Frequently Asked Questions

At Skylum, we are committed to developing Luminar Neo as a one-stop platform for creative photo editing. Extensions are a natural result of our company’s vision for this product. 

In 2022 we released seven Extensions for Luminar Neo:

• HDR Merge has been available since July
• Noiseless AI was released in August.
  
• Upscale AI, AI Background Removal, Supersharp AI, Focus Stacking Extensions were delivered in November 2022

• Magic Light AI was released in December.
  

We are honoring our commitments to current Luminar Neo subscribers. 

All artists who purchased a Luminar Neo subscription before August 16, 2022, will receive access to all Extensions released during their subscription period for free.

1. Accent 2.0.  Enhance your photos in seconds with the power of Artificial Intelligence and let Luminar Flex do all the heavy lifting. Accent 2.0 is human aware and the perfect adjustment for EVERY photo.

2. Filters catalog. With this new update, whenever you open your Luminar Flex plugin, the Filters catalog will be open by default.  It’s perfect to find your favorite filters, fast.  It’s also searchable by keywords and tasks, automatically learns from you with the Recent feature, and you can even mark your favorites!

3. Improved Looks. Looks are one of the best things about Luminar Flex. Install them right from the plugin or extension and transform your images into works of art in minutes. You can check them out in the Looks browser, and you can download even more Look packs from our marketplace.

4. Install custom workspaces. Now you have the option of using your own workspaces in the plugin or extension. Simply go to File > Show Workspaces Folder… and add your custom workspaces to this folder. Make Luminar Flex even more comfortable.

5. Performance updates. We love our users and try to fulfill your requests in the best way possible. We’re constantly working to improve the overall performance of Luminar Flex with every update. Enjoy the best version of Luminar Flex ever.

Luminar 3 provides both pro photographers and casual shooters a way to organize their images inside of Luminar itself. Libraries, which load with lightning speed, allow Luminar users to manage their database of photos efficiently, find specific images faster than before, or simply view their photos easier. It lets users color label, tag, and rate their shots, and automatically organizes those shots by date, month, and year.

The download process starts in your Skylum account. 

Please note that your Extensions purchase is automatically linked to your billing email, so make sure to log in to a Skylum account associated with that email.

1. Go to the Skylum account login page here.
2. Sign in with your Google, Facebook, Microsoft, or Apple account, or sign in with your email and password.
3. If you purchased your Extensions using an email address not tied to it, you can merge your accounts in the My Products > App isn’t showing? section of your Skylum account.
4. In your account, you will see a My Software tab with all of your Skylum programs and extensions.
5. Navigate to the Extensions menu under Luminar Neo and сlick on the Run in Luminar Neo button.
6. Update to the latest Luminar Neo version or click I already have the latest version to proceed. 

7. You’ll get redirected to Luminar Neo’s in-app Extension store. Click Install under the Extension to start the installation process. 

At Skylum, we take user input and testing seriously. During beta testing, we discovered that the experience with some of the options in Supersharp AI was not up to our standards.

Therefore, we decided to put these options through additional refinement procedures so that you get the best tool in the end. The improvements will be available for all Extension owners for free in future updates.

MAC VERSION:

Change the language. Now you can set the language in Luminar regardless of your system settings. Simply go to Main menu > Language and choose one from the list.

Easier navigation. Want to quickly find the folder that contains a specific photo but have too many folders to go through? Now all you have to do is right-click on the photo and select Go to > Folder in Library and you’re there!

Improved launch time. Now, starting from the second launch, the average launch time for Luminar is significantly faster. Even if you have hundreds of thousands of photos in your Library.

Faster album creation. In this update, we’ve boosted the speed of Luminar when creating new albums with large numbers of photos.

WIN VERSION:

Easier navigation. Want to quickly find the folder that contains a specific photo but have too many folders to go through? Now all you have to do is right-click on the photo and select Go to > Folder in Library and you’re there! You can even find all photos from the same date by right-clicking and selecting Go to > Images from the same date.

Improved launch time. Now, starting from the second launch, the average launch time for Luminar is significantly faster. Even if you have hundreds of thousands of photos in your Library.

Masking Brush. With this update, the masking brush becomes even smoother and more pleasant to use – and almost 2.5 times faster!

