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Photography Blog

Adobe Alternative: Luminar 2018 Photo Editing Software Review

December 16, 2017 · Nate Kay

Luminar 2018, for Mac and Windows, is a universal all-in-one photo app designed to offer everything a modern photographer needs for photo editing. Luminar features advanced controls that are easy to use. Intelligent filters like Accent AI make it easy to get a great-looking image in seconds. Users will also benefit from new intelligent filters and real-time noise removal. With default and custom adaptive workspaces tailored to match styles of shooting, and scores of one-click categorized presets, Luminar delivers a complete experience that avoids clutter and complexity.

luminar
“With Luminar we don’t want to simply build another photo editor. But we want to bring photographers the first real Adobe alternative”, said Alex Tsepko, CEO of Skylum. “We understand it’s a big promise, and a huge responsibility, but the positive feedback we have heard from thousands of photographers proves that we’re on the right track. Luminar is becoming a default photo software for more and more creatives, and we will continue to work hard to keep this momentum going.”

Here are a few before and after shots of photos that were edited using Luminar 2018.

Fausto Meini – San Quirico d’Orcia (before)
Fausto Meini_San Quirico d'Orcia_Before

Fausto Meini – San Quirico d’Orcia (after)
Fausto Meini_San Quirico d'Orcia_After

Karen Hutton – Louvre Awakens (before)
Karen Hutton_LouvreAwakens-before

Karen Hutton – Louvre Awakens (after)
Karen Hutton_LouvreAwakens-after

Caroline Madsen – Portrait (before)
Caroline Madsen_Lauren_Before

Caroline Madsen – Portrait (after)
Caroline Madsen_Lauren_After

Macphun is currently rebranding to Skylum to demonstrate their dedication to photographers and successful photo specific software development. They’ve created a lot of wonderful apps over the years, but their most popular software products have always focused on photography applications, and that’s where the future looks to be going for this product. We’ve been using their photo apps for years, and love the progress and focus that’s been made to make this editing software top notch, at an affordable price!

And if you’ve already used Adobe in the past, Luminar is compatible with their plug-ins and offers many more options and control with them. Although we are big fans of Adobe, it’s become very apparent, with the development over the years that we’ve seen, that Luminar has become a worthy alternative to Adobe. We recommend Luminar to anyone, especially the hobby photographer who really isn’t excited about how expensive Adobe products like Photoshop and Lightroom are.

luminar 2018

Right now Luminar 2018 is being offered for only $69 for new users, and if you purchase it over the holidays, you’ll also receive over $150 worth of add-ons, including: Capture Adventures in Photography eBook, The Shotkit eBook, 500+ Sky overlays, Sky replacement, and the Festive Preset Pack.

And this review offers a bonus! Use coupon code PHOTOARGUS to get an extra $10 off, a deal that only goes through the holidays. Check out Luminar 2018 today as well as all of the other products offered to take advantage of the best time of year to purchase fantastic photo editing software.

If you appreciate a simple, inexpensive, high-quality alternative to Adobe, then you need to check out Luminar. Learn more at macphun.com/luminar where you can compare products, competitors, and take advantage of their 2 week free trial.

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