Powerful Portrait Editing With Luminar Neo (But avoid THESE Tools!)

The software Luminar Neo makes Editing portraits easy and fun. But while it may all seem foolproof there are still tools I think you should avoid.
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[@AnthonyTurnham]

Don't have Neo yet? Skylum have just launched a summer sale bit.ly/NeoSale that saves up to a massive 82% off Luminar Neo AND in addition, you can ALSO use a coupon code they gave for my channel members AFF-T5C1C0 to save another 20% off the discounted amount. Whoop whoop! I really hope that helps you out! This should work for both the perpetual license and the subscription too. Enjoy😄

[@gpdoyon]

Excellent video! Your obvious skill with the product is obvious. I really like that you don’t think that every option is amazing and can thoughtfully discourage use of certain features. Thanks!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

I appreciate that! Thanks

[@therealtour360]

I got luminar neo because of you and really like it. Would love for you to do a video on hdr brackets and workflow for using both neo and Lightroom Classic.

[@watsoncrawford5296]

Excellent tutorial. Covered the basics but learned so many useful tips from tools I hadn’t used before. Many thanks indeed. Really looking forward to Barcelona.

[@phlotographer]

just on the edit alone, perhaps it might be suggested to crop the image to a vertical or even rotate the image so the subject is on an angle -- not overly aggressive. This will get rid of the heavy amount of brightness of the background. Alternatively, keep in mind about selection of the background at the time of camera exposure. Move the subject in this situation to her left and that will change the background and also increase the contrast between highlight and shadow. Additionally, if one uses a feminine attitude which means to turn the subject beginning with a 2/3 body position and with the body facing to her left and then turn the head toward the light which results in a nice S curve shape to the subject. By turning the subject to a 2/3 facial view this gives a nice look to the subject. The 2/3 view contains the eye inside the orbit when the nose is rotated one direction or the other and the nose will not pass the inner edge of the eye toward which the nose turns. Next one can address the use of the hand. In this image, it appears that there is 2 & 1/2 fingers amputated and the back of the hand is showing and there also is a strong amount of highlight on part of the hand. It is a good idea to use the edge of the hand and also based upon the direction of the camera the posed hand or "show" hand generally looks best if it is the hand closest to the camera. Make the fingers long and tall with a slight curve to them. A good method of learning how to pose hands is to take a pen and place it between the thumb and the index finger and just let it rest there while holding it vertically while also bending the hand at the wrist back toward the forearm of yourself and then just translate that to the subject from her position. Keep in mind this idea is for females and men are posed somewhat differently. You are likely to find that women will say that they don't have nice hands and can't pose them very well. Assure then that with the technique you know and understand the use of, the subject will be pleasantly surprised at the result. Practice on yourself or a family member or friend. For older subjects, don't try to get too creative with hands and try to use a masculine pose rather than the feminine pose. As usual, AT does a nice job of showing how and why various tools available in NEO will assist the final result of a portrait.

[@juliobarkan9529]

Anthony, thank you for this tutorial. Fantastic explanation on what to do with protraits that could use adjustments. Your knowledge sharing is greatly appreciated. I have had Luminar Neo for months and never used it till recently due to your videos. You are the best!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

🫡🙏 you're too kind. Thanks for the feedback 😀

[@AnthonyTurnham]

If portrait editing is something you do regularly you might want to check out Skylum's newly announced portrait editing software. It's aimed at professionals though so it's not going to be right for everyone. You can find out more here: bit.ly/ApertyPortrait Please note they've only got a limited number of pre-release licences available. I also did a video about it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZa3amqLbL94qrc

[@andrewmckinney3053]

Loved to editing process, Anthony. I'm not a portrait photographer, but was able to appreciate other insights you covered. Thanks!!

[@ChrisDurrant-pj7ln]

Great tutorial as usual Anthony. I don’t do a lot of portraits, but have been doing more recently, so this was really useful.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Great to hear!

[@Johnvandenburg]

I just love your tutorials. Thank you for the time and work you put into this.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

You are so welcome!

