Compositing with Layers in Luminar NEO - Fully Explained Walkthrough

Get Luminar NEO here using discount code ATNEO: bit.ly/Luminar... This photo editing tutorial looks at layers in Luminar NEO and how we can use elements from different layers to create a composite. I've been asked to go a bit slower and more in depth by some of my viewers, so in this one, I offer a complete walkthrough of the photo editing process. So if you struggle to know what to do to a photo or why you'd do it, I hope by watching my entire process it will give you some ideas.
We'll dive deep into several topics including how to apply multiple instances of the sunrays filter to achieve more three dimensionality. We'll also be using a lot of masks to control our effects specifically where we want them.
Concepts covered include:
Masking
Layers
Matching elements in a composite
Colour changes
Colour grading
Creative tools
Atmosphere AI for fog
Sunrays
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[@M1n1Eagle]

Anthony, you’re not only extremely entertaining, you’re a master teacher!! Thank you for what you do and how you do it! I’ve learned SOOO much!!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

and thanks for your support. I really appreciate it.

[@arpearce4416]

Thank you for going slower! I think this video will be one I'll watch over and over. Now to try doing one for my granddaughter.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

That's great to hear. Thank you.

[@waynejones1054]

WOW! Fantastic tutorial - lots of great ideas to try out. Many thanks. 👍👍

[@mikesrandomchannel]

What an absolutely fantastic walkthrough - and I don’t even have Neo. But so much of your workflow and thought process can be applied in a sense to any tool. And, like a good audio track, the really essential things, the pose, the main lighting, the scene, are not to be fixed in post 😊

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thank you 🙏

[@MWTH37]

Brilliant Anthony and thanks for sharing

[@gabriele.bruebach]

Fantastic video about masking and layers 👍

[@canuckdon]

Anthony, your videos are so insructional. Thanks

[@4score]

That was an amazing tutorial. I LOVED watching you think and act out loud. This approach is so valuable to those who want to learn.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thank you so much! Glad it was helpful!

[@lizatong1]

Thanks, Anthony! Beautiful photo!

[@wellwellmedia]

This was really interesting and helpful, thanks a lot!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thanks 😀

[@ArminHirmer]

that was excellent! you have an amazing eye for all the small things and the knowledge how to fix them. perfect

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thank you very much! 😀

[@thisarfingai]

Thank you so much for this. I loved following your workflow, often times that is what is missing in tutorial videos - seeing the tool at use IN CONTEXT adds a very important layer of understanding. It has helped me so much. And I'm sure that your daughter absolutely loved the end result.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thanks! Yes, she sure did 😁

[@erichurrell5262]

As a more technical engineer, I have one question why did you not use a blend mode to remove the slight halo on the front of your daughter in front of background trees and the left part of her uplifted leg. The highlight on the front of that leg works with your sun ray from the top centre right . Thanks for the detail you put into our videos

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi Eric. Good question. I'm not 100% sure I'm getting exactly where you're referring to, but, if it's the backlit highlight on her from the light, it was intentional as I wanted it to mimic the direction of the fake sun I would introduce to the photo. So I didn't want to remove it.

[@14luey]

Cheers Anthony. In luminar AI i really liked the overall slider called 'your template' on the bottom right that let you decrease your adjustments applied to the whole image. That came in handy when I thought I overedited my image. I hope neo brings that slider back!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Yes! Totally! Fingers crossed that slider cones back!

[@rybread81]

Your videos are so helpful in my creative process.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@grandegulo]

Wonderful!

[@erniedozzi1411]

Great job. Easy to follow.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jlopez7596]

I learn something just watching your process. I helps me think about what can I improve on mine. While i find luminar a little clunky with what feels like to many clicks or the lack of simple features such as layer flattening i think are still moving in the right direction especially for the cost. I love their sunrays, mystical and orton soft effect for these types of portraits. Thank you for sharing and luminar keep up the good work.

[@hannahmountry5030]

Love your longer format videos. I always learn so much. Thank you!

[@TLeightonWomack]

Wonderful job.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thank you so much Tom 😀

[@nicholaspv]

I just love this tutorial. I have been looking for a way to combine a series of engagement images that I took as the ring was removed and he was kneeling down and opening the ring box. I want to combine them so show the progression. Do you imagine this technique working for this situation? I have tried what I call for lack of a better word stacking the images but the more I stacked the less you could see the first image no matter how much I turned down the opacity. I think this might work much better.

[@142jmir]

A simple job became too complex, I appreciated some of the techniques I could use.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thanks for the feedback. Just wondering what steps you would have omitted to simplify the process. I agree that I didn't NEED to do what I did, but I did feel that each tool had a purpose and reason for being used. I did a version in about 5mins in preparation for the vid, but the finished shot wasn't nearly as aesthetically refined. Anyway, yes I'm curious what tools you would have left out or how you would have simplified the process while keeping a high level in the finished image? Cheers 🙂

[@phlotographer]

@@AnthonyTurnham At the time I wondered when dealing with your daughter alone whether you could have gotten the effect you wanted by using Accent Ai? Creators seem to have forgotten that tool once they moved from LAi to NEO. Nice video with lots of info. Always enjoy your insights. Being an old schools pro wedding photographer, I always looked for that type of situation but done with natural light as I never used artificial light outdoors but often could find spots where I would get around a 5 light effect with only natural light. Had to work fast and we did not do many images of the same shot as each image on the Hassy was $1 and most of the time only about 120 images done on a job. Retired before the digital age.

