Luminar AI, the new photo-editing software, is in testing – 20 minutes
- After the stage of editing photos on smartphones with just a few applications, it is possible to move forward on PC thanks to Luminar AI.
- Launched by Skylum for € 79, this new program for Mac and PC uses AI to turn us into retouching experts.
- By analyzing images, Luminar AI suggests correct retouching and is often relevant to the topic. A godsend for those returning from vacation with their digital memories.
SnapSeed, Pixlr, Lightleap, Lightroom … we all have one or more photo editing apps built into our smartphones. To go ahead and work on our images on a computer, the company
Skylum Luminar introduces AI. With the return of winter holidays and the dozens of images that amateur or expert photographers want to process, this software stands out thanks to the artificial intelligence it incorporates. Its goal: to allow us to maximize our images in a few clicks, without special knowledge in post production of photos.
The first is for beginners
Let’s face it, for an amateur, editing photos on a computer is an anxious and time-consuming exercise. Often cited as a reference, Adobe Photoshop is a resource-loaded retouching program, but it doesn’t have to be available to the largest number of people, even if it gains a lot of simplicity. With Luminar AI, Skylum puts AI first at the service of beginners who want to create more beautiful photos.
Working independently or as a plug-in to Photoshop, Lightroom, and Apple Photo, this program is not destructive: at every stage of its use, it is possible to return and always find the original image that will not be “replaced” “through a version that includes modifications that you have made to it .
A wide range of suggestions
When tested, the Luminar AI instantly reveals its intuitive side. Once an image is imported, AI is instantly implemented and recognizes the nature of the depicted subject (landscape, person, object, etc.). Yes, the cat pics are highlighted!
Therefore, the program offers the corresponding “essential tools”, with a wide range of suggestions. For images, for example, various templates are available, such as “Iconic”, “Refreshment”, “Expressive face”, “Focus” or “Midi”. You just have to click on the suggested image to convert it instantly. Influencers even have their own models for the largest number of photo suggestions to help them maintain their online reputation!
Move all cursors
There is a small tool on the top right, which allows you to drag a vertical bar on the image and see the “before / after” version and thus judge the work done. We can go further by visiting other groups of models. For example, the “Monochrome” section provides great possibilities for fans of black and white photos. Many can stop there and click “Export” (on computer, email, in a message, or on SmugMug platforms, 500p). You might also want to tickle the details of the photo.
So, go to “Edit” to move all the indicators: light, texture, details … it is possible to erase an unwanted object in the image, to apply shading (a slight shadow effect around the subject …) … we can test everything, make mistakes and start Again without spending time.
Transforming landscapes
Some of Luminar’s AI proposals are impressive when working on landscapes, especially in tackling the sky. Who among us has never regretted immortalizing an image with a “blazing” sky because it is so bright, or a boring sky due to bad weather? With his onboard tools and intelligence, the Skylum program discovers the sky and allows its transformation. Adding different types of clouds, and the colors corresponding to a time of day such as twilight … Immediately, the whole image develops accordingly, adjusting its light and contrast … It is even possible to “add the sun if it is absent, to measure the intensity of its rays, etc.”
The results obtained may not be appropriate, but they are always consistent. And if we agree sometimes to betray the original image a little, it is often for the better: the intention of the photographer remains the same. With its white skies and “hidden” landscapes, the photo taken above the Vallée de l’Ennuyé, in the Drôme Provençale, was not so impressive. With two clicks (Landscape / Intense Volume group), it is saved.
Optional packages
If you love photography and don’t want to strain your mind to retouch, Luminar AI stands out as a simple and practical tool with which you can evolve in stages. Thanks to the usage, we can also advance the retouching by going from the hobbyist assistant photographer to the advanced photographer stage …
The ‘Professional’ section (which is ultimately not complicated to use) allows you to proceed at any time. Too bad Skylum, which sells its new software for 79 euros anyway, is already offering extra packages from online “exhibitors” selling up to 40 euros each. Hence we have little impression that the purchased product is incomplete. A question of an economic model, without a doubt.
