Barn Owl

Have noticed some postings of images modified with Luminar. In checking with the Luminar homepage I'm not seeing a way to buy a single license for $35. Looks like to me there is also an annual fee in the mix. Are the exclusive tools included in the license or are those extras?
What do Photo Works users think about that program?
Both programs boast about their A-Intell capabilities.

tomad Loc: North Carolina

I own nearly every release of Luminar. I don't pay any annual fee but each release has cost me between $50 and $100. I don't believe I ever got one for as low as $35.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

I have Luminar 4 (but not Luminar AI). Lum 4 does a good job of sky replacement, but now, so does Photoshop CC. The other functions it provides are OK, but largely redundant if you have Photoshop and Lightroom. The cataloging function is unacceptable. So, no way I'd change to Luminar for my everyday editing needs.

Barn Owl

Dan, Thank you for your immediate and helpful response. I used AI as an abbreviation for artificial intelligence. I don't need redundancy or hobby results. Best to you and yours.

twosummers Loc: Melbourne Australia or Lincolnshire England

Luminar AI is very good app indeed. I use it almost daily. The AI version is a step up from Luminar 4. No annual subscriptions with any Skylum application. Go give them a try - free trial or money back.

PaulBrit Loc: Merlin, Southern Oregon

I was a perfectly happy user on my iMac of Luminar. Then I came across DxO PhotoLab and switched. Nothing but praises for the DxO software.

twosummers Loc: Melbourne Australia or Lincolnshire England

I agree - DXO Photolab is also a brilliant application. I use it alongside Aurora HDR and Luminar AI.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Luminar--I like it, along with ON1. There is no yearly fee with with either, and I’ve never seen a $35.00 offer for either.

uws Loc: nyc

There is no annual fee. Think the app is great except now in L-AI it consistently crashes when I use the erase tool. Skylum tech people can't figure it out. I'm really pissed.

Barn Owl

twosummers, Thanks for your advice.

Barn Owl

PaulBrit, Thanks for you advice. Looks like DxO PhotoLab is the right choice. Notice it cost more but still might be worth it.

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

I have Luminar 4 and have had all the previous versions...I really like it, does everything I need, no subscriptions, no annual fee, just for upgrades. Plugin's like Topaz Denoise and Topaz Sharpen work great. They have a free trial and if you don't like it, don't purchase it.

goldenyears Loc: Lake Osewgo

Luminar AI is my first full-featured photo editor. I was overwhelmed by the user-interface of the other products I looked at because I am not familiar with photo editing procedures in the first place. I chose Luminar AI because I was immediately able to understand the user interface. The user manual explains everything in simple english. I don't use the cataloging feature because for twenty years I've been organizing my images in my own way and I don't want to change. So I copy originals I want to work on into Luminar, copy the final product out of Luminar, and then purge the catalog. Purging the catalog leaves a lot of working files behind, so I periodically open the catalog and delete what's been left behind. The one feature I'd like to see is for Luminar to allow me to back out editing steps I ended up not liking. I heard that will be in a future release. I would guess that Luminar might not be for very knowledgeable and skilled photo editors because of its unique user interface. One of my first edits, attached, before and after.

Barn Owl

Goldenyears, Thank you for your helpful response. Best to you and yours.