[@raylynch8419]

Great video with lots of good info. Nice and clear and to the point. Love your friendly no B/S manner! 🙂

[@AnthonyTurnham]

I appreciate that! Thanks :)

[@socalduck1]

Darn man! You are really good! I've enjoyed all of your presentations and have learned so much from you. Still you keep knocking it out of the ballpark. Your presentations just keep getting belter and better. I can hardly wait until you give us your Barcelona update when you get it. Thank you.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thanks. Really appreciate that. Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what Barcelona can do and sharing what I learn with you guys 😀

[@jonnyroids1482]

Another great video Anthony. Keep up the good work. Have a lovely week.

[@felixthecat1882]

Hi Anthony, new portrait AI technology on the way! Can't wait! 😸 Regards from, Felix the Cat. 😺

[@Rackmani]

Great video as ever Anthony - thank you kindly 🙏

[@AnthonyTurnham]

My pleasure!

[@jaumeolle3127]

Great tutorial, Anthony. Thank you!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

You're welcome 🙏

[@Centauri27]

Excellent comprehensive masterclass on portrait editing, Anthony! Many good tips--I never thought of using the Tilt-shift blur this way. One comment: it seems the masking for the portrait bokeh AI is "backwards" in this case. Normally the red mask indicates *where* the effect is applied, but here it indicates where the effect is *excluded*.

[@TheGreenHouseNetwork101]

Great walk-through as usual. I noticed that you didn't touch on shine removal though. I was hoping you may have some tips and tricks with this as I struggle with getting the tool to actually work on portraits that obviously have shine that could be reduced. Its pretty hit or miss with whether the tool decides to work or not on any given portrait. Either way, enjoy the content and looking forward to your next one.

[@SaintGabriel111]

Excellent, Tony. Thank you!

[@mauriciolee7349]

This is one of the BEST Luminar portrait edting videos I’ve ever seen. It’s so COMPREHENSIVE. One question plase, can I create a mask for the eyes & adjust the sharpness of this area only? Thank Anthony for such an Excellent job!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Absolutely you can Mauricio. Just apply the sharpening tool and set it to the amount that you feel looks right and then just use a brush to mask it in over the eyes. Easy peasy!

[@mauriciolee7349]

@@AnthonyTurnham Thanks again

[@ChemaPhoto]

Umpa lumpa hahaha love the tutorial!!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thanks man! 😁

[@TimMurphy-rk4py]

That was fab, chockful of useful info

[@mcdull9663]

Fabulous tutorial as always. Appreciate if you can provide the link on how to add own camera profile to Neo. Thanks

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi. Here's the link to the video I did on setting up profiles in Luminar Neo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@leonfisher]

Another terrific tutorial!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thanks Leon! 😊

[@ypebanbung-michael8865]

you are a great educater

[@mickypunjabi429]

YOUR A LEGEND...

[@idarPhotography]

brilliant, Anthony

[@davidmcc6666]

Excellent again, mate.

[@nigelchase2407]

Great, very well done.

[@Zebrajellyfishphoto]

I'm not sure the before/after of the hair, for example, on her forehead looks very good. I think this is one of the many reasons I've moved away from Neo to Evoto for portraits/headshots. Evoto is much more intuitive with these types of photos. Evoto is faster and cleaner in so many areas of touch up. Photoshop of course does this better too, albeit slower at times. Thanks for your wonderful work.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Yeah, To be fair I put the forehead hair removal squarely on me rather than the software. I didn't do a great job and rather than re-recording that bit and doing it correctly I just ploughed straight through. But, yeah, totally get where you're coming from. I think Luminar Neo does an OK job with protraits but it isn't portrait specific like some other more targeted programs. I think that's why Skylum are developing their new portrait app (Project Barcelona - pretty sure that name will get a revamp b4 launch!)

[@thierryhoornaert9950]

Thanks for the nive video, Anthony. Have you ever tried Face AI with people in shadows people having a darker/browner or asian skin? I had an issue with it yesterday with pictures from Thailand. Luminar Neo finds the body but not the face. I even had issues with Studio Light AI. I don't understand why Skylum does not adapt their features (or create new tools) for pets and other animals, wildlife etc. Maybe you could have a word with Skylum about that? I would love people to prove me wrong...

