Tried the new Luminar 4...

[johngpt]

It doesn't just do sky replacements, although it is pretty good at that for how easy it is using their software. The AI that is in this program is pretty solid. I was as interested in the portrait stuff that it has in it, also some AI in there.

Works for me and a lot easier than using frequency separation in PS. I'm not a high end re-toucher and my clients typically don't need that type of work. But it is nice to get skin smoothing and some blemish removal done with a slider and click of a check box. I know I posted this image here already but I processed basic in LR and then used Luminar 4 to do the skin, eyes, a touch of face, teeth and then converted to B&W.

View attachment 182847

I opened up your image in a separate tab and liked that while there is some skin smoothing, the skin texture is still there. I see pores and little bumps telling me that you and Luminar did a very nice job.

 

[johngpt]

Alexa, please replace the background of this self portrait.
And while you're at it, please find a better looking subject and replace him too...

 

[Ron Evers]

@Ron Evers. I have used the ON1 software for the trial period and I really like it too. It is killer if you tether a lot, but I don't. So I just keep using LR & PS.

Not sure what you mean about the girl not looking realistic.

I find her face is over the top sharp, compared to the rest of the image.

 

[ronlane]

@Ron Evers. I have used the ON1 software for the trial period and I really like it too. It is killer if you tether a lot, but I don't. So I just keep using LR & PS.

Not sure what you mean about the girl not looking realistic.

I find her face is over the top sharp, compared to the rest of the image.

Thanks Ron, but not sure that I can fix that because I didn't do but basic sharpening in LR and it isn't much at all.

 

[Ysarex]

Nice, is this also a 'non destructive' editing process like LR (ie editing information of the raw file in a 'sidecar' file)?

Tentative yes, but BIG BUT not entirely. Luminar 4 throws a monkey wrench into your non destructive workflow if you attempt to use it's erase/cloning function. For example you've got a pesky tree limb hanging in the photo from one side and you'd like to remove it. LR can do that and so can Luminar. However Luminar accomplishes that task with what Skylum refers to as a Stamped Layer. That Stamped Layer is a monkey wrench because it freezes your editing at that point and any tweaks or additional adjustments that you might make on edits previously applied will not upgrade to or through that Stamped Layer. The only solution then would be to remove the Stamped Layer and re-do the work and that's a destructive workflow.

Joe

 

[ronlane]

Joe, You maybe correct if you are using Luminar as a stand alone processor. I use it as a plug-in for LR and when doing this, LR makes a copy of the image to process in Luminar, so it is non-destructive for my workflow. If I don't like it, I can delete the copy and still have the original.

 

[Ysarex]

Joe, You maybe correct if you are using Luminar as a stand alone processor. I use it as a plug-in for LR and when doing this, LR makes a copy of the image to process in Luminar, so it is non-destructive for my workflow. If I don't like it, I can delete the copy and still have the original.

I'm not using the term non-destructive in the sense that the original image is overwritten but rather in the sense that the software is destructive of your editing work. It's a subtle distinction in meaning. Non-destructive editing is both protective of the original image file and also of your editing work. In other words the software shouldn't make you re-do your work if you later decide to change your mind about an edit or want to tweak an edit. Luminar will basically do that: force you to re-do previous work if you add a Stamped Layer and then later decide you want to tweak or add something to your previous editing. That's a destructive workflow and that's bad software design and they should fix that.

Joe

 

[ronlane]

Joe, You maybe correct if you are using Luminar as a stand alone processor. I use it as a plug-in for LR and when doing this, LR makes a copy of the image to process in Luminar, so it is non-destructive for my workflow. If I don't like it, I can delete the copy and still have the original.

I'm not using the term non-destructive in the sense that the original image is overwritten but rather in the sense that the software is destructive of your editing work. It's a subtle distinction in meaning. Non-destructive editing is both protective of the original image file and also of your editing work. In other words the software shouldn't make you re-do your work if you later decide to change your mind about an edit or want to tweak an edit. Luminar will basically do that: force you to re-do previous work if you add a Stamped Layer and then later decide you want to tweak or add something to your previous editing. That's a destructive workflow and that's bad software design and they should fix that.

Joe

I understand, there are times in PS that you have to do a stamped layer as well to get it to do what you need to.

 

[Ysarex]

Joe, You maybe correct if you are using Luminar as a stand alone processor. I use it as a plug-in for LR and when doing this, LR makes a copy of the image to process in Luminar, so it is non-destructive for my workflow. If I don't like it, I can delete the copy and still have the original.

I'm not using the term non-destructive in the sense that the original image is overwritten but rather in the sense that the software is destructive of your editing work. It's a subtle distinction in meaning. Non-destructive editing is both protective of the original image file and also of your editing work. In other words the software shouldn't make you re-do your work if you later decide to change your mind about an edit or want to tweak an edit. Luminar will basically do that: force you to re-do previous work if you add a Stamped Layer and then later decide you want to tweak or add something to your previous editing. That's a destructive workflow and that's bad software design and they should fix that.

Joe

I understand, there are times in PS that you have to do a stamped layer as well to get it to do what you need to.

Absolutely yes there are; any cloning work done in PS is just as workflow destructive as what I discovered here in Luminar. I've moved away from PS over the years and that's one of the reasons. I try to complete all of my editing using a parametric editor and so avoid that problem. Which is why it was a bit of a jolt to download the trial version of Luminar (a parametric editor) and discover it causes the same problem that PS causes with that task. The other parametric editors I'm familiar with avoid that problem.

Joe

 

[jaomul]

I ended up with ACDsee about 2 yrs ago but went back to Lightroom. However ACDsee released there 2019 and I gave it another go. Does an awful lot of what Lightroom does, plus the ultimate version has a sort of ps bolted on

I then bought affinity for half price. I'll likely not renew my Adobe sub when it comes to renewal