hobbit123 Loc: Brisbane, Australia

Some time ago I downloaded a trial copy of this and ran it through its paces on a number of images. This example of a tree beside a fence is a good example of what it can do. I don't claim that this is a great work of art, it's just an example. I did two things to the original, I replaced the sky and I added the birds. Both were a single mouse click (though that's not strictly true as I tried a few different skies before deciding on this one). In adding the sky you might notice it has also removed the electricity high-tension wires that ran through the middle of the original.

This is only one of its party tricks, it's also a reasonable photo editor, allowing you to adjust the many things you might otherwise do in Lightroom or PhotoShop. I think for the price it's a worthwhile acquisition.

That's the good, now for the bad.

Last night I decided to go ahead and purchase it. I paid my money and downloaded the installer. Once I ran this I tried to start the app and I got an error, something about a "database error". I did a bit of Googling and found this appears to be a common complaint (and has been for a couple of years so why is it still happening?). There was a suggestion that the catalog folder should be renamed, then during reinstallation another folder should be specified as the catalog folder. So I did this and progressed past this error. The restarted app then asked me for my email address and validation code, which I provided. It rejected the email address saying it was invalid. I tried a few more times (typing it in and copying and pasting) to no avail. So I decided to raise a support ticket. It didn't take long to realise this wasn't going to be solved quickly. There were lots of people with this problem and no suggestions of how to fix it. And their support website itself stated that due to the "higher than average" number of support calls there may be a significant delay in getting my call attended to. So then I went back to the web page that I downloaded the app from to investigate their "30 day money back guarantee" but of course I can find no way to initiate this.

On this basis I would find it difficult to recommend Luminar 4 (or any of their other products). I'm happy to recant this if the problem is solved in a reasonable amount of time.

YMMV.

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Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

I like your tree shot! I too purchased Luminar 4 and had a similar problem in downloading the program. I sent in a ticket and they sent me an alternative link to download the program -- it was within a day or two. This link worked fine and the program was downloaded with no further problems.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

I wish I could help. I had no trouble installing the trial version or when I purchased the program. I'm sorry your experience soured you on the product, it has been a very rewarding program for me.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

My download went more smoothly than I could have asked for--no glitches, hiccups, etc. at all.

arathorn357 Loc: Sydney, Australia

My good and bad takes with L v4 -

Good - excellent for simple edits where the program helps improving images using its AI - takes less time to get to improved results than LR/PS, much quicker to learn and harder to forget than the much greater power and complexity of LR/PS - integrating layers into the one program saves time and effort - simpler to control files and folders. Time to get to a reasonable level of proficiency is also much less. The one off license payment per version appeals to me as against a subscription (USD to AUD$ conversion works badly against Oz subscribers).

Bad - Data asset management (DAM) and image finding is vastly less helpful than the amazing DAM in LR, reported crashes are greater (although up to v4.3.0 as of today I have not had any on my iMac or MacBook Pro), extent of image management and fine detail adjustment is vastly better than in L4, extent of learning materials both paid for and free on the web is way better with LR/PS.

I have decided to stick with Luminar as my primary image editor for the time being, but keep an old standalone version of LR for the odd occasion that an image warrants the extra time and effort to make its more complex edits - but as always YMMV.

joseph premanandan

i still prefer to keep lightroomCC and photoshop as the primary image editor and also keep Luminar4 for other editing process like replacement of skies and sky augmentation.

brian43053 Loc: Buffalo, NY

I had Luminar from day one so I just kept updating it as it progressed and had no problems with any updates. The only bad thing I have to say about it is - from day 1 I was being told the program was going to have some kind of DAM in it and i'm still waiting for it. Other than that - how did you add the birds in? I've started taking pics of sky when ever & where ever I see one I like. The were also some "packs" that you could buy that at one time were reasonably priced.

Gitchigumi Loc: Wake Forest, NC

Ditto! Although I must admit to not yet fully exploring the full range of its capabilities.

Toment Loc: FL, IL

No problems with mine. I’ve had all editions with no problems. But I use a Mac. I have the program on a pc and have had a few glitches, so I stick with Photos on the Mac.

SteveG Loc: Norh Carolina

I had similar issues. Their support IS a little slow, a day or so, but, they will solve any issues that you may have. Don't give up on it. Once you are dialed in. Just make sure you have sufficient computer power and you will be fine.

Linda S.

I too tried the trial version and absolutely loved it! I downloaded it and had problems from day one.

I contacted their support and their automated message said that they would contact me within a day or so. And they did!

Once I established a connection with support, they would tell me what changes to make. I would make the changes and screenshots of the results and send it back to them. They were very responsive. Alas it never worked!

I have Windows 10. They said I should wait to 4.3. I had purchased luminar 4 and all the add-ins. I especially wanted Aurora because I had recently returned from Iceland and I have one very weak Aurora shot and I wanted to make it better. T


They did want me to go into deep into the system files to make changes and I pushed back saying, no I'm not a programmer! I'm not doing that. And they accepted it.

They were very nice very responsive and I will try 4.3. And I did get my full payment back too.

Would definitely purchase from them again!

dbfalconer Loc: Salida CO

I had one issue with a missing folder but Luminar folks sent simple instructions promptly. My editing has improved since digging into Luminar 4. I’m not ready for LR. But I do wish they had a robust DAM.

cyclespeed Loc: Calgary, Alberta Canada

The DAM in the latest version ( 4.3.0 ) works very well. On a Mac I love the method of having the same filing system for folders as exists on the OS for the Mac. Now with the search function it is even better. Some of the processes that turn reality into something a FX studio would be proud to produce are not my cup of tea but the ability to enhance the basics in landscapes and portraits make it my go to application .

SteveG Loc: Norh Carolina

I heard that 4.3 is a LOT faster, using a he'll of lot less RAM. Is that what you are finding? Because I have a little older Macbook Pro that is sufficient hardware but, is a little slow because of all the memory that appears to be required.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

After using Luminar 4 for over a month, and after reading Jeff Carlson's "The Photographer's Guide to Luminar 4 (strongly recommended)," here are my takes:

Strengths:
- The sky replacement AI function is without peer.
- Many of the editing tools are superior to Lightroom.
- The Erase and Clone and Stamp Tools seem better than Lightroom, although not as good as Photoshop.

Weaknesses:
- No keywording. I think that's a serious deficiency for a DAM.
- Luminar can't utilize photos which have transparency. TIF's or PNG's come in with their transparency turned white. Oddly, in the AI Augmented Sky tool, it can utilize transparency, but only above the horizon. This is another serious weakness.
- Although you can bring in a second photo on a separate layer, apparently, it is not possible to open two photos at the same time.
- The layers function is limited compared to Photoshop. Also, Luminar cannot save layered Photoshop files.

So, for me, Luminar is a great addition to Lightroom and Photoshop, and I use it as a plugin to supplement both. But, as far as being a replacement for either, it's not yet ready for prime time.