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Home / Photo Editing / Luminar Photo Editing Software / First Look Inside Luminar AI Photo Editing Software

Luminar AI first look featured 1200px

First Look Inside Luminar AI Photo Editing Software

November 6, 2020 by Darlene Hildebrandt

Updated: September 27, 2024

In this article and video, I’m excited to show you around inside the new Luminar AI! I have a beta copy and have been playing with it for a few days and I’m pretty impressed so far.

So if you’re still undecided about whether to upgrade from Luminar 4 (or another previous version) or to buy it for the first time – hopefully, this will answer some of your questions and concerns.

If you aren’t up on the announcement, watch this first: The New Luminar AI – the good, the bad, and is it for you?

UPDATE: Since publishing this post about Luminar AI, Skylum is now preparing to release Luminar Neo in early 2022. You can get up to speed on this new piece of image editing software by reading my review and follow along with updates. As well, I have a Luminar Neo Course available, as soon as the software is released to the public.

Luminar AI logo horizontal black

What’s new in Luminar AI

I can’t cover everything in one video, so in this one I’ll show you the following:

  1. Speed improvement importing and loading images
  2. Templates (which replace Looks)
  3. Some of the new Portrait AI tools (Body AI and Iris AI)
  4. Atmosphere AI
  5. Composition AI

Here’s a before and after that took me about a minute to do using a Template and a few quick tweaks.

Luminar AI first look 01a
Before
Luminar AI first look 01b
After Luminar AI (in about 3 steps!)

Now watch the video below.

Sneak peek inside Luminar AI

Make sure to stick around until the end of the video to see all the above items demonstrated.

You will also see me import over 2700 raw Fuji images LIVE into Luminar AI in under 13 seconds (for real, you can hear me counting)!

Please keep a couple things in mind here.

First, this is a beta copy and as such it’s not yet 100% finished. So there will be things added or changed before the final release in December (I do not have an exact date on it yet).

Second, I am just showing you a few of the new things in Luminar AI that we’ve never seen before in past versions. There’s a lot more you can do with it so if you’re new to Luminar check out some of my previous tutorials on it.

More before and after images

Here are more of the before and after edited images from the video.

Luminar AI first look 02a
Before
Luminar AI first look 02b
After one template used and a few minor adjustments
Luminar AI first look 03a
Before
Luminar AI first look 03b
After using a template, adding an Augmented Sky element and Atmosphere AI.
Luminar AI first look 04b
Before Luminar AI
Luminar AI first look 04c
After Luminar AI and Body AI

Note: Skylum is about to release their newest image editing software Luminar Neo, with a release date of early 2022, possibly even March. Read my review of Luminar Neo here, and keep up to date with all the details. I’m also developing a Luminar Neo course to get new users up to speed as soon as possible. Is Luminar AI dead? Do you need both Luminar AI and the new Luminar Neo? Is it a replacement for Photoshop? Watch my initial run-through of the latest “technical build” and my thoughts on who Luminar Neo is FOR and who it’s NOT for.

Pre-order Luminar AI

The first 30,000 copies for pre-order have already been sold. So the early-bird price is no longer in effect!

NOTE: There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. Once the software is in your hands, you have 30 days to return it and get a refund if you are not happy.

  • If you already own a copy of any version of Luminar or Aurora HDR, CLICK HERE to pre-order and get the loyalty discount. You will pay $69 USD for one copy ($97 CAD).
  • If you are new to Luminar and want to buy it for the first time, CLICK HERE to pre-order as a NEW customer. You will pay $79 USD ($108 CAD). 

NOTE: Only one license is now included, but you can opt for adding another seat for $20 USD ($22 CAD) when you get to the order page. Yes, you have one on a laptop, one desktop, or even one Mac and one PC!

Luminar AI first look 05a
Before
Luminar AI first look 05b
After Luminar AI – Iris AI used here as well as the Erase and Cloning tools

Convinced yet? Feel free to ask me any questions in the comment area below. If there are a lot I may do another Q&A webinar where you can see the software live and ask your questions.

Cheers,
Darlene Hildebrandt photographer DPM

About Darlene Hildebrandt

Darlene Hildebrandt, Master of Photographic Arts (MPA), is a Canadian photography educator and the founder of Digital Photo Mentor. She holds Canada's highest professional photography designation from Professional Photographers of Canada, served as Managing Editor of Digital Photography School, and represented Canada on Team Canada at the 2025 World Photographic Cup. With over 35 years of experience, from darkroom film retouching to modern digital editing, more than 17,000 students have learned to edit with confidence through her structured online courses in Luminar Neo and Lightroom Classic and the Digital Photo Mentor Community.

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