My Editing Approach in Luminar Neo
When I edit a photo, there are three topics that I keep in mind at all times: light, detail, and color. To me, these are the basic elements of a photograph, and from an editing standpoint, these are the three topics (adjustments) that I typically want to focus on during an edit. Additionally, I generally do them in that specific order. Here’s the approach:
Light is always the first thing I consider during an edit, and frankly it is a constant throughout the editing process. I make all sorts of adjustments to the light, and sometimes I take steps later in an edit that reverse things I did earlier in an edit. That’s ok. It’s part of the process, and my process is a wandering road, not a straight path. As long as I get to an end result that I am happy with, I am not concerned about following a rigid formula. But if you are always taking light into consideration, I believe you will get to a result you like.
Favorite tools: Develop Raw, Supercontrast, Accent AI
Because light is a constant, I may make edits to Details and Color, and then come back and adjust Light some more. While it is the first thing that I look at and edit, as a constant that means I frequently come back to it and refine it further. Essentially, Light is something that I am considering (and adjusting) throughout the editing process, not just at the start or finish.
Details are useful to draw attention to a part of a photo, but in my opinion, rarely look good when applied across an entire photo (there are exceptions of course). Items that are really detailed will draw the viewer’s eye, so I tend to apply them only to key focal points in an image. I will also quite often remove detail from other parts of a photo for dramatic effect.
Favorite tool: Structure AI
Color is one of my favorite parts of an edit, and Luminar gives you amazing tools for adjusting color. I do this last simply because I find that other edits that come first can impact color (Contrast being a great example). So if you jump into color first, and then adjust the light, it can throw off the color or create an over-saturated look. Just be careful and don’t use too many color tools on one image. It can get over the top quickly.
Favorite tools: Color/HSL, Toning, Golden Hour, Color Harmony, Twilight Enhancer (haha there’s a lot!)
Sunrise in Madeira, Portugal during the Luminar Adventure, May 2024
