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Luminar 4 Review

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Photo editor:Luminar 4
Replaced by:Luminar Neo
Upgrade:Available

This is a detailed Luminar 4 review. By the end of it, you’ll have good knowledge about this powerful image editor.

Luminar 4 is ideal for those who don’t want to get into manual photo editing and prefer to get great results quickly.

And, even if you are a beginner at image editing, you’ll be able to produce results like a professional with this software.

Let’s get started.

Note: Luminar 4 was replaced by Luminar Neo, which is a much more powerful and creative photo editor that includes AI-based features.


Get Luminar Neo Here >>

What Is Luminar 4?

Luminar 4 is an image editor that utilizes artificial intelligence to make complex processes easier and quicker.

While its AI features do all the work for you, you can also take full control yourself.

While the Luminar 4 offers better performance and speed than Luminar 3, it still might need processing power. Some of the features are also very similar as in Exposure X6.

With the latest updates, you can use Luminar 4 as a standalone editing software or with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom as a plugin.

So, if you are using Lightroom or Photoshop, adding Luminar 4 will let you achieve more in less time.

Plus, you don’t have to pay a subscription fee for the software. It comes with a one-time price tag for a lifetime.

You also get ongoing support and future updates with your purchase.

Keep reading this Luminar 4 review to find out more exciting stuff about it.

What You Can Do With Luminar 4?

luminar 4 possibilities

With Luminar 4, you can easily:

  • Open and edit a photo in Lightroom, Photoshop, or Apple Photos and use Luminar 4 as a plugin. This allows you to apply any AI features after you are working in Lightroom.
  • Replace the sky in an image instantly with pinpoint accuracy. You can then make adjustments in your images with other tools to your heart’s content.
  • Add elements like a full moon, a space shuttle, birds, clouds, and more with the AI Augmented Sky tool. It blends in your objects naturally into the sky.
  • Retouch skin and portrait with the AI Enhancer in one click.
  • Adjust the light on individual faces in a group photograph.
  • Add clarity and contrast to the background of an image without affecting the foreground subjects with the Structure AI tool.
  • Bring warmth to your images just like before sunset using the Golden Hour tool.

…And much more

Let’s discuss the core features of the software.

Top Luminar 4 Features Reviewed

Luminar 4 has many handy features you should know. Let’s discuss a few prominent ones.

Library Module

luminar 4 library view

There are two views in Luminar 4. The Library view and the Edit view. You can use the Library view to navigate and browse your photos, while the Edit view allows you to enhance them.

Both are present on the right side of the screen.

The Library panel is great for those who want to have image management features. The edit panel allows you to mark your photos as favorites and give them ratings in the Edit panel.

Plus, switching between the Library and Edit panels is a breeze.

Moreover, you also get quite a few convenient shortcuts that can save a lot of your time. These include all photos, favorites, quick edits, recently edited, lost edits, on this day, and more.

Not only that, but you can also use folders to manage your files. Any updates that happen in your hard drive folders will be reflected in Luminar 4.

Laminar 4 also has the albums feature where you can store your files in case you don’t want to use your hard drive.

For instance, you can create an album based on where the photos were taken.

Luminar Looks

luminar 4 looks collections

Luminar 4 offers you several presets that are termed “Looks”. They are based on one-click adjustment based on your image.

You can also turn off the Laminar “Looks” strip at the bottom of the edit panel if you want. Doing so might also boost the performance of the software.

Looks are ideal for photographers that don’t have much time to edit their photos. The artificial intelligence working in the Laminar 4 takes care of the nuances as well.

However, while using Looks, you may find the software a little laggy.

Advanced Masking

If you have used Adobe Lightroom before, Luminar 4 offers the same masking features.

It provides the ability to mask:

  • Gradients
  • Brushes
  • Radials
  • Luminosity

Look Up Table (LUT)

The look up tables of Luminar 4 allow you to change the color scheme of your photos with ease.

For instance, you can transform a digital photo into an old-fashioned one.

