Which Sky Replacement App is BEST - Luminar, On1 or Photoshop?

[@AnthonyMorganti]

In this tutorial, I demo and compare the sky replacements capabilities of Luminar AI, On1 Photo Raw 2022, and Photoshop. A couple of things I want to note that I didn't mention in the video: 1.) With Luminar AI, notice the haloing of the reflection around the trees. I've found that to be a common issue with the reflection in Luminar AI. 2.) In the video, I struggled to rotate the mask in Luminar AI. You have to move the cursor off the image to the left or right to rotate the mask. Please note that I am an affiliate for all of the companies listed below except Affinity Photo and I will benefit financially if you purchase their product using the links below. Please read my Code of Ethics Statement: onlinephotographytraining.com/code-of-ethics/ The Best Sky Images I've Seen Available -- Ocudrone - bit.ly/3vtDpjR *Save 10% with Discount Code: Anthony10 Anthony Morganti’s MUST HAVE applications (Note that discount codes may not work on sale products): At least one Non-Destructive RAW Editor Lightroom - bit.ly/2zwQ0nW Capture One - captureone.38d4qb.net/y1Djy Luminar - bit.ly/2JUJxKw (Save with the Promo Code AM16) On1 Photo RAW - bit.ly/2zJmA9I (Save 20% with Promo Code: AM17) Exposure X6 - bit.ly/2U8UxrK (Save 10% with Promo Code: AnthonyMorganti) PhotoLab 4: tidd.ly/2HhiN9X At least one FULL Editing App: Photoshop - bit.ly/2zwQ0nW Affinity Photo - affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/ My MUST-HAVE Plugins: Topaz Gigapixel AI - bit.ly/3cDqa5J Topaz Sharpen AI - bit.ly/3cDqa5J Topaz Denoise AI - bit.ly/3cDqa5J *Save 15% on all Topaz Labs apps - use the Promo Code: AMDISC15 or instead of Topaz Denoise AI: On1 NoNoise AI - bit.ly/2zJmA9I (Save 20% with Promo Code: AM17) Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 - tidd.ly/3dc4gYm The Best Sky Images I've Seen Available -- Ocudrone - bit.ly/3vtDpjR *Save 10% with Discount Code: Morganti10 My MUST-HAVE Mac Utility: CleanMyMac X - Info: bit.ly/3jtVpU3 To save 10% on your purchase of CleanMyMac X: 1. Visit the CleanMyMac X store: bit.ly/3bEMuMx 2. Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and click on "Enter it now" under "Already have a coupon code?" 3. Paste the promo code TONY10 and hit "Verify" 4. The prices will be reduced, and you’ll be able to select the license and proceed with the payment ** Note that all of the promo codes listed above may not work on sale products. *** I am an affiliate for all of the companies listed EXCEPT Affinity Photo. Please read my Code of Ethics Statement: onlinephotographytraining.com/code-of-ethics/ Please follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/anthonymorganti/ View my recommended gear list: www.amazon.com/shop/anthonymorganti As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I use this software to record my screen and make parts of my screen enlarge and zoom out so you can see it: Screenflow: telestream.pxf.io/DMrW2 Unsure of how to price your photography? Check the 2019 Guide to Pricing Your Photography: amzn.to/2S1CiU7 I am an affiliate for all of the companies listed EXCEPT Affinity Photo. Please read my Code of Ethics Statement here: onlinephotographytraining.com/code-of-ethics/ Thank you!

[@branchau]

I use the three applications and feel you made a fair and useful comparison of their sky replacement capabilities and limitations Anthony. I bet the three developers are hearing you loud and clear.

[@donjohnson4983]

As always, this was a great job, Anthony/ As for the reflection in Luminar AI, I think it is fairly close to being correct. Remember that the sky is several miles (maybe more than fifty miles or even more) behind the structure and you will not see the same sky in the reflection. It's a matter of physics. I know what you're saying though (been a photographer since 1968) and there should be an adjustment for the reflection for those of us who want to make the result more pleasing to the eye.

[@georgekossieris6734]

Very nice comparison Anthony. In Luminar however you can control the reflection by moving the horizon line lower. Horizon practically means where the reflections start, so in your example if you move it a bit down you will see the reflection just fine ;-)

[@raynichol8959]

With respect to Luminar AI, I solve the problem by positioning the sky in the first image opened in Luminar, and then in a second identical copy of the original image I correctly place the reflection. Then it’s a simple process of copying the correct placement of the reflection from the second image and add it as a layer on top of the reflection in the image which has the correct placement of the sky using Photoshop. Thanks for all your great videos.