[@elizabethbaker1605]

Love the video. Don't suppose you would share your pictures used in the video so we can do editing of the same photos you are using, while watching your video. I'm having a hard time finding any photos that I have that would work.

[@iSheree]

Great video thank you! Learnt heaps! :D

[@MrGregRitter]

Fantastic! Thank you for this explanation 😊. Any chance of doing Flambient with this new Neo update?

[@ArminHirmer]

yep, that was my question too

[@errolikalina1998]

Just subbed! Love your videos.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thanks for subbing! 😀

[@gregorychard]

G'day Anthony What an amazing composite! The main problem (well with me, anyway) with Neo, is that it's so easy to use and you can go overboard with 'playing' around. There was one tool that you didn't use, that may help you was the Golden Hour tool- to add some oranges toning in the foliage. I loved the overall mystique effect. Havagooday mate Greg

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Yes I totally agree. A bit of restraint can go a long way! It's very easy to get carried away. And, yes, the golden hour would have been a good option for sure! I think that's a good sign of your knowledge where you can watch someone edit and say, y'know what, I would have done it this way, or I would have tried that... Thanks Greg. Cheers for watching and commenting!

[@gregorychard]

@@AnthonyTurnham G'day Anthony I hoped that I wasn't too forward in my comment about Golden Hour. I always love watching your channel on Neo and AI and I think that you are one of the best, if not the best in explaining your methods. I always come out from watching them with some new insights in your transformation from an average photo to an awesome piece of art. In Australia there's a saying 'there're more than one way to skin a cat'. Havagoodweekend mate Greg

[@AnthonyTurnham]

All good Greg. I agree the Golden Hour slider would have worked well. Yes, more than one way to skin a cat! 🐈😿

[@RuslanaLyuznyak]

Great video👍 Currently I'm searching for one solid piece of software to replace Lightroom and Photoshop and I believe that Luminar Neo has all the potential to become such software but I still lack certain features and options like ability to clone and stamp manually, ability to name, merge and group layers, ability to add adjustment layers like in Photoshop, and some new cool AI feature to remove specifically flyaway hair would be awsome🙌

[@LanzaroteShowcase]

You can now clone and stamp in the latest update, it works fine.

[@erichurrell5262]

you remind me of my late wife. She loved to edit, rework and stylise her copious

[@felixthecat1882]

Hi Anthony! Another beautiful edit with Luminar Neo, does Amelia do acrobatics, or is she just a very active girl?😺 Back on Luminar, I still miss the 'clone stamp' tool though, it would make cutting out the artificial lamp a lot easier, what do you think? Regards. Felix the Cat. 😺

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi Felix. She's a self taught gymnast. No fear. Very flexible. Pretty amazing really. I mean, how do you just teach yourself a backflip? Yes clone and stamp is right up there on my wish list. It'll come. If I've got an option for a true clean background plate vs stealing bits to fake the background I'll still opt for a background plate every time. But, yes, many instances when a clone and stamp would be ultra helpful!

[@intothebigworld]

Great video 👍🏽 You mentioned you use a drawing tablet, what would you recommend? I've been reading there are sensitivity issues, does this still happen? Keep the great content coming 😊

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Thanks. I put a link in the description.

[@felixthecat1882]

Hi again Anthony! Another problem, as you have pointed out, is the inability to merge layers as you can in other software like PaintShop Pro and Affinity Photo! Regards. Felix the Cat. 😾

[@AnthonyTurnham]

True!

[@amnonsuodai9145]

GREAT VIDEO AS ALWAYS. I HAVE REQUEST TO YOU PLEASE .CAN YOU DO VIDEO ON--How to Add Birds to Photos in Luminar NEO (AS layers & WHERE I CAN GET BIRDS TO ADD ? ) .IN Luminar 4 I HAVE THIS OPTION & I LOVE IT ,THANK YOU MR Anthony Turnham,,AMNON IN NYC

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi Amnon. Do you mean like silhouettes flying n the sky? Cheers.

[@romiemiller7876]

I have one photo that Neo can't recognize as a portrait, but I need to remove the background because it's the top layer.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi Romie. Hmmm, yes, that's a difficult one. Unfortunately if the AI doesn't think it's a person then all of the human edit tools like portrait background removal are, as you know, inactive. Bummer.

[@lonnieharmon5917]

What a great job!! However the light streak that appears about 20% down from the top of the photo and moves left to right into the bigger tree is extremely noticeable to me. I kept waiting for you to darken it slightly on each end. It almost forms a slight arc above her. Don't kill me! This is just my humble opinion.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hi Lonnie. Right that's it. You and I are no longer friends. 😛 Just kidding. I see what you mean but to be honest it doesn't really trouble me. But, maybe now I've been made more aware of it it will! 😬😆

[@Владимир-ь7ъ9ь]

The nicest teacher. Well, why do you speak so fast?! The translator does not have time to translate for you, I do not have time to read it. ))) I can speak Russian, Latvian, a little French and German, but I can't speak so fast! ))) All the best!

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Sorry, didn't realize I was talking quickly.

[@Владимир-ь7ъ9ь]

@@AnthonyTurnham That's my problem, no need to apologise. The only pity is that because of my age I won't have much time in my life anymore. All the best to you and good luck.

[@projektphat]

They should just let you merge in the program and unmerge

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Hopefully the merge functionality will get added soon.

[@studioedin5288]

so basicly you go to the forest to take a photo of a softbox.....get a photo of a dancer and spend 40 minutes editing and faking a photo, instead of taking a real photo.

[@AnthonyTurnham]

Yes. You've got it 👍