MAC VERSION:

New Features

ACCENT AI 2.0. An improved algorithm that makes this a go-to filer. New “human-aware” technology recognizes people in your photos and applies adjustments selectively for more realistic images.

RAW + JPEG PAIRS. When you import Raw and JPEG pairs, you can decide which files to see. View just Raw or JPEG for a less cluttered library, or see both and use the JPEG file as a reference as you edit. Edits to each file are independent but can be easily synced. Use the View menu to control which images are shown for a clutter-free library.

SELECTIVE SYNC FOR SYNC ADJUSTMENTS. Once you’ve created the perfect style, apply it to all shots in your series with the improved Adjustment Sync. You can now select multiple photos and apply the same adjustments in just one click. Filters and Looks are transferred instantly, while image-specific changes like cloning and cropping are ignored.

BETTER SORTING. When you choose to sort your images using another method (such as File Type or Color Label) they are also sorted by Capture Day.

Performance Improvements

Get additional speed and performance from the Luminar update.

STABILITY. Thanks to our users for reporting different issues. This version of Luminar offers general stability improvements.

PROGRESS BAR. Keep better track of what’s happening when working with Luminar. You’ll see a progress bar when using tools like Erase or when running Luminar as a third-party filter.

WINDOWS VERSION:

New Features

ACCENT AI 2.0. An improved algorithm that makes this a go-to filer. New "human-aware" technology recognizes people in your photos and applies adjustments selectively for more realistic images.

RAW + JPEG PAIRS. When you import Raw and JPEG pairs, you can decide which files to see.  View just Raw or JPEG for a less cluttered library, or see both and use the JPEG file as a reference as you edit. Edits to each file are independent but can be easily synced.  Use the View menu to control which images are shown for a clutter-free library.

IMPORT IMAGES. You can now import images from a memory card or hard drive and copy them to a folder. You can also choose to include subfolders when importing

SELECTIVE SYNC FOR SYNC ADJUSTMENTS. Once you've created the perfect style, apply it to all shots in your series with the improved Adjustment Sync.  You can now select multiple photos and apply the same adjustments in just one click.  Filters and Looks are transferred instantly, while image-specific changes like cloning and cropping are ignored.

SMUGMUG SHARING. The ability to post images to SmugMug has now been added to Luminar for Windows.

SHORTCUTS. Folders and user albums can be added to the Shortcuts list.  Just right-click for a context menu or drag & drop them into the list.

IMPROVED SELECTIONS. Want to choose a range of photos in the Gallery view?  Try the Shift or Ctrl key to select a range or group of images.  You can also deselect images from a multiselection by Ctrl+clicking on an image.

BETTER SORTING. When you choose to sort your images using another method (such as File Type or Color Label) they are also sorted by Capture Day.

ROTATE IN GALLERY. Images selected in the gallery can be quickly rotated left or right by 90ÌŠ increments with no need to switch to edit view.  Just use the Image > Rotate menu or just right-click.

PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS SUPPORT. We've added Photoshop Elements support to the Windows platform.  Just choose the Install Plugins command if you want to load Luminar as a plugin.  For future versions of Luminar, plugin users should switch to Luminar Flex.

Performance Improvements

Get additional speed and performance from the Luminar update.

IMPROVED HISTORY. Undo a Sync/Copy/Paste adjustments with one step in the History list.

HIDDEN FILES. Luminar does a better job of filtering hidden folders and photo.  Additionally, unwanted items like Backups, History, Previews, and Caches won't be shown when opening Luminar Catalogs.

STABILITY. Thanks to our users for reporting different issues. This version of Luminar offers general stability improvements.

HDR Merge is a custom-built technology in Luminar Neo for merging up to 10 exposure-bracketed images into a single HDR photo.

It is available as an extension and will appear as a separate module inside Luminar Neo.

HDR Merge delivers a spectacular level of color enhancement, making the final result look as close as possible to what the human eye can see. 

If merging multiple images, you’ll also benefit from auto-alignment and ghost reduction features. They come in handy when one or more shots are misaligned or when there are moving objects in the frame. 

You can also start with just one photo, and the built-in AI will increase its dynamic range by analyzing and adjusting multiple parameters, such as tone, contrast, and details.

