Masking lets you control where your edits are applied, so you can adjust specific parts of your photo without affecting the whole image.
1. Open your photo
Upload your image in Luminar Neo. Go to the Edit tab → open any tool you want to use.
2. Select a mask
Open the Masking tab and choose a method:
• Brush — paint areas manually
• Gradient — create smooth transitions
• Mask AI / Object Select AI — select objects automatically
3. Apply your adjustment
Make the changes you need—exposure, color, or detail—before refining them with masking.
4. Refine and finish
Soften edges with Mask Feather and adjust opacity for seamless, natural-looking results. Refine your edit or combine masks for full control over your final image.
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Unlock the power of Luminar Neo
Works as
MacOS
&
Windows
app and Photoshop, Lightroom, Photos plugin
Mask AI gives you precise control over specific areas in your image, helping you speed up editing and achieve cleaner, more professional results across different workflows.
Portrait retouching
Work directly on skin, hair, or background without affecting the rest of the image. Smooth skin, adjust tones, or refine lighting while keeping everything natural and detailed — no harsh edges or overprocessed look.
Quickly isolate your subject to enhance lighting, improve colors, or sharpen details. Keep the background clean while making your product stand out — ideal for e-commerce, ads, and catalog images.
Edit skies, interiors, or specific zones of a property with precision. Brighten rooms, enhance outdoor areas, or fix exposure issues without impacting the entire image.
Create eye-catching visuals faster by isolating subjects and applying targeted effects. Add depth, boost contrast, or experiment with creative edits that help your content stand out in the feed.
Separate subjects from the background in seconds to swap scenes, improve compositions, or build more polished visuals. Perfect for creative projects, marketing assets, and visual storytelling.
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Order Summary
Perpetual Desktop License
$119.00
$417.00
Desktop for Windows/MacOS and full access to all generative tools for one year.
100 Creative Add-ons
Luminar Neo Video Course
Auto-upgrades
renewal in 1 year for $49.00
$0.00
$49.00
Get every new paid feature automatically.
Enjoy full access to all generative tools.
Free for 1 year. Charges apply after.
Total due now:
$119.00
Lock Savings. Upgrade 20% Off
Auto-upgrades
renewal in 1 year for $49.00
$0.00
$49.00
Get every new paid feature automatically.
Enjoy full access to all generative tools.
Free for 1 year. Charges apply after.
Order Summary
Cross-device Perpetual License
$159.00
$477.00
Desktop for Windows/MacOS and full access to all generative tools for one year.
Mobile App for iOS/Android/ChromeOS
100 Creative Add-ons
Luminar Neo Video Course
Auto-upgrades
renewal in 1 year for $69.00
$0.00
$69.00
Get every new paid feature automatically.
Enjoy full access to all generative tools.
Free for 1 year. Charges apply after.
Total due now:
$159.00
Lock Savings. Upgrade 20% Off
Auto-upgrades
renewal in 1 year for $69.00
$0.00
$69.00
Get every new paid feature automatically.
Enjoy full access to all generative tools.
Free for 1 year. Charges apply after.
Order Summary
Perpetual Max License
$179.00
$546.00
Desktop for Windows/MacOS and full access to all generative tools for one year.
Mobile App for iOS/Android/ChromeOS
100 Creative Add-ons
Luminar Neo Video Course
Auto-upgrades
renewal in 1 year for $89.00
$0.00
$89.00
Get every new paid feature automatically.
Enjoy full access to all generative tools.
Free for 1 year. Charges apply after.
Total due now:
$179.00
Lock Savings. Upgrade 20% Off
Auto-upgrades
renewal in 1 year for $89.00
$0.00
$89.00
Get every new paid feature automatically.
Enjoy full access to all generative tools.
Free for 1 year. Charges apply after.
100 Creative Add-ons
Prism Light Overlays
Overlays Pack by Team Skylum
Experimental Overlays
Overlays Pack by Team Skylum
Land of the Rising Sun
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Camping Trip
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Is It Earth
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Discover Latin America
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Discover Africa
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
American Dream
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Middle Eastern Folk Tales
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Wonderful Scandinavia
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
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Prism Light Overlays
Overlays Pack by Team Skylum
Create atmospheric images with these 10 Overlays in JPEG format that contain shimmering lights and flares in various colors. Make sure to use them with Luminar Neo’s Layers and/or the Portrait Background Removal tool, and experiment with your photos in any genre. You can add an interesting light effect or make the subject stand out in new ways, all in just a few clicks. Time to try it out!