[@ChristiaanRoest79]

Anthony, if you flip the canvas in Photoshop and new add the sky you will have the reflection which is fully editable. I prefer lowering the opacity so it looks more natural.

[@RussellMcCollom]

Very good info Anthony.

[@hVF8KZuQPeCc8u]

Good comparison video. I do not have On1 but do have Luminar AI and Photoshop. Two things I noticed with Luminar are first, that on occasion the original sky shows through the replacement sky and second, if the sky area is too small it won't even be recognized. Photoshop is much better with the second issue. Also, I have watched a couple tutorials on how to easily do sky reflections in Photoshop. But I would imagine they'll have that capability built in the near future.

[@jimwalsh9514]

Great Info Anthony. Many thanks!

[@nealwalters6550]

In Photoshop wouldn't you just duplicate the sky layer, flip it vertically and then position it to get the reflection. Obviously play with opacity etc. I've seen this done and it seems to work very well even though it's a bit beyond the one-click solution.

[@ChristiaanRoest79]

Haha i mentioned the same. Blade Rudis made a good tutorial about this on his KZbin channel. I flip the canvas and re add the sky for the reflection. Works perfectly

[@charleshaacker9568]

@@ChristiaanRoest79 I wondered about that, too. I use only Photoshop, but the thing about Photoshop is it is very amenable to workarounds.

[@The_Blueyonder]

Still deciding between upgrading to On1 22 and buying Neo.

[@BuddyMoran]

With the Photoshop Sky Replacement, if you made temperature and brightness adjustments before finishing the sky adjustments, there would be Color Adjustment and Brightness/Contrast adjustment layers added in the Sky Replacement group. This will allow you to readjust the sky after the initial adjustments. If you didn't make the initial adjustments, you can just add these adjustment layers in the Sky Replacement group and then make these adjustments. You can also add other adjustments layers, like Hue/Saturation, to adjust the way the replace sky looks.

[@thomaslabash2060]

Thank you for doing this. I use Photoshop and Luminar for this function. Personally I find Luminar more user friendly for this particular job. The photoshop “lag”makes me crazy. At first I thought it was my hardware.

[@devroombagchus7460]

Thanks a lot. I only have Luminar AI and hate to have my screen changed and have to familiarize myself again with new sliders etc. So, it’s good to know what the limitations are with what I have now.

[@paulwickingstad6663]

Just to let you know, Topaz Mask AI does a pretty good job of replacing a sky.

[@trueskatewithsam5275]

Thank you for showing me photoshop does sky replacement very easily I will have to try this. Do you have to download sky images or are there some already on photoshop?

[@DannyFyffe]

Anthony: I use On1 2022 exclusively. You can paint that sky out of those structures. It is painful, but it can be done. Also, it isn't just manmade structures where the sky swap has issues. I have a number of mountain pics and on the highest peaks I have to paint the sky off of the peaks. It only takes seconds and the sky sap looks good. So your complaint is legitimate, but the sky can be painted out.

[@alangauld6079]

Still doing sky replacement using Affinity, painful. Preordered Neo, awaiting its release. Thanks for the vid.

[@seamusbrennan6302]

Thanks Anthony, I'm getting back on track thank you. Your diction is not as sharp as it was 5 years ago, just a little bit rushed in places but a great video nonetheless. In this context which do you think might be the better, Luminar-AI or Neo?

[@vinnyg2619]

I think it's a start but they seem to have fine masking issues, hopefully it'll get better as time goes on. I notice that there is a line of the underlying sky in all 3 where the mask starts, maybe a little less so in the PS version. I know these were not tweaked to give the best outcome. Some users of the ON1 version claim to get good results by using a sky similar to the replacement sky or blending the transition area. I'm not on RAW 2022 so no experience with it, have always tried luminosity or color range masks and it always screwed up the tree line.

[@behramcooper3691]

Let's hope Luminar Neo has more adjustments for the sky replacement.

[@ericmaginnis]

I have to think that Photoshop is taking this into consideration for future updates. (Fingers crossed.). I've also used ON1, but, until they get the structure problem out of the way, that's a no go. Luminar is shooting itself in the foot by not incorporating (at least some) of the changes into existing versions. Instead, you have to buy each new product as it comes out. That's also a no go for me. Thanks, as always, for your analysis, Anthony.

[@happytowoodcarve]

Lightleap allows you to replace the background

[@joaquimsousa3319]

Very interesting video. I saw that there are a lot of sky profiles, which I don't have. Where did you get all these skys profiles? thank you

[@meg-a-bytes]

Every test i see of sky replacement always uses a photo with a relatively level horizon line. Thats nice but it is not always the case, for example a city skyline will have buildings that are not all the same height. I did a comparison of On1 and PS where the photo had objects that intruded higher into the sky (boat mast). On1 applied the sky over the mast where as PS did a very good job of ignoring the mast when applying the sky. I also have a picture of the Statue of Liberty taken from a tour boat. The poor lady got obliterated by On1.