You’ll receive HDR Merge for free if you meet one of the following criteria: 

• you’re a Skylum customer with a Luminar Neo subscription;

• you’re an owner of both Luminar Neo and Aurora HDR (2019 and up).

Aurora HDR (2019 and up) users who don’t own Luminar Neo have an opportunity to subscribe to Luminar Neo with a loyalty discount and receive HDR Merge and other Extensions that will come out during their subscription period for free. 

You can download the extension from your Skylum account.

Important note: HDR Merge works ONLY as a part of Luminar Neo.

Yes, it is. 

The Luminar Flex plugin helps photographers and designers of all skill levels create better looking images in far less time. Thanks to its unique artificial intelligence and image aware filters, great images are easier than ever.

The Luminar Flex plugin allows you to take advantage of our powerful photo enhancement and styling filters while still being able to use your existing photo software.

We know that there are plenty of Adobe and Apple users who want to use Luminar in their workflow. So we’ve come up with a solution that will provide the easiest way of using Luminar as a plugin to the most popular apps.

The Luminar Flex plugin will be delivered free of charge to all current owners of Luminar 3/Luminar 2018.

You’ll be able to download your free copy of Luminar Flex from your Skylum Account when it ships. 

Note: After the official Luminar Flex plugin release (April 5), new users will be able to choose the best option for their workflow:

• Buy Luminar 3 with Libraries.
• Buy Luminar Flex and embed it into the host application of their choice.

Noiseless AI is an AI-based pro-level Extension for Luminar Neo that reduces noise in your images. It works with raw and non-raw image formats, but the best results can be achieved with raw photos.

Thanks to Noiseless AI, you no longer have to compromise on ISO when capturing photos. Based on deep photo analysis, Noiseless AI determines an image’s noise level and suggests one of three noise reduction presets – low, middle, or high. Now there’s no need for meticulous close-ups to evenly mask a noisy area, as one click gets rid of noise throughout the photo. 

Additionally, you can change noise reduction levels manually with three sliders at your disposal: Luminosity, Color, and Details.

The algorithms built into Noiseless AI open the door to higher-quality results while leaving you in full control.

The Luminar Flex plugin will be delivered free of charge to all current owners of Luminar 3/Luminar 2018.

After the official Luminar Flex plugin release (April 5), new users will be able to choose the best option for their workflow:

• Buy Luminar 3 with Libraries.
• Buy Luminar Flex and embed it into the host application of their choice.

The goal of the Luminar Flex plugin is to help those who want easy integration with their current photo editing software. Here are the key benefits of Luminar Flex:

• An easier installer for plugins.
• An updated install path for improved compatibility with Adobe software.
• Support for Photoshop Elements on Windows.
• Support for re-editing smart objects and picking up where you left off.
• Support for Photoshop Actions.
• A faster workflow, optimized for plugin users.
• New Luminar looks 
• New workspaces for designed for task-based workflows

In 2022, Luminar Neo has reached its full potential and become a platform. Therefore, we’re not releasing a new version but will keep bringing improvements to the existing product. 

If you have already purchased a lifetime license for Luminar Neo and want to get a subscription now, we offer the biggest discount for you. 

You will get immediate access to all updates or new Luminar app versions during your subscription period. With the Pro plan, you will also gain access to all currently available Extensions as well as Extensions released during your subscription period. 

You can redeem your subscription discount here.

When you switch to the subscription plan,  you can continue using your current installation and access the Extensions menu inside the app.

Just make sure to keep your software up-to-date by clicking Luminar Neo > Help > Check for updates (on Windows) or Luminar Neo > Check for updates (on Mac).

The transition process is seamless and helps you retain all the previously made editing progress.

Yes, you’ll simply need to use the same email with your activation code.

On Windows:

Right-click the Luminar  icon > Run As Administrator.

Click File > Install Plugins.

Click Install next to the host app of your choice.

If there's a message “You have to install this software first”, click Browse and navigate to where the .exe file of your host application is. After you’ve shown Luminar where the host app is, you will be able to install the plugin for the host.

On Mac:

Start Luminar.

Click Luminar in the upper left of your screen > Install Plugins.

Click Install next to the host application of your choice.

