You’ll find that most photo editing apps have at least a few tips and tricks that aren’t widely known or discussed that will greatly help you in your photo editing workflow.
In this article, we’ll discuss six of them that we hope you’ll be able to use when you edit your photos in Luminar Neo. Let’s get started!
1. Use Sky AI When You Have a Portrait With Negative Space
There are a few tools in Luminar Neo that can be used for completely different purposes than what was originally intended. A great example of this is Sky AI, which you wouldn’t normally think to use on a portrait. But if you have a portrait with a lot of negative space around the subject, like in the below example, it may be worth using Sky AI if you’re looking to apply a sky to a portrait as a special effect.
Simply go to Sky AI in the Edit tab and see if the option to use skies is made available.
In this example, we were able to trick Luminar Neo into thinking that a sky could be replaced.
2. Use Sky AI to Replace Sky With a Non-Sky Background
Another use for Sky AI is to use a non-sky background image. We’ll use the below image as a prime example.
When you’re in the Sky AI tab, just click on the + to add your own sky. And select any image that you want to be the new “sky”.
We added this woman’s face to replace the old sky. Similar techniques can be used if you have to replace a background in a portrait.
3. Add Multiple Streaks of Light Layers for Added Dimensionality
Sometimes an image could use a boost to add the appearance of dimensionality. There’s an easy trick to accomplish this using Layers in Luminar Neo.
Adding multiple layers of Flares and Light Streaks in Luminar Neo can create an effect of added dimensionality to help make flat images more robust.
We cover how to add Light Streaks in our photo compositing tutorial if you want to learn more.
4. Use the Same Tool to Multiply the Effect
Luminar Neo provides greater flexibility and experimentation when using its editing tools. You are not constrained by a tool’s maximum capacity or pre-determined settings. By simply closing and reopening a tool’s window, you can start anew and achieve your desired outcome.
For example, here’s an image where we applied Enhance AI at maximum.
With Enhance AI applied three times:
If some of the effects are too strong, you could open up the individual edits under the Edits tab and apply masking.
5. Save the File and Import Back Into Luminar Neo to Speed Up the Processing Time
If you have a lot of editing to do on a file in Luminar Neo, you can save the image and import it back into the app to continue working on it. This is the equivalent of flattening all the layers in Photoshop. It may not always be necessary, but if you have an older computer this trick may come in handy.
You can see there are a few layers and one dozen edits made on this image.
To save the image, click at the top to the export icon (the square with the arrow).
Select Share to Folder and choose where you’d like to save the file and then click Export.
Then simply open the file back up in Luminar Neo by going to Add Photos in the Catalog tab. Then choose Add Image.
Locate the image and click on it. Then click Open.
With the image imported back into Luminar Neo, click the Edit Tab and Edits.
You’ll be able to confirm that you have the same image, but there are no edits and layers to bog down your computer’s resources. You can carry on with editing with a primed Luminar Neo.
6. Save Your Heavily-Edited Luminar Neo Files as a Preset in Case of a Crash
Saving your work is simply smart, no matter what application you’re using. The same applies to editing with Luminar Neo. Fortunately, there’s an option to create a preset in Luminar Neo to save all your work in case of the app or your computer crashes.
There are actually two ways to go about this. You could follow the steps mentioned previously and save the file. Or, simply go to Actions at the bottom of the screen and choose Save as Preset.
Then, all you have to do is name the preset and press Enter.
Then you’ll find your preset under My Presets in case you have to use it.
Learn a Few Tips and Tricks to Help Improve Your Workflow in Luminar Neo
We hope that the tips and tricks we’ve shared with you in Luminar Neo will prove to be valuable tools in your photo editing journey. By mastering these techniques, you’ll be able to create stunning images that capture your unique vision and creativity. Try them out on your own photos and see if they can become a part of your workflow.