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Luminar Neo

Skylum's AI-led photo editor for Mac and Windows, sold as a lifetime licence.

PaidPhoto editing apps
Visit Luminar NeoSee 6 alternatives
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5 of 5
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About Luminar Neo

Luminar Neo from Skylum puts AI tools front and centre: sky replacement, relighting with depth estimation, portrait and skin retouching, background removal, and generative erase, swap and expand. Edits are built from stacked tools with masking, and it works both as a standalone app with a basic catalogue and as a plug-in for Photoshop, Lightroom and Apple Photos. It suits photographers who want striking results quickly rather than fine manual control, and its library management is lighter than Lightroom's. Skylum sells perpetual licences for desktop only or for desktop, mobile and web together, and a top tier that bundles a year of new features and generative tools; generative features are otherwise time-limited or require the Luminar Prime subscription. Prices are heavily and frequently discounted. The desktop app runs on macOS and Windows, with mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Best for: Hobbyists who want fast AI sky, light and portrait edits without a subscription.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Quick AI tools for skies, relighting and portraits
  • Perpetual licence options instead of a required subscription
  • Works as a plug-in for Photoshop, Lightroom and Apple Photos

Why people leave

  • Generative tools are time-limited unless you subscribe
  • Library and organising features are basic
  • Constant promotions make the real price hard to judge

Top Luminar Neo alternatives

See all 6
  1. 1Adobe Lightroom logo
    Adobe Lightroom

    Stronger organising and sync across devices, with its own AI masking and Generative Remove.

    66.5
  2. 2ON1 Photo RAW logo
    ON1 Photo RAW

    Also a perpetual licence, with a fuller catalogue and layers alongside AI tools.

    62.6
  3. 3Photomator logo
    Photomator

    A Mac and iPhone editor with AI selections and batch edits, tied into Apple Photos.

    57.2
  4. 4PhotoDirector logo
    PhotoDirector

    Windows editor with many one-click AI effects and a free version to try.

    55.3
  5. 5darktable logo
    darktable

    Free and open source for those who prefer manual control over AI effects.

    53.6

Why people left Luminar Neo

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Luminar Neo: common questions

Is Luminar Neo free?

No, Luminar Neo is a paid product.

Is Luminar Neo open source?

No, Luminar Neo is not open source. Open-source alternatives include darktable.

What platforms does Luminar Neo run on?

Luminar Neo is available for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Luminar Neo?

The highest-ranked Luminar Neo alternatives right now are Adobe Lightroom, ON1 Photo RAW and Photomator. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 6 Luminar Neo alternatives