Luminar Neo 1.26

Luminar Neo 1.26

Luminar Neo is an advanced, AI-centric photo editing application built on a new, more powerful engine than its predecessor, Luminar AI. It focuses on a layered, non-destructive workflow and introduces tools for compositing and relighting that go beyond simple presets. While leveraging Skylum’s renowned AI technologies for tasks like skin enhancement, noise removal, and structure, Neo provides greater flexibility for building complex edits through layers, masks, and blending modes, positioning it as a creative powerhouse for both corrective and artistic photo manipulation.

📷 Primary Users

Luminar Neo is developed for photographers, photo editors, visual content creators, and creative professionals. It is specifically designed for users who seek a powerful, AI-driven editing experience that simplifies complex tasks—from sky replacement and portrait enhancement to landscape manipulation—while offering deep creative control and a non-destructive workflow.

✨ Key Features & Capabilities

• Layered, Non-Destructive Editing: Core differentiator. Work with multiple image layers, adjustment layers, and AI-generated layers (e.g., for sky replacement) using blend modes and masks for compositing.

• AI-Powered Tools Suite:

  • Sky AI: Realistically replace skies with automatic scene relighting.

  • Portrait Bokeh AI: Create realistic depth-of-field effects.

  • Face AI & Skin AI: Enhance portraits with automatic face-aware lighting, skin smoothing, and eye improvements.

  • Structure AI: Selectively enhance details without introducing artifacts.

  • Atmosphere AI: Add realistic fog, mist, or haze.

• Relight AI & Composition AI: Relight AI allows for post-capture adjustment of light direction and intensity on different scene planes. Composition AI suggests optimal cropping based on rules of thirds and golden ratio.

• Extensions & Focus Stacking: Supports specialized add-ons (Extensions) like HDR Merge, Focus Stacking, and Upscale AI. The Noiseless AI extension provides exceptional noise reduction.

• Creative Looks & Presets: Access a vast library of customizable presets (“Looks”) and create your own for batch application.

• Catalog & DAM Lite: Built-in catalog for organizing, rating, and keyword-tagging photos, though less robust than dedicated DAM software.

🆕 What’s New in Luminar Neo 1.26

This update is part of ongoing refinement, focusing on performance, new creative tools, and plugin integration:

1. New “GenErase” Extension (Powerful Object Removal): An AI-powered tool that goes beyond basic cloning, intelligently removing large or complex objects (people, trash, signs) and filling the space convincingly using contextual AI.

2. Background Removal AI (As a Layer): An improved AI mask for instantly separating subjects from backgrounds, output as a transparent layer for easier compositing.

3. Performance Optimizations & Stability: Faster loading of the catalog, smoother brush performance in the Masking tool, and general application stability improvements.

4. Enhanced Plugin for Photoshop & Lightroom: The Luminar Neo plugin for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom Classic receives updates for better integration and reliability.

5. New Preset Packs & Content: Addition of new professionally designed “Looks” and sky replacement images to the built-in marketplace.

🖥️ System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1909 or later

• CPU: Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 (or better) with AVX2 support

• RAM: 8 GB

• GPU: DirectX 12 compatible graphics card with 4 GB VRAM (e.g., NVIDIA GTX 960 / AMD Radeon RX 560)

• Disk Space: 10 GB available space

• Display: 1280 x 768 resolution

Recommended System Requirements (For Smooth AI Editing & 4K Work)

• OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit) 22H2 or later

• CPU: Intel Core i7/i9 or AMD Ryzen 7/9 (8-core or higher. AVX2 support is mandatory for AI features)

• RAM: 16 GB (32 GB recommended for large panoramas, HDR merges, and extensive layered projects)

• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 / RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT with 6+ GB VRAM (A powerful GPU dramatically accelerates all AI tools)

• Disk Space: 20 GB available space on a fast NVMe SSD

• Display: 1920 x 1080 or 4K UHD resolution, 100% sRGB color gamut monitor recommended

• Other: A stable internet connection is required for installation, activation, downloading Extensions, and accessing the Skylum Marketplace.