographs. This makes it easy to apply Luminar looks based on Accent AI 2.0 to multiple photos for automatic image adjustments and enhancements.
Luminar Flex is a single photo at-a-time editor.
Quick Edit
Additionally, Luminar has a Quick Edit mode that allows a photographer to open one or several images at the same time for editing without first adding them to the Luminar Library, unlike Lightroom where photos must be imported before editing.
Accent AI 2.0
The new improved face-aware artificial intelligence in Accent AI 2.0 gives extra color and exposure boosts without affecting skin tones. This is a great place to start before exploring clarity, vibrance and saturation sliders. Accent AI 2.0 also features a slider for controlling the amount of the filter. Multiple Accent AI 2.0 layers may be added. This is a Luminar 3.1.0 feature that will be coming to a future update of Luminar Flex.
Smart Objects
Lightroom Classic can hand off a file to Photoshop as a Smart Object by highlighting a photo then right click. Choose Edit In > Open as Smart Object in Photoshop.
Smart Objects are completely editable layers in Photoshop that can always be reverted to the original. There’s a lot more to it and that’s the nutshell version. I use Smart Objects all the time because often, my clients, change their minds. I do too, sometimes. Smart Objects let me revisit an edit and modify it. Luminar Flex supports a Smart Object workflow because it works inside of Photoshop. Luminar 3.1.0 is a standalone package. It does not support Smart Objects.
Crossover
Here is some confusion. Luminar 3.1.0 can be used as a plugin in other applications at this time. Luminar Flex can work as a standalone as well at this time. “At this time” is the key. The roadmap for these two programs means that Luminar 3.1.0 will ultimately not install as a plugin while Luminar Flex will stop working as a standalone. (Tip: Luminar Flex does batch processing when launched as a standalone app. Remember that this functionality is only temporary. Future versions of Flex will only run as a plugin.)
Luminar 3 as a plugin
Currently, Luminar 3.1.0 can be installed as a plugin. It functions the same way as Luminar Flex.
Luminar Flex is the choice for plugin
Luminar Flex offers several long-term advantages as a plugin than does Luminar 3.1.0 in its current form:
- More support for host applications
- The interface is sleeker with no tabs for Info or Library
- Optimization for running as a plugin
- Improved support for Smart Objects and Actions in Photoshop
- Comes with an improved installer
- Updated install path for better compatibility with Adobe apps
- Support for Photoshop Elements in Windows
- New Luminar Looks
- New workspaces perfect for speeding workflow
- Image Aware
- Relight & Color
- Intensify
- Drone & Aerial
- Film Lab
- Black & White
- Portrait
- Expert
Luminar 3.1.0 and Luminar Flex are available now.
I’ve tried using Luminar 3.1.0 and my raw 45mb DNG takes 15-20 seconds to render before it appears sharp and I can begin editing. When I have a thousand photos to go through, I can’t wait that long to determine if it’s a good photo to use. This is with a library that had 15 photos.
I kept my old copy of Luminar 2018 on my PC until I knew that I would be 100% happy with Luminar 3. I can Use “Export” in Lightroom CC to use Luminar 2018 as a plugin. It takes 6 seconds to have Luminar 2018 fully operational. What is the difference between Luninar 2018 and Luminar Flex? Is one better that the other? I knew something was coming down the line, because Luminar 3 was a disaster as a plugin, so far. Did not expect to have to purchase it a second time to have it work for me. Should… Read more »
What I overlooked in this article is that Luminar Flex is FREE to all current owners of Luminar 3 or Luminar 2018. Just go to your Skylum account and download Flex.
Correct, but only for users who purchased Luminar 3 or 2018 prior to April 5, 2019.
I’ve tried using Luminar 3.1.0 and my raw 45mb DNG takes 15-20 seconds to render before it appears sharp and I can begin editing. When I have a thousand photos to go through, I can’t wait that long to determine if it’s a good photo to use. This is with a library that had 15 photos.
What I overlooked in this article is that Luminar Flex is FREE to all current owners of Luminar 3 or Luminar 2018. Just go to your Skylum account and download Flex.
Correct, but only for users who purchased Luminar 3 or 2018 prior to April 5, 2019.
I kept my old copy of Luminar 2018 on my PC until I knew that I would be 100% happy with Luminar 3. I can Use “Export” in Lightroom CC to use Luminar 2018 as a plugin. It takes 6 seconds to have Luminar 2018 fully operational. What is the difference between Luninar 2018 and Luminar Flex? Is one better that the other? I knew something was coming down the line, because Luminar 3 was a disaster as a plugin, so far. Did not expect to have to purchase it a second time to have it work for me. Should… Read more »
What I overlooked in this article is that Luminar Flex is FREE to all current owners of Luminar 3 or Luminar 2018. Just go to your Skylum account and download Flex.
I’ve tried using Luminar 3.1.0 and my raw 45mb DNG takes 15-20 seconds to render before it appears sharp and I can begin editing. When I have a thousand photos to go through, I can’t wait that long to determine if it’s a good photo to use. This is with a library that had 15 photos.
I kept my old copy of Luminar 2018 on my PC until I knew that I would be 100% happy with Luminar 3. I can Use “Export” in Lightroom CC to use Luminar 2018 as a plugin. It takes 6 seconds to have Luminar 2018 fully operational. What is the difference between Luninar 2018 and Luminar Flex? Is one better that the other? I knew something was coming down the line, because Luminar 3 was a disaster as a plugin, so far. Did not expect to have to purchase it a second time to have it work for me. Should… Read more »