Macphun 2018

  1. Macphun Creative Kit 2018
  2. Macphun Luminar 2018
  3. Macphun Aurora 2018

New version of award-winning photo editor created by Skylum team for Mac & PC. Order Luminar today and get an exclusive price for the most advanced image editing software.

Nov 01, 2017 New Luminar 2018 delivers a breakthrough photo editing experience for photographers on Mac & Windows with new filters, tools, non-destructive editing, major speed boosts, and a digital asset management platform that will arrive in 2018. The brand new Aurora HDR 2019 is now available for pre-order. Dozens of new tools and features to help you create stunning HDR photos you never thought possible.

Luminar
Developer(s)Skylum Software
Initial releaseNovember 17, 2016; 4 years ago
Stable release
Operating systemWindows, macOS
TypePhoto editing, image manipulation
LicenseProprietary
Websiteskylum.com/luminar

Luminar is a universal photo editing software application developed by Skylum (formerly Macphun) available for Windows and macOS.[1][2]

Luminar works as a standalone application and as a plugin for Adobe and Apple products. It integrates with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Adobe Lightroom Classic, and Photos for macOS.[3] In 2019, Luminar won a gold award at the Digital Camera Grand Prix for its innovation in the photo editing space. Luminar has also been recognized as the Best Photo Software Product in the 2019 and 2020 by EISA awards.[4] The application has filters, which can be used to edit images. The effects can be combined using layers and masks.[5] Luminar works directly with raw files.[6][7]

Macphun Creative Kit 2018

The latest version to be currently available is Luminar 4,[8] which was released on 18th November 2019. This version of the software comes packaged which a number of AI tools, offering things such as automated sky replacement.[9]

History[edit]

Macphun launched Luminar in November 2016.[10] An update with new tools and features called Luminar Neptune was released in 2017.[1] Initially developed only for macOS, Macphun launched Luminar 2018 for Windows PC version in late 2017. At the same time, the company announced that it will change its name to Skylum.[11]

Luminar 2018, which was launched in November 2017, introduced a RAW develop module,[12][13] changed the user interface[14][6] and also added new filters.[15]

Reception[edit]

Luminar has generally received positive reviews. Tech Radar reviewed the beta version of the application in 2016 and gave it a 4.5 out of 5.[10] MyMac Reviews rated it 9 out of 10.[12]Digital Rev appreciated the number of features offered by the software writing that 'amateur Instagrammers and pro-photogs alike will feel like they’re in an Aladdin’s cave of wonders with what’s on offer in that regard,' but pointed out that 'in general Luminar does suffer from some problems when greater editing functions are stacked up against Lightroom or Photoshop’s.'[16]

In 2020, Macworld gave Luminar a rating of 4.5 out of 5 and named it an Editors’ Choice, praising its “breakthrough AI Sky Replacement feature” and saying that it offers “intuitive, easy-to-use image editing.”[17] Digital Camera World gave Luminar 4 a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, pointing out as advantages its integrated image catalog, non-destructive editing, AI Sky Replacement tool, and included plug-in version.[18]Ghacks gave it a four out of five.[19] Writing about Luminar 2018, Digital Trends expressed that it 'is an excellent photo editor for beginners and hobbyists, with enough features to appease even some professional photographers.'[20]

Appreciating the simple interface of the software, TechRepublic wrote that 'Skylum's Luminar 2018, on the other hand, addresses common image issues—including color correction, brightening and darkening, cropping, and applying filters—without requiring you to become an expert in manipulating a variety of palettes, layers, and tools.'[21]

In 2017 Luminar and in 2019, Luminar Flex was named the Best Software Plugin in the Lucie Technical Awards. In the same years, Luminar was awarded the Best Imaging Software by TIPA. In 2018, Luminar was named an Editor’s Pick by Outdoor Photographer.[22]

In October 2019, nature photography website Nature TTL reviewed the Luminar 4 software and gave it 5 out of 5.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ abCade, DL (November 1, 2017). 'Macphun unveils Luminar 2018, takes on Adobe Lightroom CC'.
  2. ^Eckel, Erik (December 31, 2016). 'Luminar: The only photo-editing tool most Mac users need'.
  3. ^Berube, Jennifer. 'Review of the New Luminar 2018'.
  4. ^'Skylum Luminar EISA – Expert Imaging and Sound Association'. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  5. ^Row, Jason (November 2, 2017). 'Luminar 2018 – First Impressions'.
  6. ^ abPierini, David (November 4, 2016). 'Luminar takes the negatives out of photo editing'.
  7. ^Ottke, Adam (December 10, 2017). 'Fstoppers Reviews Macphun'sLuminar 2018 Image Editor'.
  8. ^Nicholls, Will (2019-10-04). 'Luminar 4 Review: The Future of Photo Editing?'. Nature TTL. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  9. ^TTL, Nature (2019-07-23). 'Luminar 4 is Coming: AI and Sky Replacement'. Nature TTL. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  10. ^ abLawton, Rod (October 26, 2016). 'Low-cost photo editor Luminar will light up Mac owners' screens on November 17'.
  11. ^Aldred, John (November 1, 2017). 'SKYLUM LUMINAR 2018 NOW HAS NATIVE RAW SUPPORT AND A BIG PERFORMANCE BOOST'.
  12. ^ abBlanchard, Curt (November 9, 2017). 'Luminar 2018 – Review'.
  13. ^'Luminar 2018 is a Your New Alternative to Adobe Lightroom'. November 2, 2017.
  14. ^Stapley, Jon (November 17, 2017). 'Luminar 2018 now shipping for Mac and Windows'.
  15. ^Nicholls, Will (November 1, 2017). 'Macphun Unveils Luminar 2018 to Take on Adobe Lightroom'.
  16. ^Boost, Rick (November 18, 2016). 'Luminar Photo Editor Hands-On First Impressions'.
  17. ^Bookwalter, J.R. (January 9, 2020). 'Luminar 4 review: AI brings huge creative possibilities to affordable image editor'.
  18. ^Lawton, Rod. 'Skylum Luminar 4 review'. digitalcameraworld. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  19. ^Brinkmann, Martin (July 18, 2017). 'Luminar Photo Editor for Windows: first look'.
  20. ^Grigonis, Hillary (November 1, 2017). 'MacphunLuminar 2018 review'.
  21. ^Eckel, Erik (November 30, 2017). 'Luminar 2018 adds new tools and filters to the powerful photo-editing app'.
  22. ^Roa, Holly (November 1, 2017). 'Aiming For Lightroom Users, Luminar 2018 Brings New Features, User Interface, Now For Windows'.
  23. ^Nicholls, Will (2019-10-04). 'Luminar 4 Review: The Future of Photo Editing?'. Nature TTL. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luminar_(software)&oldid=1007499013'