[@CWReace]

Interesting to see, but something I personally only use for "fun" now and then, so I'm not going to buy another tool just for that. :)

[@siriusestrela]

Thanks for the great video. I find it strange that allways you speak there is a light problem with the sound. like a buzz. Thanks again.

[@Lucamitm]

Hi, between luminar and photoshop which one does the best masking for you, say trees and city scapes that are typically hard to mask yourself? Im struggling with photoshop with this specially when i have an almost blown out sky. Or how can i effectively improve that using the 2 masks there ? Thanks

[@Ekko_Sagas]

Photoshop flip or turn the photo ..water at top, install sky. Flip back then instal sky…

[@rakneuro]

Yes, this is an easy and effective way to add the reflection in PS.

[@timotmon]

For what we pay to keep Adobe products running on our machines, is it really too much to ask that they at least match what the competition can do with new features?

[@eddiek8179]

Sky Replacement is only a small minor part of what Photoshop has in its inventory. These are new features it has added and will continue to enhance. There's a whole boatload of stuff that Photoshop does that Luminar can't do at all nor has it inn its system. Shall we just summarily judge Luminar based on that alone?

[@timotmon]

@@eddiek8179 I get it, I'm a 20+ year photoshop user. My point is that when you compare costs, a one time fee for Luminar or On1 or a 20 dollar a month subscription for life if you just want to use PS, it's hard to not roll the eyes when Adobe introduces a new feature that doesn't even measure up to a smaller developers capabilities. I'm not even asking for the new feature to be better, just be as good or don't even add the feature, concentrate somewhere else.

[@duncanmcewan1024]

At one time Luminar had sky replacement in Luminar 4, so they have been doing this far longer than the others. When they came out with AI they removed sky replacement from all subsequent downloads of Luninar 4. I had to reinstall Luminar 4 due to a system failure that required a complete reload of Windows 10. I was not impressed with Luminar's customer service!

[@patricklehmann8232]

Luminar

[@cadman_on_tour4528]

Definition of artificial intelligence: a photographer who needs to replace the sky.

[@DLMVegas]

Thanks for the comparison Anthony. My opinion, before even watching, is that Photoshop shouldn't even be in the mix for a comparison. I think the Sky Replace tool in Photoshop is garbage like their Select and Mask function still is.

[@PalmFronds]

The fact that On1does not recognize man made objects is a deal breaker for me. I'll pass on that one. My favorite sky replacement application is Luminar. I am hopeful that they will fix the reflection issue in the near future.

[@mikekay6288]

Looks like, overall, none of the three are good enough. Hopefully they will act on your reporting of shortcomings. Mike in Oz

[@TheHomikron]

There is an important advantage of photoshop. Luminar can't change the sky, if the sky is small, but photoshop can do it.

[@Eigil_Skovgaard]

Why don't you show the subtle controls zoomed in, so your audience has a chance to see what you are operating with???

[@josecolon8143]

In photoshop for reflections you should always choose new layers. Then the rest is simple, you duplicate the sky layer invert it, reposition it, fix/refine the mask, and adjust brightness and contrast! Simple! What’s the big deal? Photoshop is simply superior, don’t waste money guys just pay 9.99

[@ChristiaanRoest79]

Exactly!! I flip the canvas in photoshop and re add the sky lower the opacity and some additional edits.

[@josecolon8143]

@@ChristiaanRoest79 yep a simple fix

[@robertyanal3818]

Just remember … if you do “sky replacement” the result is no longer your work.

[@grosema]

I am Glad I dont have On1 - useless .......... I hope Luminar NEO does a better job as I have it pre-ordered ....... I Like PS the Best myself if I need a reflection I just put it in myself ... I just wish PS had a faster way of adding Sky's I have to add them 1 at a time and I have 2000 skys

[@douglasriddle6447]

Thanks for another great lesson. But, in my opinion, replacing the sky is not photography, but graphic design. And if you don't acknowledge that the "photo" is a composite, you are not being completely honest with the viewer. Don't need anyone to agree or not, just where I set the bar for my own work.

[@thomaslabash2060]

I hope that you are not losing sleep over this point.

[@douglasriddle6447]

@@thomaslabash2060 Nope, and neither are my clients

[@josecolon8143]

You can re adjust till times end so don’t misguide newbies please

[@josecolon8143]

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