There’s no such thing as File > Open in Luminar, so to get
your images into the app, it’s easiest to add a folder like
Pictures, into which you export images straight from your
camera or from a raw processor, such as Lightroom. There
is also an Edit Single Image option for a file somewhere else
on your storage. Click the Luminar Neo logo in the top left
and you’ll find the familiar menus. From there, Choose File,
and you’ll be able to add a folder or file to the app.
Luminar has always stood apart from other image
editing apps, preferring to spread its icons across its
interface and refusing to pop up a tooltip when you hover
your mouse pointer over an unfamiliar pictogram. This
is changing, however, as not only do tooltips now appear
in Neo when you hover over the Zoom and Restore to
original buttons but most of the icons that once peppered
the interface have been swept away. This is a pre-release
version of the software, however, so they could return.
Luminar is a non-destructive editor (meaning you can
make changes without overwriting the original image), so
you must export a new version of your edited image rather
than saving it. This is found in the File menu, where you can
also access the new Luminar Share functionality, which
syncs your images to a smartphone app.FILE HANDLING
mist, haze, and a layered fog that keeps more of the background
visible. Perhaps it will be useful for capturing some cozy fall
ambiance in your images, but it’s also good for covering up bits
that don’t quite mesh together.5
CROP
There’s hardly any image that can’t be improved with a
judicious crop, and so Luminar has improved its cropping
tool to help you out. Use the Crop AI button and not only will it
suggest a crop, but it will also rotate the image slightly to straighten
a wonky horizon and crop into all kinds of aspect ratios [Image D],
including those for Facebook cover photos and wall posts. There
are Instagram-friendly squares too, or you can input your own
values. From here you can also rotate and flip your image.6
ERASE
The Erase tool, which functions in a similar way to
Photoshop’s content-aware fill or healing brush, has
been upgraded to automatically remove dust spots on an imagethat are caused by dirt on a camera’s sensor. It can also
target any power lines in your shots, or you can paint
over any object and have it filled in. We found it was
particularly good at removing trees from the skyline
of the landscape shot [Image E] but less useful in the
contrails in the sky, where it left a smeary line.E© LUMINAR-NEO