There’s been quite a bit of news coming out of the former Macphun offices. I say former Macphun offices, because they’re now known as Skylum. So, now they’re the Skylum offices. That’s the first bit of news. The next is their recent announcement of a Digital Asset Management system coming soon as part of Luminar 2018.

Now, Luminar 2018 has been officially announced, and comes with some pretty neat updates. The DAM isn’t quite ready yet, but it will be a free upgrade for existing users when it’s released. But what is there now? Well, first and foremost seems to be a substantial performance increase. They’ve also improved the UI, added native RAW support, and a bunch of new customisable and maskable effects filters.

When Skylum posted a brief preview of the new Luminar 2018 DAM recently, one of the effects that intrigued me was the “Sun Rays” filter. I’ve had the opportunity to test out Luminar 2018 on Windows for the past few days, so this was one of the first things I wanted to play with.

It is a pretty cool effect. While I probably won’t use it on most of my images, I can definitely see it working its way into a few of my photographs in the future. The English weather isn’t always what we’d like it to be, and it can suit certain woodland scenarios quite well.

I definitely still need some practise with this filter, but it’s not bad at all. It seems to use luminance in order to determine what exists in the foreground, and uses that as a mask to generate the rays. Using X & Y sliders on the side feels a little clunky, though. It would be great if there were some kind of indicator on the image itself that you could click and drag to place it exactly where you need. It’s still pretty cool, though. Here’s an example from Skylum themselves.

Other new filters with Luminar 2018 include…

  • LUT Mapping filter
  • Dodge & Burn filter
  • Hue Shift filter
  • Matte Look filter
  • Brilliance/Warmth filter
  • Lens Correction filter
  • Transform filter
  • Realtime noise reduction

There are some other great new features in Luminar 2018 that I can’t test just yet. I’m a Windows user, and those features coming to the Mac version first. These include native RAW file support with better DNG handling, as well as a RAW processing filter to adjust how the raw files come into Luminar.

All of the popular raw formats will be supported. If you’re a user of NEF, CR2, ORF, RAF, ERF, ARW, RW2, PEF, DNG or GRP, though, then you’re in luck. Sorry, Sigma X3F users.

There’s also support for 3rd party Photoshop plugins, too. Yes, that’s right, you can use your Photoshop plugins within Luminar. Colour profile support for AdobeRGB and ProPhoto RGB is also on the Mac version, along with various online and app exporting options.

Despite this, Luminar 2018 has impressed me more than I expected, overall. When I don’t want to go to the hassle of Photoshop, I can zip through images fairly quickly. The performance increases have made it far more tolerable to work with.

A range of new effects filters and masking options offer some very quick adjustments that can often take much longer in Photoshop. The final results sent to us by Skylum certainly look better than the results I was able to get myself, though. I definitely need a little more practise with the app to figure out just how everything works.

It’s a fairly intuitive interface. One noticeable omission, though, is an “Undo” feature. If I accidentally slide a slider, or delete an effect filter (and there’s LOTS of them), there’s no way to bring it back to exactly where it was, short of just adding & setting it again (if I can remember exactly how it was set).

Macphun Luminar 2018

Another feature that would be quite nice to see is a search box at the top of the filters list. Often I can roughly remember the name of a filter I want to find, but not what “collection” it belongs to. But, I could live without it if I had to.

Once we see the native RAW support added for Windows, and the Digital Asset Manager, I can see myself potentially switching over to Luminar as my primary image processor. I only hope they add support for the ColorChecker.

Macphun 2018 review

There’s no word yet on exactly when the DAM will appear, just that it will be sometime in 2018. But for Luminar 2018 users, it will be a free upgrade. There’s also no news on when those currently-Mac-only features will be hitting Windows, either, but hopefully it won’t be too long.

Macphun Aurora 2018

Luminar 2018 will release on November 16th for both Mac and Windows, and is available to pre-order now. It’s $59 for new users, and existing Luminar users can upgrade for $39. After November 16th, those prices will go up to $69 and $49, respectively.