Adding folders leaves your photos exactly where they are on your hard drives. Adding a folder of images to your library allows you to quickly access, organize, and work with photos located on your hard drive, on external hard drives, and even synced cloud storage.  When you add a folder, none of your photos are moved. Luminar scans the folder and any subfolders and creates a thumbnail and link to the images inside. If there are folders inside the folder being added, Luminar will keep the folder structure.   Folders tie directly to folders on your hard drive. Luminar works with the real-world folder structure of your hard drive(s).

Import images (Mac only) moves or copies your images to a new location.

HDR Merge is an extension built into Luminar Neo, so it uses Luminar Neo’s catalog and export window.  Therefore, it cannot batch-process photos on its own. 

However, you can easily sync adjustments applied to the already created HDR photos:

1. Apply the necessary edits to one of the images.
2. Right-click it and select Adjustments>Copy Adjustments.
3. While holding CTRL (on Windows)/CMD (on macOS) key on your keyboard, multi-select the images which you would like to edit in the same way.
4. Right-click one of the selected images and choose Adjustments > Sync/Paste Adjustments.
5. Finish by using the Export command to batch export multiple photos

Luminar 3 is meant to be used as a standalone application. It offers three different editing workflows:

• Library – Add folders that you want to track to your library for organizing and editing.  Easily sync adjustments between multiple images.
• Quick Edit – The Quick Edit command is perfect to open individual images or a group of images for editing.  You can work with these images without adding the parent folder to your library.
• Batch Processing – You can target multiple images or folders for quick batch processing.  Easily apply smart Luminar Looks based on Accent AI for automatic image enhancement

If you ever want to use Luminar as a plugin, we recommend installing the Luminar Flex plugin. Luminar Flex is designed to work as a plugin with applications like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom Classic, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Apple Aperture and Photos for macOS.

You’ll see no major functionality differences between Luminar 3 and the Luminar Flex plugin when it comes to editing images.  We do recommend adding the Luminar Flex workflow if you like to use Luminar as a plugin or extension.

• More host application support.
• A cleaner user interface without the Info and Library tabs.
• Performance optimized software that’s specifically made to run as a plugin or extension.
• Multiple benefits for Photoshop users with improved support for Photoshop Smart Objects and Actions.

We encourage you to use Luminar Flex for workflows that requires a plugin. 

However, you can still use Luminar 3 as a plugin as well.

Note: Any Luminar Looks you make in Luminar 3 or Luminar 2018  are compatible with Luminar Plugin.  You can install custom Looks packs, or manually copy items between the Luminar Looks folder.  

To manage Looks for plugins, use the launch the Luminar Flex application. This application is only provided to help you manage Looks and Workpsaces and is not support for use as a standalone image editor.

Note: At this time, Luminar 3 with Libraries offer a plugin options for popular photography software.  With the next major version of Luminar, you’ll find plugins available only with the Luminar Flex plugin. The plugins workflow will be removed from Luminar with Libraries.

We’re fully committed to our desktop editing and organizing platform in Luminar 3.  But we’ve heard from many current customers and several others that they want just our editing tools for enhancing their images when working in other apps.  

Our goal is to develop Luminar as a comprehensive platform which will become your go-to photography tool. We feel that Luminar is for every photographer.  We’ve even heard that many graphic and web designers find the creative filters in Luminar Flex help them create better photos too!

Remember: If you have purchased Luminar 2018 or Luminar 3 before April 5, you get a free version of Luminar Flex in your Skylum Account when it ships 

Take advantage of these new features.

ON WINDOWS:

SUBFOLDER MANAGEMENT. Subfolders make it easy to further organize your image library. These are folders nested inside other folders in your catalog and directly tie back to real folders on your hard drive.

- Subfolder creation. You can create a new by right-clicking on an existing folder in your Library.

- Subfolder deletion. It is possible to delete a subfolder as well by right-clicking on it in your library.

LOCATE FOLDER. Have you moved or copied media to a new location? You can right-click on an offline folder and choose Locate Folder to select and reconnect files.

ADDING FOLDER IMPROVEMENTS. Change your mind when adding a folder? Just click Cancel to stop the current task.

OFFLINE FILE ALERTS. See a visual alert indicating unavailable files and folders.

IMPROVED NAVIGATION. Quickly switch between Gallery and Single Image view with dedicated toolbar buttons.