Sunrays

luminar 4 sunrays

Sunrays is another feature that makes this software stand out. Using it, you can add sun and sunrays to any of your photos.

You can also customize the rays by adjusting their length, number, and penetration. It also allows you to adjust the radius and warmth of the sun.

What makes it more impressive is its ability to sense your images’ light and dark parts and adjust the brightness accordingly.

Amazingly, you can place the sun behind objects and make the sunrays shine around them. Something that a creative photographer would love.

Batch Processing

This one saves you a lot of time by allowing you to edit multiple of your photos in batches. You can simply edit one image and apply the settings on other ones that were shot in similar conditions.

The feature is ideal for people that shoot similar photos at events and would prefer to edit them all at once.

The Orton Effect

Using the Orton Effect, you can blur selective parts of your image while keeping the other areas in focus.

It would be quite an appealing feature when you need to soften parts of an image.

Gradient Adjustment

luminar 4 gradient tool

The software also provides you with a powerful gradient tool.

Using it, you can adjust the exposure of your image backgrounds and foregrounds.

Dodge and Burn

You’ll find a lot of ways to dodge and burn in software like Photoshop, but none of them would be as quick and easy as in Luminar 4.

The dodge tool allows you to lighten up a part while the burn tool darkens it. You can apply both by just painting over the area of your choice in an image.

The tools are named “Lighten” and “Darken”, which helps beginners to understand the purpose of these tools right away.

Landscape Enhancer

The good thing is, Skylum hasn’t used technical terms to describe the features Luminar 4 offers. So, even a layman with zero knowledge of image editing can understand the tools inside the software.

The Landscape Enhancer tool offers “Dehaze”, “Foliage Enhances”, and “Golden Hour”. You can also edit your masks manually if you want more control.

But, in general, artificial intelligence does a great job.

Who Is Luminar 4 For?

Luminar 4 is for photographers and editors that don’t want to spend their time to make their images appealing.

Small business owners would find great value in this software because of its quick and powerful editing features.

Moreover, entrepreneurs and content producers that don’t want to learn image editing can benefit from Luminar 4’s effective AI tools.

And, if you are a seasoned editor that’s using Photoshop or Lightroom already, using Luminar 4 as a plugin will make your workflows efficient.

luminar 4 plugins

If you are one of those that want to own a powerful image editor for life, without having to pay a subscription fee for it, Luminar 4 is ideal for you.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • One-time price with a lifetime of updates
  • Utilizes artificial intelligence for quick and effective edits
  • It’s easy to use, which makes it great for beginners
  • User-friendly interface
  • Bundle edit features let you apply edits to multiple images
  • Comes with lots of image filters
  • Allows adjustments with gradients and brush
  • Frequent updates
  • One-click replacement of sky
  • Offers virtually everything Lightroom offers

Cons

  • May work slowly occasionally
  • It may take some time to export files

Luminar 4 Price Review

New customers can own the software for life by paying a one-time fee of $67.

Luminar 4 is a perfect solution for those who don’t want to pay a subscription fee for software every month.

Even if you are paying for Photoshop and Lightroom, you’ll just have to pay once for Luminar and own it for life, with future updates.

You can also get the Master pack for $166 to access 1 computer license for Luminar 4 and 2 computer licenses for Luminar AI. If you want a full control of your images, Skylum also offers the Guru pack for $235 to get everything mentioned before plus Aurora HDR.

Luminar 4: Verdict

When using Luminar 4, you won’t have to put in the work a normal editor does. You’ll just be clicking and getting virtually the same results with its powerful AI software.

You can not only use Luminar 4 as a standalone image editor, but it also works as a plugin with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

The best part?

You don’t have to invest in it every month. After paying the one-time price, you own the software for life and will get all future updates as well.

FAQ:

What is Luminar AI?

How much does Luminar AI cost?

Does Luminar AI offer a free trial?

What is Aurora HDR?

Does Aurora HDR offer a free trial?