Luminar updated with Apple Silicon Support, Improved Sky controls and more
Late last week, Skylum put out a new update for Luminar that, among other things brought a new set of controls and even more notably, support for Apple silicon Macs.
I’ll have some highlights from the press release below, but first I wanted to share my brief experiences using it, and a quick PSA. I found that while the Apple silicon version mostly runs fine, I did have some issues including some artefacts on the display. I also noticed that despite the claims about improved reflections, I actually found that some images which were working fine in the previous version, Sky AI now wouldn’t pick up on the sky reflections at all. It was problematic with areas containing a lot of ripples. If you’re considering upgrading, I would suggest making a backup copy of the old version first in case you run into similar issues.
Ok, with that PSA out of the way, here are some highlights of the new features from the press release:
Create compelling skies for travel, landscape, and outdoor portraits With new enhancements to our algorithms, SkyAI now produces even more photorealistic results with greater control and accuracy.
- Better Sky Detection — Once a new sky is selected, SkyAI now uses improved horizon detection to more accurately place it in the scene. Refined edge detection and masking are used to better integrate the new sky for a more organic effect.
- Better Reflections — The improved sky position is then used to create more realistic reflections in water. Haze, Warmth, Brightness and Water Blur sliders give users more precise control over reflections.
- Better Relighting — Improvements in color accuracy create a more natural effect when the new sky is used to automatically relight the entire scene, including reflections. Three relighting controls allow users to dial in the lighting to fit their creative vision.
New support for Apple hardware and image formats As Apple continues to push the hardware envelope, Skylum matches them.
- Apple M1 Support — LuminarAI now runs on Apple’s next generation M1 machines. With the native M1 support in Update 3, macOS users can take full advantage of the faster processing of Apple’s M1 chips.
- HEIC Support — Update 3 also adds support for HEIC image format, so Windows users can now open and edit photos taken on iPhones and other iOS devices.
Great tools made more useful Little things can make all the difference when building better workflows.
- Augmented SkyAI — Now, sky objects you add to the custom folder are instantly available for preview. Speaking of previews, you can now select any sky object in the visual browser to instantly preview it in your scene. To help you explore this new feature, we’ve provided three Augmented Sky Objects — free of charge — in the marketplace.
- Dodge & Burn Tool — Easily paint highlights and shadows into your photo to enhance the mood. With the new Softness slider, subtly refine the edges of the area for a more natural effect.
You can upgrade to Luminar AI update 3 by going to the menu and choosing the option to check for updates. If you’re not an existing customer and you’re interested in trying or buying the software, you can find out more from the Skylum website.
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