SHORTCUT KEYS. Take advantage of new keyboard shortcuts for View, Looks Navigation, Masks, Tools, and Edit.

NEW LANGUAGES SUPPORTED. Use Luminar 3 in more languages with new localizations:

- Chinese Simplified

- Chinese Traditional

- Korean

- Portuguese

- Russian

- Italian

Performance Improvements

Get additional speed and performance from the Luminar 3 update.

FASTER ADDING. You’ll see much faster load times when adding new photos and folders to the Catalog.

FASTER LAUNCHING. When you return to Luminar 3, launch times are improved when reloading your Catalog.

STABILITY. Thanks to our users for reporting different issues. This version of Luminar offers general stability improvements.

ON MAC:

DATABASE MANAGEMENT. Your Luminar 3 image catalog database is automatically backed up to preserve your edits and metadata. You can control the frequency of backups with the new Preference Panel.

PREFERENCE PANEL. Take control of your preferences settings by choosing Luminar 3 > Preferences. You can specify options for Cache, Catalog, and Automatic Backup.

IMPROVED HANDOFFS. If you’re working with raw file or 16-bit image and use the File > Open In command, a high-quality 16-bit files is exported.

AURORA HDR INTEGRATION. Easily hand off bracketed photos to merge in Aurora HDR. Just select multiple photos in your library and choose File > Open In > Aurora HDR. Please note that when sending images, your original, unmodified photos are used.  When finished in Aurora HDR, be sure to save a TIFF or JPEG file back to the original folder to add it to your Luminar library.

LOCATE FOLDER. Have you moved or copied media to a new location? You can right-click on an offline folder and choose Locate Folder to select and reconnect files.

ADDING FOLDER IMPROVEMENTS. Change your mind when adding a folder? Just click Cancel to stop the current task.

IMPROVED NAVIGATION. Quickly switch between Gallery and Single Image view with dedicated toolbar buttons.

NEW LANGUAGES SUPPORTED. Use Luminar 3 in more languages with new localizations:

- Chinese Simplified

- Chinese Traditional

- Korean

- Portuguese

- Russian

- Italian

SAFER IMPORTS & COPIES. Luminar 3 will alert you if you try to import or copy more files to a new destination when there’s not enough hard drive space.

IMPROVED EXPORTS. If you try to export images that already exist in a location you’ll be prompted to control if the files are overwritten or renamed.

Performance Improvements

Get additional speed and performance from the Luminar update.

IMPROVED MOVING. When files are moved between an external and internal drive, the images are not duplicated multiple times in your library.

IMPROVED FOLDER MANAGEMENT. Are you done with a folder? You can now remove the parent (root folders) from your library and delete it from your hard drive too.

IMPROVED sRGB EXPORTS. Some cameras showed color shifts when exporting with the sRGB profile. This has been addressed.

IMPROVED LUMINAR 2018 PROJECT FILES. Opening native Luminar files (.lmnr files) created on Windows platform is improved.

STABILITY. Thanks to our users for reporting different issues. This version of Luminar offers general stability improvements.

New Cameras Added

The following new cameras are supported by this recent update:

NIKON

• Nikon D3500
• Nikon P1000
• Nikon Z6
• Nikon Z7

PANASONIC

• Panasonic Lumix DC-LX100 II

FUJIFILM

• Fujifilm GFX 50R
• Fujifilm X-T3

SONY

• Sony RX100VA
• Sony RX100VI
• Sony DSC-HX99
• Sony DSC-HX95

LEICA

• Leica M10-D
• Leica M10-P
• Leica D-Lux 7

If you’ve purchased Photoshop Elements from the Mac App store, it does not support the use of third-party plugins.  Please contact Adobe and request to convert to the version of Photoshop Elements that they sell directly.

Click here to see specific movies for your host application of choice:

• Luminar Flex for Adobe Photoshop – Windows
• Luminar Flex for Adobe Photoshop – macOS
• Luminar Flex for Adobe Lightroom Classic – Windows
• Luminar Flex for Adobe Lightroom Classic – macOS
• Luminar Flex for Adobe Photoshop Elements – Windows
• Luminar Flex for Adobe Photoshop Elements– macOS
• Luminar Flex for Photos for macOS

Luminar currently supports English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Korean, Russian and Japanese.