[@bullwaves6681]

A long video like that should be named each section.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Okay. Thanks for the feedback.

[@sigurdrille9693]

Thank you!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

You're welcome!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thanks for your support!

[@rather-reverend]

Wow. That was VERY instructive. (Among other things: I've FINALLY understood the difference between saturation and vibrance!) I'm curious: Would the results have been much different if you'd used the separate sharpening and noise reduction tools? Also: The AI erase tool? BTW, I'm not in love with the studio light. It's results tend to be ... interesting. I can sometimes get something I like, but it doesn't seem like the engine does a terrific job of creating a 3d model.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi, thanks 😊 If I'd used the AI for noise reduction it wouldn't have done too much, as it was shot with a low iso. The AI sharpening would have helped with the facial features.

[@shondaharvey6668]

@anthony turnham How do I get Develop Raw? I only have Develop. I have purchased all extensions

[@AnthonyTurnham]

​@shondaharvey6668 silly question, but are you developing a raw photo? If you're working on a jpeg then the tool can't be developRaw and will default to develop.

[@Kit2Canada]

Superb demo, thanks. I have lens question/opinion: Given that tele-lenses tend the flatten a subject and compress - and wide tend to do the opposite and enlarge features that are close to the camera - what are your go-to portrait lenses or “mm” if using a zoom lens?

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hmmm.... I don't have a go to as such. For example this was shot on a 50mm but I usually prefer between 85-150mm as a portrait sweet spot. 105 prime is a particular fav focal length but unfortunately my version doesn't focus as quickly as I'd like.

[@maureent.1141]

Anthony, love your channel! Any chance you can do a fine art portrait/painterly tutorial for Neo? I cannot find one just for portraits and would appreciate it!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hmmm, possibly. I do have a few requests from my channel supporters I'll need to prioritise. But I'll see what I can do. Do you have any inspiration? Artists/photographers whose work you admire?

[@chk3811]

Excellent

[@set2go]

"profiles" please.

[@ChemaPhoto]

New camera and new lens it is, the money truck is coming! 😂

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hahaha! You know it! 🤑

[@popoypinoyvlogs]

Thanks for this video really helpful. I saw one of your older video about working on layers and because Neo has no merge layer option, you exported a photo to Neo itself. How did you do that? I asked Skylum about it but they were not helpful. Appreciate it if you could help me with that? thank you.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hmmm yeah, a merge layers option. That's the dream right there. I actually spoke with the CEO and put in a personal request for this feature. Anyway, what I do currently is export as a 16bit tiff to a folder that Neo already has loaded into its library. The photo is then in a flattened state and imported immediately.

[@SandyOstroff]

Profiles

[@terryhopkins8059]

Hello Anthony, Do you Mainly/only edit with Neo? I'm guessing you use to use Lightroom and moved to Neo? Main reason for leaving Lightroom?

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi Terry. I still use and love Lightroom. I also use photoshop and Topaz. However I find myself using Neo more and more as it's feature set has evolved and it's become a very stable platform. My main reason though is that it's kinda like LR + PS. The dev raw in neo is akin to what you can do in lightroom and then all of the creative extras are more like the effects and finishing touches I'd do in photoshop. If you're a LR user and thinking of trying Neo they're currently in the closing stages of a summer sale bit.ly/NeoSale and they gave me a coupon code (AFF-T5C1C0) that save even more. Hope that helps if you're looking at switching 😀

[@DigitalPhotoMentor]

That's Yasia! When did you photograph her? Were you at one of the Skylum tours?

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Good spotting Darlene! Yes, I had the pleasure of meeting Yasia and few others from Skylum in the Azores. Turns out Yasia, Sabina and Thomas were all awesome willing models, which was great as the weather really wasn't up to much on the days we were going to shoot landscapes. So I decided to do some portraits instead...

