Essential Luminar filters for nature photography

With Luminar, you have the power to rapidly change a flat image to a dynamic image in a single click or few swipes.

This is especially valuable when it comes to nature and outdoor photography. No matter how great your camera is, it is not as perfect as your eyes. So quite often, the Raw file from the camera will not look as vivid and dynamic as the original scene you witnessed with your eyes.

Luminar provides dozens of photography filters that will make your images profound and beautiful. From giving the sky a deep natural blue look to helping the veins of a leaf stand out, here are the 7 essential filters for outdoor photography.

POLARIZING FILTER

On a camera, a polarizing filter can provide more color depth and cut atmospheric haze. In Luminar, this filter produces the same effect, but without the need to use expensive gear.

Use it in nature when you want deeper blue skies, more contrast in the clouds, and to improve the depth of your landscape images. Watch a blue-skied scene go from dreary and drab to deep, blue, and breathtaking.

FOLIAGE ENHANCER

Using smart algorithms, this filter enhances the colors of foliage and greenery automatically — making it the perfect choice for nature photos.

Use it to make lush landscapes come to life. Enhance the vibrant colors of fall leaves and green grass. From the canopies of the forest to the moss-covered rocks below — this filter is your go-to for bringing out all of the vivid colors you see in nature.

DEHAZE

This dehaze filter eliminates the fog and haze with a blend of contrast, clarity and color adjustment. From there, use the amount slider to fine-tune and get the exact image you want.

Use it with those hazy early-morning shots done outdoors or those fog-filled images from a day spent at the beach where a marine layer coats the sky. This filter also works great if you use a consumer level camera in your photos. It will automatically enhance the image and make it look as the one taken with an expensive DSLR.

TOP & BOTTOM LIGHTING

This is a really great filter that allows selective adjustment of lighting for the top and bottom parts of your image. It’s a flexible effect widely used in landscape photography where horizons are distinct. You don't have to use any masking or selection tools to adjust areas of your images separately without losing the precision.

Use this filter to lower the brightness of the sky and raise the brightness of your foreground — like a green lawn or a series of rocks on the beach that appear too dark. Easily improve the look of your image without layers and masking.

GOLDEN HOUR

Golden hour brings that soft, golden glow every photographer wants to get on his/her images. You'll get the warm-toned sunlight feel without actually waiting for the perfect timing.

Add filter to image when you want to add a touch of magic to your images. Give a golden glow to a photo taken on the beach, to a picture shot through the palms, or a field of sunflowers standing tall. 

CLARITY

This filter adjusts the overall image clarity and the number of visible details. It’s a powerful filter that makes your photos pop and has a profound impact on textures in landscapes.

In nature photography, use it when you want to bring forth the textures in blades of grass, grains of sand or the veins in leaves. Watch the details of your image come to the surface, giving your photos the one and only dramatic look.

IMAGE RADIANCE

This filter provides an overall “dreamy” look to your images by adding a glow to the lighter areas. By increasing contrast and saturation, it creates a look of fantasy.

Use it in nature photography to create soft, saturated results. Try it on dew-kissed flowers, morning meadow or on an image of a lake taken at dusk — to make all your photos stunning and dream-like.

COLOR CONTRAST

This filter allows you to choose a color range of which to apply contrast. The color selected causes objects of that color to become lighter, while the opposite colors on the color wheel will become darker.

Use this to give flat images a more dynamic and interesting feel. From the land to the sea or the sky, watch your nature and landscape photos change significantly as you adjust contrast based on the selected color range within it. Make teal waters more teal, green grass more green, and orange skies more orange.

Whether you're taking photos near the ocean, beneath the forest leaves, or on an expansive field of flowers — we hope that Luminar filters encourage you to get out there and get shooting. Tell us more about your favorite Luminar filters and share your photos in our Photo Group.

And if you have any questions or tidbits of inspiration you want to share with the Skylum family — reach out [email protected]. We’re always here for you.