This page may contain affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through our links, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.

Luminar Neo — AI-first photo editor for photographers with one-click sky replacement, relighting, and portrait tools

Luminar Neo

AI-first photo editor for photographers with one-click sky replacement, relighting, and portrait tools

4.2/5

What is Luminar Neo?

Luminar Neo by Skylum is an AI-first photo editor designed specifically for photographers who want powerful results without the complexity of Photoshop. The application features over a dozen AI-powered tools that automate tedious editing tasks while maintaining professional quality. Sky replacement, portrait retouching, noise reduction, and creative relighting all work with one-click simplicity backed by sophisticated neural networks.

The AI sky replacement tool is among the best available, intelligently masking complex foregrounds like trees, buildings, and hair while seamlessly blending a new sky with correct lighting, reflections, and atmospheric haze. The Relight AI tool adds virtual light sources to flat images, dramatically improving portrait and product photography. GenErase removes unwanted objects with AI-generated replacements that match the surrounding scene.

Luminar Neo supports extensions that add specialized AI capabilities like HDR merge, focus stacking, upscaling, and background removal. The catalog feature provides basic photo management, and the application works as a standalone editor or as a plugin for Lightroom and Photoshop. For photographers who find Photoshop overwhelming, Luminar Neo offers a focused, AI-driven alternative.

Key Features

  • AI sky replacement with intelligent masking
  • Relight AI for virtual lighting adjustment
  • GenErase for AI object removal
  • Portrait Bokeh AI for background blur
  • Face AI and Skin AI for portrait retouching
  • AI noise reduction and sharpening
  • Structure AI for detail enhancement
  • HDR merge and focus stacking extensions
  • Lightroom and Photoshop plugin mode
  • AI-powered catalog and photo management

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Most intuitive AI photo editing for photographers
  • Excellent sky replacement and relighting tools
  • Works as standalone or plugin for Lightroom/Photoshop
  • One-click AI adjustments save significant editing time

Cons

  • Performance can be slow on older hardware
  • Extensions add cost on top of base subscription
  • Less control than Photoshop for complex edits
  • No mobile version available

Pricing

Model: subscription

PlanPriceKey Limits
Explore$9.95/monthCore editing tools, basic AI features, catalog management, Lightroom plugin
Pro$14.95/monthAll AI tools, GenErase, HDR merge, panorama stitching, all extensions
Lifetime$149 one-timePermanent license, core features, 1 year of updates, extensions sold separately

Frequently Asked Questions

undefined
undefined
undefined
undefined
undefined
undefined
undefined
undefined