Luminar 4 - latest before and after images

I have been playing around with some of the new features in Skylum's Luminar 4 (pre-release) and I have another pair of before and after images to share with you. Firstly, here is the before image:

Now this is an image I took on my FujiFilm X-T2 using my FujiFilm 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR lens. I had the camera on a tripod and the exposure was ISO 6400, aperture f/5, shutter speed 1/60 sec and focal length 70mm (105mm full-frame equivalent).

As you can see the image is a little dark which was intentional as I didn't want to over-expose the bright lights on the container ship and docks. Even so, when checking I could see that some of the brightest light sources were clipped but as they appear small in the image you don't notice them when viewing normally.

Now, as I was shooting well after sunset I know that once I correct the exposure there will be noise in the image and I will need to do something about that.

So, once I boosted the exposure to lighten the image I had to use the Denoise tool to reduce the visibility of both Luminosity and Colour Noise in the image. However, this had too much of an impact on the details of the ship and docks so I used the masking option in the Denoise tool to mask out those areas of the image that I didn't want the Denoise effect to impact on. I then did some modest Sharpening to bring out more details in the ship and docks.

I tweaked a few other setting such as dialling back the shadows, using the AI Enhance Tool to improve the overall look of the image. After these tweaks this is the final image:

You do need to see the images at a larger size to appreciate the changes so do click here to see the larger versions. I know that there isn't a great deal of difference (when you view in the blog post) but do check the images out at the larger size on my Flickr page.

If you wish to pre-order Luminar 4 you can do so here: Luminar Pre-order at a Special Price.

Update: If you buy the bundle that gives you Luminar 3 now, a collection of Luminar Looks and Luminar 4 when it is released, you can get an additional discount using my personal code newbeltane at checkout.

In the meantime be sure to check back for my post showing before and after images using the A! Sky Replacement feature. It's pretty awesome!

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Skylum Luminar 4 coming soon!

Luminar 4 is coming and with it will bring a host of new features! Check out the teaser video above.

I have been fortunate to be allowed early access and although we affiliates aren't allowed to show you the user interface yet(as it is still subject to last minuet changes) we can post before and after images, which I will do in another post very soon. However, before that, lets talk about some of the new features coming in Luminar 4.

Skylum brings AI-powered portrait and skin enhancement tools to Luminar 4

New human-aware tools to help photographers make portraits look amazing in less than 60 seconds —without the need for selections or masks.

AI Skin Enhancer and Portrait Enhancer:

will enable photographers to further develop and improve their portraits. These tools use machine learning to speed up the process, but contain detailed controls for even the most demanding photo editor.Previously, photographers would have to spend timeselectively editing their photographs, manually adjusting various tools through selections and masking. With Luminar 4, these tedious tools are a thing of the past. Not only can photographers take advantage of the time savings through Luminar 4’s AI Skin Enhancer and Portrait Enhancer tools, they can also sync the adjustments across multiple photos. The technology will adapt itself to each photograph, automatically fine-tuning the style of adjustments chosen by the photographer, making it work for each photo.

What is AI Skin Enhancer?

Thanks to the AI technology, faces and skin are automatically detected throughout a photo. AI Skin Enhancer allows photographers to automatically remove various skin imperfections like acne, freckles and moles, in addition to smoothing the skin. At the same time, skin pores and other small details like hair and eyelashes are preserved.Gone are the days of manually highlighting skin and face areas with tedious selections and masks. With AI Skin Enhancer, a person’s skin is retouched automatically, but you retain complete control over the strength of the improvement.Perfect for studio beauty shots or events like weddings, AI Skin Enhancer will help bring your creative vision to the forefront. Photographers can deliver a professional look in mere seconds that your portrait’s subject will never forget.

What is Portrait Enhancer?

Portrait Enhancer is a collection of tools that help improve the photo of any person in a natural, yet pleasing way. These tools are brand new to Luminar 4 making it now possible to highlight and improve primary features of a person’s face.

If you wish to pre-order Luminar 4 you can do so here: Luminar Pre-order at a Special Price.

In the meantime be sure to check back for my post showing before and after images using the A! Sky Replacement feature. It's pretty awesome!

Harwich across the Orwell from the beach at Landguard Point, Felixstowe ...

I recorded this from the beach near Landguard Point, Felixstowe. I used a Ricoh WG-M1 action camera that I bought cheaply in an auction "sold as seen" not knowing if I could get it to work or not. I did manage to do so and this is the first proper video I have recorded using it. It was recorded in 1080p at 30 fps in the Wide mode - hence the curved horizon. Next time I will try the medium mode (less wide-angle).



The viewpoint is across the River Orwell towards Harwich and at sunset. There is some flare in the lens due to it being pointed towards the setting sun but it helps give it a certain ambience. The sound track is "Feet on wood - the light descends", which I thought was appropriate. Its one a several tracks I got free from Cinema5D website a while ago. Check out their post here: https://www.cinema5d.com/filmstro-free-music-for-youtube-over-1000-royalty-free-music-tracks/



They also do great reviews and have regular news items about the industry so well-worth book-marking them.



Hope you enjoy my first foray into time-lapse video and I will be posting more soon. This time I filmed them on the Fuji X-H1.