Switching from Lightroom to the rest can really feel like giving up your favorite pair of denims!
Adobe has been the usual for years, and for good motive.
Nevertheless, over time, I began questioning if I used to be lacking out on among the newer instruments constructed particularly for velocity and artistic exploration.
That’s once I gave Luminar Neo a correct go.
Extremely Really useful
Luminar Neo
AI-driven photograph editor that allows you to improve your pictures with velocity, precision, and attention-grabbing outcomes.
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This isn’t an anti-Lightroom rant. Actually, I’ve been a cheerful Lightroom (Traditional) consumer for a number of years now.
Truly, that is an article for these of you who could also be inquisitive about what Luminar Neo does otherwise… and whether or not it’s value slotting into your workflow.
Right here’s what you could know.
Evaluating Adobe Lightroom to Skylum Luminar Neo
First Impressions: Acquainted However Brisker
Luminar Neo (try our full evaluate right here) feels fashionable, clear, and extra intuitive than I anticipated.
Coming from Lightroom, I wasn’t positive I’d get pleasure from a special modifying structure, however I used to be up and working in minutes.
There’s no large studying curve. Actually, it feels much less overwhelming proper from the beginning.
The most important shift is how Luminar thinks about modifying, because it leans closely into AI, whereas Lightroom provides you extra of a handbook toolkit.
The one factor I want Skylum maintained when creating Neo is the shortcuts – particularly, the keys to navigate between modules.
Nevertheless, anticipating a brand new modifying software program to emulate the core performance of an present one is silly, so let’s transfer on.
Pace and Simplicity
This part ought to include a ‘YMMV’ hashtag (aka, Your Mileage Might Range), since everybody’s pc is ready up otherwise.
That stated, on my comparatively highly effective iMac with 16GB RAM (and my son-in-law’s M1 MacBook Professional with 32GB RAM), Luminar Neo has a behavior of changing into somewhat sluggish.
If you begin to play with the AI instruments, it is best to anticipate to twiddle your thumbs between edits – particularly issues like adaptive presets, sky substitute, and background eraser.
Utilizing enjoyable options like Sunrays, which infuses your pictures with lifelike (and moveable) solar beams is a whole lot of enjoyable (see under), however can take a second to take impact.
Varied choices fine-tune the look of the solar’s rays.
One annoying factor for brand spanking new customers isn’t figuring out precisely when Luminar is loading (actioning a activity), versus stalling.
There’s a spinning loading wheel on the foot of the modifying display screen, however it’s not instantly obvious, particularly in case you’re utilizing a bigger monitor.
I discover it laborious to know why Skylum didn’t select to have the loading notification in the course of the display screen, however I assume you get used to it rapidly.
Fortunately, all the opposite handbook modifying instruments in Neo load rapidly – nearly instantaneously, in actual fact, very like Lightroom’s.
In my view, Lightroom continues to be extra refined for bulk edits with presets, particularly in case you’ve obtained a system dialed in already.
To be honest, Lightroom additionally turns into sluggish whenever you begin leaning on its AI instruments, however general, it does really feel barely sooner than Neo.
As for simplicity, Neo is the winner, with intuitively named instruments and a far easier picture referencing interface, very like an everyday file browser.
Even for knowledgeable Lightroom customers, the necessity to import and internally reference pictures may be an infinite supply of frustration – anybody who’s encountered the dreaded ‘Lacking Picture’ error will know what I imply.
AI and Generative Instruments
That is the place Luminar Neo actually distances itself from Adobe Lightroom.
The AI masking, background elimination, and topic detection options nonetheless really feel like the long run.
And with instruments like GenErase and AI Sky Alternative, you may push issues creatively in a manner Lightroom doesn’t make as simple… or provide in any respect.
(On the time of writing, solely Adobe Photoshop provides sky substitute, which includes a somewhat clunky Lightroom > Photoshop > Lightroom spherical journey as a way to use.)
These AI instruments aren’t simply gimmicks – they open up workflows I didn’t even know I needed till I had them!
You may repair distractions, reshape lighting, or utterly shift the temper of a photograph in seconds.
Because of this Luminar Neo is a lot enjoyable for picture modifying hobbyists like my father, who has a whole lot of time to experiment whereas sitting in his nursing residence.
Integration with Adobe
Skylum was sensible when it launched Luminar to the world. It knew {that a} small startup might by no means compete with a behemoth like Adobe.
So right here’s what it did: it created a ground-breaking software program than could possibly be used along with Lightroom. One of the best of each worlds.
Right here’s the factor – you don’t should ditch Lightroom to make use of Luminar.
Neo works as a plugin, so you may ship a photograph straight from Lightroom, edit in Neo, and drop it proper again in.
This implies you may hold utilizing Lightroom for cataloging and asset administration, then swap to Luminar for particular edits… which is strictly what I love to do.
That flexibility makes it so much much less scary to attempt, and means you may take the perfect features of every software program.
You’re not giving something up. You’re simply increasing your toolkit.
Try our information to utilizing Luminar as a plugin with Lightroom right here.
Cataloging and File Administration
That is one space the place Lightroom nonetheless leads.
In case your workflow is constructed round an enormous picture library with sensible collections, scores, and key phrases, Lightroom’s system is difficult to beat.
I do know I simply informed you about how annoying Lightroom’s import characteristic may be, however when you get used to it, your workflow will thanks later.
Neo’s catalog is easy and visible, which I like for smaller initiatives or journey shoots, however it’s not as highly effective for long-term picture administration.
Nonetheless, for informal customers or anybody not married to Lightroom’s database construction, Luminar’s structure feels extra approachable.
Anybody who is aware of find out how to drag and drop recordsdata, or is already used to a Home windows of Mac file explorer, will really feel snug with getting pictures into Luminar.
Last Ideas
If you happen to’re deep within the Adobe ecosystem, Luminar Neo isn’t right here to switch Lightroom fully.
…however it’s a sensible companion, and in some methods, a extra thrilling inventive software.
The shift to AI and generative workflows appears like an actual leap ahead, particularly for photographers who need velocity and experimentation with out sacrificing picture high quality.
One of the best factor is, you don’t want to decide on between the 2 picture modifying purposes.
I recommend that you just use Lightroom for what it’s nice at, and herald Luminar whenever you wish to push the inventive boundaries.
That’s what I’ve been doing, and it’s truthfully the perfect of each worlds.