We're constantly working on adding support for more languages. If yours isn't on the list yet, check back later!

MAC VERSION:

“On this day” feature. Photographs are all about memories. With the latest update, we let you see what pictures you took on this day in past years. To walk down memory lane with Luminar, simply click “On this day” in the Shortcuts panel. Please note that the "On This Day" feature will only show up if you have photos in your Library taken on the current month and day in previous years.

Improved Import from flash card. Luminar 3 now brings you the fastest importing from your flash card ever. Less time waiting and more time for creativity!

Support for Nik Collection plugins. Now you can easily add plugins from the Nik Collection to your workflow and fully enjoy what they offer alongside all the tools in Luminar 3.

Overall performance and stability improvements. Improving Luminar’s performance is one of our team’s top priorities. With every new update, we try our best to make Luminar faster and more seamless so you can have amazing potential to express your creativity.

WINDOWS VERSION:

“On this day” feature. Photographs are all about memories.With the latest update, we let you see what pictures you took on this day in past years. To walk down memory lane with Luminar, simply click “On this day” in the Shortcuts panel. Please note that the "On This Day" feature will only show up if you have photos in your Library taken on the current month and day in previous years.

Faster scrolling. With this version of Luminar 3, we’ve tried our best to make this simple yet important action as seamless as possible. Now you can go through all the photos in your Library as fast as you like even in Single Image view!

Improved switching between Single and Gallery views. It shouldn’t take long to switch between these two views while editing. And we know that. With this update, you’ll definitely notice a significant improvement.

Fixed crash with Japanese calendar. For our Japanese users, we fixed the issue with the system calendar. So no more crashes.

Overall performance and stability improvements. Improving Luminar’s performance is one of our team’s top priorities. With every new update, we try our best to make Luminar faster and more seamless so you can have amazing potential to express your creativity.

With the initial release of Luminar Neo, the use of Photoshop-style plugins is not expected to be included. However, we clearly understand the popularity of this request and are actively exploring its implementation.

Our brand-new Luminar Neo engine and layers workflow mean that support is possible. This will pave the way for smoother integrations with other specialized plugins.

We’re truly excited about the dramatic opportunities to improve performance and expand capabilities that the new Luminar Neo engine offers. We look forward to revealing more details in 2022.

We know that a lot of people have several computers in use, so Luminar 3 may be installed on up to 5 devices (both Mac and PC) owned by the same person. You’ll simply need to use a single email and a single activation code.

If you purchase Luminar 3 from https://skylum.com/luminar, you can return the software within 30 days and get a full refund. You must present proof of purchase and any other materials as requested by the Skylum Team.

If you purchase Luminar 3 through one of the partners or authorized resellers, you must obey the terms and conditions of that partner or authorized reseller. In this case, refunds are made through the partner or an authorized reseller.

Luminar 3 requires a graphics card that supports OpenGL 3.3. If you’re using a laptop, make sure you run Luminar on a discrete card. Refer to the laptop’s manufacturer for detailed instructions. If your card supports OpenGL 3.3, try fully reinstalling drivers for all graphics cards on your computer. Make sure to download drivers from the card manufacturer’s website.

Yes, you can, as well as from a NAS volume.

Your purchased applications will appear after you've activated the software with the email address associated with your Skylum account. If you have already activated your license key with another email, use the Link my licenses block in My Software tab of your Skylum account to add a secondary email to your account. This will link all apps that are associated with the secondary email to your account.

Create a Skylum Account and submit your App Store Luminar 2018 proof of purchase via special form (See the screenshot).

If you already connected your app store purchase of Luminar 2018 - Luminar 3 will be available to download from your Skylum Account. 