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Experimental Overlays
Overlays Pack by Team Skylum
Feel like adding a touch of something extra to your photos? Discover these 10 Experimental Overlays in JPEG format that you can easily use with Luminar Neo’s Layers feature to transform any photo into a shot that catches the eye. Choose from 10 mesmerizing effects of different colors and shapes, and create a unique mood in a few clicks. From pink hues to golden circles, you’ll certainly find an Overlay perfect for your next masterpiece.
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Land of the Rising Sun
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Enhance photos that you captured during a trip to Japan, or the ones that you want to have an atmospheric feeling reminiscent of the Japanese style. From landscapes, to iconic sights, to photos of food — this pack is incredibly versatile!
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Camping Trip
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Designed to give your camping and hiking photos their best look, these 10 Presets are here to give your outdoor photos a natural, vibrant look. Whether you’re capturing shots of majestic mountains or cozy campfires, bring out the best in your images in one click.
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Is It Earth
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Is it still Earth, or are we on an alien planet? This collection of 10 extraordinary Presets is designed to give your landscape photos an ethereal, otherworldly feel. Transform ordinary landscapes into surrealistic scenes with vivid colors that will immediately draw the viewer’s eye.
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Discover Latin America
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Experience the cinematic feel each of these 10 Presets adds to your photos as you journey through the countries of Latin America. Embrace the beauty and add some flair to your shots with this travel-friendly collection designed for landscapes.
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Discover Africa
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Dedicated to the wonderful continent of Africa, this pack combines a variety of Presets, both for portrait and landscape shots. Enhance landmarks, safari shots, architecture photos, and portraits of people that you meet on your travels around Africa.
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American Dream
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Create fantastic photos during your travels across the USA. Enhance images of landmarks, national parks, and general cityscapes of famous cities. Achieve various stunning effects with a few clicks of these 10 wonderful Presets.
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Middle Eastern Folk Tales
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
This alluring collection of 10 Presets is designed to bring out the mysterious beauty of Middle Eastern scenery, architecture, street style, and nature. Warm-toned, deep yellow, or blue and golden — you will certainly find a Preset perfect for your photo.
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Wonderful Scandinavia
Presets Pack by Team Skylum
Discover this wonderful collection of 10 versatile Presets that are perfect for your travel photos from Nordic countries. Capture idyllic landscapes, natural wonders, and cozy architectural shots that breathe with the Scandinavian mood. Time to pack your travel bag!
Luminar Neo Video Course
About Course
What you'll learn?
Watch the process
Get photos like these
Creator
Creative Photo Editing Techniques in Luminar Neo
by Albert Dros
10 tutorial videos
12 hand-picked Presets included
Creative editing tutorial included
Join Dutch landscape photographer Albert Dros in this course as he shares his extraordinary passion for planning and creating unique shots. In these ten videos, you'll gain insights into what makes or breaks a photo. Albert provides step-by-step guidance on editing techniques that will elevate your photography skills. Plus, as a special bonus, you’ll receive a free pack of 12 hand-picked presets by Albert Dros to help you create mesmerizing images. Unlock the secrets to breathtaking landscape photography and transform your shots into stunning masterpieces with Albert’s expert instruction.
Introduction & Course Outline
Albert Dros introduces himself and gives a quick overview of what you will learn in this photography and...
Introduction to Photography
What should you focus on when taking your photos to get the best results?
Basic Editing
Albert introduces the layout of Luminar Neo and the basic instruments you can use to achieve great results instantly.
Advanced Editing
Going in depth, Albert shows you the more advanced tools in Luminar Neo and how to use them to make your photos stand out.
Dramatic Editing
Get creative with your photos! Albert edits a photo with more creative tools to bring forward its dramatic aspects and breathe new life into it.
Focus Stacking
Luminar Neo has Extensions that let you get even more impressive results. In this video, you will learn how to do focus stacking with Luminar Neo’s Focus Stacking Extension.
Cityscapes
What makes or breaks a cityscape shot? Take a look at how to transform a photo from Dubai from ordinary to impressive.
