Skylum has been marketing its new Luminar Neo software for months, and after being promised for release this 'winter', it's finally arrived. But while Luminar Neo is fully functional right now, the full set of features planned by Skylum will have to wait for a future update. This will be free to existing users. Skylum is not as yet offering a firm date when this will happen but has mentioned 'Spring 2022'.
Luminar Neo is being promoted as an all-new product, though anyone who has previously used Luminar AI or Luminar 4 will see a lot that's familiar. The rendering engine is new and faster, however, and there is a whole series of new time-saving AI tools for fast and effective image enhancement.
Luminar Neo AI tools
These include Relight AI, Remove Dust Spots and Remove Power Lines. The Relight AI tool uses depth mapping to allow separate adjustments to brightness and warmth for nearby and distant objects. The Remove Dust Spots and Remove Power Lines tools do exactly what they say, using AI to identify and blot out unwanted objects in the scene.
“There is a fine line between the photo you took and the photo you imagined. Often, small details make the difference. In Luminar Neo, we’ve built an editor to help you create the photo you imagined.”
Ivan Kutanin, Skylum CEO
More tools are in the pipeline for Luminar Neo's future update. They include Mask AI, to control layer transparency in composited images, mask targeting and multiple AI-powered masks for complex editing.
Also planned is a new Portrait Background Removal tool, together with sundry other features and interface enhancements.
Luminar Share
Luminar Share, also available now, is a mobile companion app for Luminar Neo, and a logical next step for software so clearly aimed at content creators. Luminar Share can transfer photos between Luminar Neo and your mobile devices and allows you to see your Luminar Neo edits on your mobile device in real-time – which sounds perfect for quickly sharing edited images on social platforms.
Luminar Neo vs Luminar AI
Skylum sees Luminar Neo as a new product and has not given any indication of when or if Luminar AI will no longer be sold. It's clear, however, that Skylum sees Neo as a newer, faster and more advanced product. It already supports image layers, which Luminar AI did not, and the full set of new AI features, when they arrive, will put Luminar Neo so far ahead that it looks set to be the best option by far for new users.
Skylum Luminar Neo price and availability
You can get Luminar Neo right now. It will cost $79, but Skylum typically offers short-term discounts, bundles, and upgrade offers which may make it cheaper than this.
