Until now, Macphun has specialized in one-off apps that focus on various editing techniques and styles. Luminar is the company’s first attempt at creating an all-in-one solution for photographers designed to “tackle any of your photography needs, and provide you with the ultimate photo editing comfort.”
In the introduction blog post, Macphun said Luminar kept the team “awake longer than any other product” they’ve released.” The result is a program that focuses on simplicity and creativity above all else.
Like Adobe Photoshop and Affinity Photo, Luminar features an adaptive user interface (UI) to help you customize the look of the program to fit your specific editing workflow.
Luminar offers native RAW photo support, a must-have feature if you’re serious about your photography and want the most from every image, whether it was captured on your high-end DSLR or RAW-capable smartphone.
Other features include layers, custom textures, brushes, and masking tools. Also included is noise reduction, a healing tool, crop/transform tool, plugin support and integrated presets for quick image adjustments.
All in all, Luminar looks promising. Don’t expect to have all of the tools and features of Photoshop, but if you want the most basic of editing tools in an all-in-one program, Luminar seems more than capable at a much lower price point.
Luminar costs just $59. And, unlike Adobe’s Creative Cloud, it’s a one-time purchase. If you want to take it for a little spin before you drop the dough on it, Macphun also offers a trial version.