Yes, we do. You can find it here: https://skylum.com/luminar/roadmap 

For Mac:

• MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac Pro, Mac mini
• Processor Intel 64-bit Core 2 Duo or better
• Mac from early 2010 or newer
• Memory 8 Gb RAM or more
• macOS Mojave 10.14, High Sierra 10.13.1, Sierra 10.12.6, El Capitan 10.11.5
• Hard disk 10 GB free space, SSD for best performance
• Display 1280x768 size or better

For Windows:

• Windows-based hardware PC with mouse or similar input device
• Open GL 3.3 or later compatible Graphics Cards
• Processor Intel Core i5 or better
• Memory 8 Gb RAM or more
• Operating System Windows 7 (only 64-bit OS), Windows 8.1 (only 64-bit OS), Windows 10 (only 64-bit OS)
• Hard disk 10 Gb free space, SSD for best performance
• Display 1280x768 size or better

Luminar lets you add folders from cloud storage locations that are synced to your computer.  In this case, synced means that a physical copy of the photo resides on either your internal or external hard drive.  If only a reference copy of the photo is located in the cloud storage photo, Luminar will not be able to create a thumbnail or be able to edit the image.  

Adding folders from synced cloud storage is very useful in situations where a client or family member adds images remotely to a cloud service server. Once these images are synced locally to your computer, Luminar automatically adds them to your Library. 

The Luminar Flex plugin is only meant to be used as a plugin.  It is not meant to be used as a standalone application. The application is only provided so you can manage the configuration of Luminar Looks and workspaces.  It can also be used to manually install or uninstall the plugin with additional hosts.

Please use Luminar 3 or Luminar 2018 if you desire a standalone application workflow.  Luminar 3 supports three editing modes:

• Libraries
• Quick Edit
• Batch Processing.

Images that were edited in previous versions of Luminar and saved in the Luminar Project format are compatible with Luminar 3.

Native Luminar Files can be added with a folder

You can use the import command (currently Mac-only) to add a native Luminar file to your library.

Native files can be opened with the Quick Edit command into Luminar 3.  

Luminar 3 RAW processing is based on our own powerful RAW engine. We regularly update our library and make our own improvements to provide perfect support for new cameras. You can check the full list of supported cameras here.

Aurora HDR is dedicated to only one photography style - HDR photography. It is the world’s most advanced photo software for HDR. Luminar is a universal photo editor designed to perform a wide variety of image editing and organization tasks.

Luminar may look familiar to Aurora HDR but offers everything else you need in one app. Besides powerful editing tools, Luminar 3 also offers Libraries to organize and view your photos. If you want perfect HDR results, then nothing beats Aurora HDR. If you want to get perfect portraits, landscapes, aerial photos and more - and easily organize every shot - you should get Luminar 3.

Yes, it is, on both Mac and Windows.

We’re working on Lightroom library import tool right now. Refer to the roadmap for more information about this and other upcoming features: https://skylum.com/luminar/roadmap 

No. We recommend simply pointing Luminar to the folder(s) where your photos are and let Luminar catalog them for you.

Yes, Luminar 3 offers a fully non-destructive editing workflow for your photos.

Please refer to this video if you're on Mac:

https://skylum.com/video-galleries/luminar-video-tutorials/2018/installing-and-activating-luminar-3-on-a-mac   

If you're on Windows: 

https://skylum.com/video-galleries/luminar-video-tutorials/2018/installing-and-activating-luminar-3-for-windows

Check out this video for instructions on how to import your Apple Photos library into Luminar 3.

If for some reason you didn’t receive an email with the download link, you can always download the trial version here and activate it with your e-mail address and activation code.

1. Launch Luminar.
2. Click File > Add Luminar Looks Collection.
3. Point Luminar to the look pack file.
4. Luminar should tell you that it has successfully installed the pack.

Refer to User Guide for a detailed overview of saving adjustments and exporting images: https://skylum.com/luminar/user-guides/chapter-19-saving-adjustments-exporting-files  

On Windows 8 / 10:

1. Close Luminar.
   
2. Right-click any empty space on your desktop > Display settings.
3. In the window that opens, set the Change the size of text, apps, and other items dropdown to 100%.
4. Start Luminar 3 and finish the setup wizard. You can safely change the display scaling back to its initial value after this.

On Windows 7:

1. Close Luminar.
   
2. Click the Start button.
3. Type Display in the Search box.
4. Click Display in the Control Panel section of the results.
5. In a window that opens, set the scaling value to 100% and check if you can see all the controls in Luminar.
   

Try installing Luminar from a user account on your Mac that has administrator privileges. The installation should work normally if your user account has all the necessary permissions. If this doesn't help, contact the support team.

No, you can use both apps alongside each other.