New to Luminar Neo? Learn this first.

New to editing in Luminar? Learn this first.

If you picked up a copy of Luminar Neo over the holidays, you may be wondering how to get started with it.

Luminar Neo has a LOT of tools, and for new users that can be overwhelming. The good news is that you don’t have to know everything right away to get great results. There are some very powerful tools you can use to kickstart your editing that are easy to use and will help you learn how the product works. Let’s dive into it!

Develop RAW (Develop)

I recommend raw files for higher quality, but if you don’t have a raw file, I still recommend you start with Develop. It’s the tool I use the most in Luminar, and it has so many sliders that you really can make a huge impact just by spending time here.

I always start by adjusting Highlights and Shadows, and then come back and add some Smart Contrast. There’s no science behind this approach, but I find that it works well for me. It helps me get my base adjustments to the light in place. Of course, if the photo is really dark or really bright you can also adjust Exposure to fix that, and in that situation make the Exposure adjustment first. 

Next, I tend to use the Color Temperature and Tint sliders. I like to creatively adjust my White Balance at the start, but not to a large degree. I just nudge it in the direction that I want to take the edit. I do heavy color adjustments later in editing. All of this depends on the image, of course.

Depending on the image, I may make further adjustments, but the bottom line is that these tools get me headed in the right direction.

Super Contrast

This is the tool I always use right after Develop Raw. It helps me further refine the light and get the light adjustments that I need. I really can’t recommend it enough. I tend to move each of the main sliders to about 25, and then come back and move the corresponding balance sliders in each section. Just experiment and see what looks best. 

The bottom line here is that using these two tools first helps you get your base exposure set up for additional editing. I find it’s the best way to get started. It’s all about adjusting the light with these two tools, and having your light set up properly puts you in a good position for additional edits.

Color Harmony

One of the things that first drew me to Luminar (years ago) was the presence of so many great color tools. I love color so that was a natural interest for me. However, it is tempting to use a lot of them on an image, because there are so many and you can do so much. But try to resist that temptation or else you will end up with a highly saturated image that doesn’t look real. Instead, I would focus on Color Harmony and just use the tools slightly. There are 4 sections in this tool and you don’t need them all. Just experiment with 2-3 and see what you like. It’s very powerful and you can have a huge impact on your colors with just a little bit of slider movement.

Accent AI

I love this tool but if you slide it too far you can end up with too much of an edit. I find that this tool is best left for the end of your edit for a little extra emphasis on a specific part of the photo. I mostly use this tool with a Radial Mask to isolate an area and give it a little punch.

Try these tips out and see how they work for you!

If you want to follow along with me on YouTube, I have a Beginner’s Guide series for Luminar Neo. You can find those videos here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLye10L-yi8hU9TDtAlzGAhDEPEDOedlVD&si=nXdrS7vdDmvYHYyi

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