Like probably everyone else I can't fail to have noticed Luminar Neo, an alternative style of photo editing software. I'm not so keen on paying Adobe a subscription every month for something that I will never own and Neo has grabbed my attention with it's simple but apparently powerful array of tools.
Here in the UK, I paid £59 and I understand that I may be due updates along the way; so much better than a subscription. I've hesitated to buy this software until now because the software was written in now war torn Ukraine. I have absolutely nothing against Ukrainians but in the middle of a war I'm not so sure updates may be possible or maybe even never!
I decided to take a punt and see what all the fuss was about. I paid my £59 and fired up my MacBook. (The software is also available for Windoze).
This is a series of edits of Neena Corbett, a cracking model and great fun to collaborate with. She still models but now has a "bun in the oven" and it may be some time before she models again!
Neena strikes a pose
Just outside Derby in the UK, Neena showed us this series of farm buildings, perfect for a model shoot. I spent most of the shoot asking Neena to cover up to make the images more social media friendly but nowadays I don't worry about such sensibilities!
I edited these shots with Neo and I have absolutely no idea what settings I used; I just slid sliders until I got something I liked!
Neena in the smoke
Normally for a lightpainting style shot I don't use any editing software other than to maybe crop or get rid of dust on my sensor. Here I've used blur sliders and enhanced the smoke. Still not sure....
Smile
I explained to Neena when I first met her that I like models to smile every now and then. This shot was taken shortly after a discussion about the "resting bitch face"
I used the AI blur feature in Neo to soften the background:
In the Pullman carriage
I wasn't happy with the original image but a quick whizz with Neo soon sorted this one! This was an abandoned Pullman railway goods carriage slap bang in the middle of a farm; it used to be a common sight to see carriages like this in unexpected places. This carriage was clinging on to existence!
Angst
This is one of my favourite shots of Neena and something I should try and replicate. I asked Neena to create an "angsty" pose. And as regards Neo edits, I lost track of what in the hell I did!!
Smoking through the cracks
This was shot against a fence of old railway sleepers with Neena striking a pose as I threw smoke pellets over the wall. I used a flashgun to light up the smoke and I was happy as a pig in shit until I ran out of smoke!
I've used the blur AI feature in Neo for this one:
Simulated fog
Another shot of Neena which I rejected because there was stray light overexposing one side of the image. So using Neo's atmosphere sliders I worked with it rather than throw it away.
Portait Bokeh
Instead of buying expensive wide aperture portrait lenses, all I need to do with Neo is activate the Portrait Bokeh sliders for that blurry background!
My first impressions:
Neo is not a replacement for Photoshop; it's more like a replacement for Lightroom. I've never liked Lightroom for it's file handling and not knowing where in the hell I've located a file.
Neo has a dust replacement / removal feature; it's not perfect but it's close and easier to use than it is to spend ages in Photoshop chasing after every imperfection!
I've yet to get to grips with the new masking feature in version 1.06. I'll figure it out eventually!
The problem Neo faces is that Photoshop and / or Lightroom has been around for so long that dyed in the wool photographers will probably be reluctant to change to this software. I know I've missed certain features in Neo that I use in Photoshop. Luminar Neo is a work in progress and I sincerely hope the developers make new versions and that the war in Ukraine ends soon! Viva Ukraine!
About me:
I usually specialise in shooting lightpainting images but occasionally dabble in urbex and artistic model photography. I'm always on the lookout for someone to collaborate with; please don't hesitate to get in touch if you'd like to create art.
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/fastchrisuk
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fastchris/
