Why innovate when one can simply copy others?

This is how the majority of photo software companies think these days. And that’s why a lot of photo editors look the same, offer the same stuff, and brag about the same things.

But features and approaches copied from other software alone will not make photographers’ workflow more enjoyable, robust, and simple. Far from it. But new innovative features and technology will. As much as stealing someone else’s work can make one a great artist, as the famous quote says, innovating that work — finding its flaws and inadequacies then making it better, even adding your own flair — is the key to true masterpieces.

A few weeks ago, we revealed a few key details about the upcoming Luminar Libraries. A big part of our plan is to make all the new features available for free to all Luminar 2018 users, not force you into buying upgrades or extending your subscription. Well, today, I have more exciting news for you.

A New Technology

Over the past 9 months, our talented AI Lab & Development Team have been working hard on a technology so unique and exciting that it has been a challenge to keep under wraps.

Over 70% of Luminar users take mostly outdoor photos, and we like to think that we know a thing or two about what makes a great outdoor image.

We know, for example, how critical is to have a great looking SKY in a photo. We also know that sky enhancements can be tricky and time-consuming, especially if you have different objects and people on the foreground. This means that you often need to use masks, layers, edge selection, and other tools and techniques to make the sky look great in a realistic way.

It’s a complex process that could take quite a while to complete. Very soon, with Luminar that will no longer be the case.

We have built a tool that allows you to make a sky look incredible with a simple swipe of a slider. All the heavy lifting is done by the Artificial Intelligence. We’ve basically trained a neural network to detect the sky and other objects then automatically apply masks touching only the sky itself without altering the edges, making it richer and more vivid yet natural-looking as well.



We call it our AI Sky Enhancer, and it will be available for free to all Luminar 2018 users on November 1, 2018.

Here’s a short video the team made to showcase its capability.







And here are some more examples of AI Sky Enhancer in action. Believe it or not, this was all done with a single slider.





















Why This and Why Now?

I am really excited about this new feature for several reasons.

It brings innovation that will help you, Luminar users, in creating great photos faster than ever.

There’s nothing like the AI Sky Enhancer in any other software so Luminar users get a real and unique value.

This new feature will be available as a free update on November 1, 2018. You don’t have to pay extra. You don’t have to wait long.

We have initially planned to release this feature as a paid upgrade, and we wanted to wait until early next year. But then we thought, “Why should we wait?” After all, Luminar 2018 users deserve to get it earlier, and they deserve it free of charge. Plus, we have other fantastic features for the next year anyway.

I am really glad we’re bringing this unique feature to you in the nearest time. Don’t worry; the Libraries feature is in the works, and it’s right on schedule.

Later this year, you’ll get a massive update that will allow for better photo organization, faster editing of hundreds of your images, and more. The new update with Libraries will also include a number of bug fixes and performance improvements.

For now, please enjoy this great news and amazing feature, from our minds and hearts to yours. Stay tuned for more updates. And thanks for inspiring us to innovate more.