[@DigitalPhotoMentor]

​@@AnthonyTurnhamnice! I met her in Madeira last year with Ivan and other team members.

[@DigitalPhotoMentor]

@@AnthonyTurnham Hey what microphone are you using? Is that one of the Shure ones? I have a Rode but it picks up too much room noise. Have looked at so many others and somebody told me the Shure has to be really close to your mouth. What is your experience and which model is that?

[@AnthonyTurnham]

@@DigitalPhotoMentor Hi Darlene. It's the Shure MV7, and yes for best results you need to be just about kissing that badboy. I've managed to get okay audio (well better than the Rode I was using) by building a preset in Adobe Audition that cleans up the signal, removes any noise and then gives it a boost to make up for the quite signal. TBH it's okay but not the solution I was hoping for. I reckon if it was on a boom near my chops it'd be great... (I've just seen they do a newer Shure MV7+ perhaps they've improved it...)

[@DigitalPhotoMentor]

@@AnthonyTurnham Yeah that tracks with what I've been told about the distance to the mic needed. That looks like the new one which is USB and XLR, is yours just USB? I was actually looking at the SM7dB, a model up from that one.

[@igorgoga7985]

profiles

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi. Here's the link to the video I did on setting up profiles in Luminar Neo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@jbmedia8882]

What about the fly away hairs ?

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Tbh, while Neo is an acceptible portrait editor, it's not designed for subtleties like flyaway hairs (Although you could clone them out). Their newer software is designed to tackle portrait-specific issues like flyaways etc. _(bit.ly/ApertyPortrait) I also did a video previewing it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZa3amqLbL94qrc

[@greenvgx96]

I have Luminar Neo version 1.20.0 (17855). What version do you have? I'm trying to follow this tutorial and my version is different from yours. I don't see a section for camera profiles.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

You're shooting raw? and you're in the develop raw tool? Not just the develop tool? You may need this video... kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@igorgoga7985]

For the love of me, I can't fully understand masking concept. Sometimes you apply a change and go to the mask and I don't quite understand what the mask is painting with....

[@AnthonyTurnham]

It's painting in whatever change you saw me make initially. So for example initially all colours shifted throughout the photo and then I masked it in to show only in the hair. I'll see about a dedicated masking video...

[@igorgoga7985]

@@AnthonyTurnham I would be so happy about a video like this as everyone takes it for granted when they explain other things, such is "to which state does the mask refer to in a particular situation", you mask to already enabled settings or to settings that you are about to enable kind of thing

[@AnthonyTurnham]

@@igorgoga7985 Sure thing. I get it. I'll see what I can do in a future vid.

[@igorgoga7985]

@@AnthonyTurnham Another video topic Anthony: no one mentioned it anywhere in any editing video of any program. What is the "safest way" to edit if you have slight colour blindness. Imagine, 20% of the male population has it and many like photography......

[@ncc1701BB]

Profiles please.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi. Here's the link to the video I did on setting up profiles in Luminar Neo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@johnashburn4654]

really screwed up the hair removal.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

😆 yeah, not my finest work on that bit. Give me cloning any day 😜

[@mickypunjabi429]

PROFILES...

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi. Here's the link to the video I did on setting up profiles in Luminar Neo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@Bowiehair]

Profile

[@junotfranco7197]

Profiles

[@1Hackbone]

profiles

[@1Hackbone]

Downloaded the file but no folder of cameras. I get the main program for working on dng files only.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi. Here's the link to the video I did on setting up profiles in Luminar Neo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@michaelgriffin1179]

Profiles

[@barnesdpi1]

Profiles

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Here ya go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi. Here's the link to the video I did on setting up profiles in Luminar Neo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@21Virtues]

profiles

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi. Here's the link to the video I did on setting up profiles in Luminar Neo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@rogerhakansson8957]

Profiles

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi. Here's the link to the video I did on setting up profiles in Luminar Neo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@jpsatre]

Profiles

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi. Here's the link to the video I did on setting up profiles in Luminar Neo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXupm3mvpNl7pqc

[@jpsatre]

@@AnthonyTurnham thank you! Bless you!