Forests
Find out what Luminar Neo tools Albert uses to make his impressive signature forest photos. Look out for Atmosphere AI, Sunrays, and other tools!
Presets
Learn to use Presets to quickly get interesting color solutions in your photos. Albert guides you through using Presets to make even more beautiful forest shots.
Course Summary
Get a quick summary of everything you have learned in this course. Happy creating!
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Albert Dros
PHOTOGRAPHER, WRITER AND EDUCATOR
Albert Dros is a Dutch landscape photographer who has an extraordinary passion to plan and create unique shots. Volcanoes, solar eclipses and unique aspects of nature draw his attention. He doesn’t just go for the simple shot.
"Go big or go home" is his motto, always trying to add some unique element to his shots.
His work has been recognized on a worldwide scale and he has been published worldwide in the biggest media outlets.
Albert travels a lot as a photo educator but also for personal projects. But even in The Netherlands, he can’t stop photographing. His inspiration never stops.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is photo masking?
Photo masking lets you control which parts of an image are affected by an edit. You can apply adjustments only where needed while keeping the rest of the photo untouched.
What is Mask AI?
Mask AI is an advanced image masker that automates the masking process by detecting different elements in your photo. With one click, you can select objects like people, sky, or background and apply edits instantly. You can also refine masks using actions like invert, fill, or clear.
Why isn’t Select or Mask working?
Traditional tools usually detect only people. Luminar Neo can automatically recognize up to nine object types. If masks don’t appear, the AI may not detect clear elements in your image — try a different photo or adjust the composition.
Can I copy a mask to another layer?
Yes. When you duplicate a layer, its mask is copied automatically.
What types of masks are available?
Luminar Neo supports multiple masking options, including Brush, Gradients, Color, Luminosity, and AI-based tools. Mask AI can detect up to nine elements: people, sky, buildings, vehicles, water, plants, mountains, and ground.
You can also refine your masks using Mask Feather, which softens edges and creates smoother transitions. This is especially useful for portrait edits, helping adjustments blend naturally without harsh or cut-out edges.
Can I customize a masked image?
Absolutely. You can refine your AI image mask with brushes, gradients, and opacity settings, or combine multiple masks for more precise and creative results.
What is masking in photo editing?
Masking is the process of hiding or revealing parts of an image to apply edits selectively. It’s essential for precise adjustments without affecting the entire photo.
Can I mask multiple objects in one image?
Yes. Mask AI allows you to select and edit multiple objects within the same photo, making it easier to work with complex scenes.
Why choose Luminar Neo for AI masking?
Luminar Neo combines powerful AI masking with full control over your edits. You get fast results without losing precision, whether you're working on quick fixes or detailed adjustments.
Who is AI masking for?
It’s designed for photographers, content creators, and businesses — from portraits and landscapes to product and commercial photography.
Why do photographers trust Luminar Neo?
Luminar Neo delivers high-quality results with an intuitive workflow. It combines professional tools with AI features that simplify complex edits while maintaining full creative control.
Unleash your creativity with signature AI tools.
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SkyAI
Replace or enhance the sky in your photos in seconds while keeping lighting and reflections realistic.
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BokehAI
Add natural background blur after the shot to create depth and make your subject stand out.
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Light Depth
Adjust lighting in your image and control exposure across foreground and background independently.
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Erase
Remove unwanted objects, distractions, or imperfections seamlessly with AI-powered cleanup.
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SkinAI
Smooth skin, remove imperfections, and keep natural texture for clean, realistic portraits.
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EnhanceAI
Automatically improve color, contrast, and detail with one slider for a balanced, polished look.
App Requirements
macOS
Mac Model
MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac Pro, Mac mini, early 2010 or newer
Processor
CPU Intel® Core™ i5 8 Gen or better
OS version
macOS 12.0 or higher.
RAM
Memory 8 GB RAM or more (16+ GB RAM is recommended)
Disk space
Hard disk 10 GB free space; SSD for best performance
Display
1280x768 size or better
Windows
Hardware
Windows-based hardware PC with mouse or similar input device
Processor
CPU Intel® Core™ i5 8 Gen or better, AMD Ryzen™ 5 or better
OS version
10 version 1909 or higher (only 64-bit OS)
RAM
Memory 8 GB RAM or more (16+ GB RAM is recommended)
Disk space
Hard disk 10 GB free space; SSD for best performance
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