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Macphun, the company behind the popular Aurora HDR software, has announced the development of a brand new software that aims to deliver a powerful non-destructive editing solution that you can customise according to your skill level and preferred genre of photography.
Luminar will have a built-in RAW converter with the usual adjustments you know and love such as colour temperature, exposure, contrast, color vibrance, clarity, polarisation and many other. But there is much more. You will find an editing brush, radial and gradient masks, the possibility to work with layers just like with Photoshop (blend modes included), spot healing, crop & transform, clone & stamp, noise reduction and many others.
Macphun aims to make this software as easy to use as possible, no matter your skill level. Judging from the first screenshots, the interface looks very similar to Aurora HDR which we had the chance to review on MirrorLessons. This is a positive thing as it means the app should be clear and intuitive to use just like Aurora. There will be four variations of this interface depending on how much you want to edit your photos. You will be able to choose between quick image fixes, photo enhancement with presets, intermediate level and advanced editing.
The software will also integrate different workspaces where you can display adjustment tools based on the type of image you are post-processing. Default workspaces included in the software are optimised for portrait, landscape, street, and black & white photography but you will have the chance to create your own personal workspace or import those by other photographers.
Luminar will feature over 35 filters with various effects including Tone & Exposure, Bi-Color, Photo Filter Emulation, Cross-Processing, Detail Enhancement and many more. Each filter category will include precise controls which can be used to refine the effect or save your own preset.
You will be able to change the order of the applied filters at any time and the software includes a history tab, allowing you to go back to any step at any time.
Like Aurora HDR, you will also find various presets with categories ranging from Outdoor to Portrait, Street to Drama and many others. You will have the possibility to create and save your own presets.
Macphun Luminar will work as a standalone software as well as a plugin and extension with other apps.
Luminar is now available to buy or try for free for a limited time. If you are curious to know more about the software, you can visit the Macphun official webpage.