/HʋʢɚKʝɦWɛ
Enhance skies
in Luminar
“Luminar’slatestupdateis fullof
tools to make the skies in your
imagesmore interesting”uminar is putting out
updates at a fast rate right
now. The 4.2 release has
addednew AI tools for replacing and
enhancing skies, some additional
portraittools, and there have been
some changes behind the scenes,
improving the way the program
works with multicore processors and
opening up compatibility with
thirdparty plugins such as Topaz,
Aurora HDR and the Nik Collection.
The improved multicore efficiency
means the program will run faster on
higher-end processors, but all CPUs
should see a bit of a boost. It’s the
new sky enhancements that are most
interesting, though, as they allow you
to quickly build up an artwork quite
different to your original image.
A free trial of Luminar can be
obtained from http://skylum.com/
luminar (drop down the Luminar
menu at the top) where you’ll also
finda fullbeginner’s guide.1 Open a picture
Luminar does things differently, there’s no File > Open here.
Use the big ‘+’ button at the top left to either add a folder, which
gives you a filmstrip of images on the left to choose from, or to
edit a single image. These options are also available from the File
menu, but the button is a bit faster. The app is a non-destructive
editor, so your files won’t be overwritten with your edits.2 Skies
Find a picture with a visible horizon, as this will work best.
Use the mode selection buttons at the top right to enter Edit
mode, and choose Creative, the option that looks like an artist’s
palette. In here, you’ll find AI Sky Replacement and AI Augmented
Sky, along with plenty of other things to play with. Click AI Sky
Replacement, and you’ll be able to change the sky in your image.Step-by-step Watch the skies
<ʝʦɠʔʦLȫɏ,ʋɚ(ɃʑQȫʑɚVʋ\ɡ‘+’ B U T TO N
Use either this or the
File menu to open
images for editing
in Luminar.L
Anyonecandoit
Straightforward
Trickyin partsWindows 10
Windows8.1
Windows^7At a glance
Skill level...
Suitable for...
22 |^ |^ May 2020