Luminar 4: Layers, Looks & Masking

[@pederkristensen4691]

Thanks Jim, yet again a great demo of layers and masks. The speed in Luminar 4.3 has improved 🤗

[@JimNix]

Thanks for watching and glad you have 4.3 already, have fun with it!

[@pederkristensen4691]

Yes, Australian was on of the country’s that had an early release. 🙂

[@vincepalmer9518]

Yes...now I understand how layers are so important when using masks.

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching Vince!

[@1600star1]

As usual, excellent tutorial. Especially in that it was all done in the Essentials section.

[@JimNix]

thanks so much Don!

[@hibeesal]

Hi Jim, another interesting work through, I always pick up tips keep up the good work. One point of note was the quite obvious and frustrating time lag when using the luminosity erase tool in some ways I'm glad it's not just me that experiences that problem. Hope Skylum addresses soon.

[@JimNix]

Thanks for watching Alan and yes performance improvements are on the way real soon. Hopefully it addresses any lags you are experiencing. Thanks!

[@ChanchalBose-MostlyLinux]

Liked your presentation style. What software do you use for screen recording?

[@JimNix]

thanks much and I use Screenflow for this

[@lowellherr6814]

Jim - Another wonderful tutorial. I would clone or remove that "dirty cloud" in the center of the sky.

[@JimNix]

thanks much for watching Lowell and yes you aren't the only one to suggest that 😄

[@myraposner486]

I like the duplicate layer lesson. I will definitely try that. I thought I understood the gradient mask. I am using it, but on this video, I don’t understand why the gradient affected the bottom portion (the water) and not the top portion. I do know or look at the mask and see where it is covering so I think I would figure out how to change it. Thanks for all of your help!

[@JimNix]

Thanks Myra and the gradient mask will do either top or bottom, depending on how you set it up. If you drag from the bottom up, it masks the bottom. If you drag top down, it masks the top. So it is flexible and depends on how you use it. thanks

[@myraposner486]

Jim Nix, I’m working on a pic now. I dragged from the top. Lo and behold, the mask was where I wanted it. Duh.

[@JimNix]

@@myraposner486 haha glad you got it going!

[@volkerwehres5917]

Great video again.

[@JimNix]

thanks so much!

[@brotell1950]

another great vid Jim a question for you can you do panoramas with luminar 4 or must i use my affinity photo

[@JimNix]

Thanks much Terry but no you cannot stitch together a pano in Luminar, sorry.

[@stephenwoodburn2970]

Very nice edit, Jim. I hope you and yours are doing well, my friend.

[@JimNix]

thanks so much and hoping the same for you!

[@MrMoonpie001]

Hey Jim great videos, would be lost without you!!!! This really opens up the power of Lum 4 for me! Different areas need different touches and this masking/inverting/ copying are the easiest ways to do it!!! Keep up the good work, I am having great results, I use a workflow of PSE/Elements + (plug in gives you about 100 additional functions than PS)/Luminar 4 or Aurora HDR. Aurora is quite a program, most impressive is you can process one RAW photo and get the same or better results than you would get with photo stacking!!!! Quite amazing!!! Thank you again for everything you do! Moonpie

[@JimNix]

thanks so much Moonpie, I appreciate it and glad the videos have helped - and thanks for watching too!

[@jer3006]

Ahh, a "new" trick from our old Photoshop days: Duplicate a layer for added intensity. Great tip for L4 - Thanks! BTW, loved what you showed of the Street Pack Looks pkg so I checked in my L4 and did a Google search with no results. Sigh! Brings up a question... Search returned many available Looks pkgs indicated as Luminar 3 pkgs - are those compatible with L4? Say, I've learned you like images soft and dreamy, would I be out of line here to apply some Details > Sharpening to the buildings on that layer where you masked them? 😉 Thanks for another great lesson. ⭐*5

[@JimNix]

thanks much Jer and yes all the packs I have are from Luminar 3 and work just fine in L4, no issues at all - thanks! and yes applying some details on the buildings is just fine and easy with the mask I already created

[@TC_Conner]

Nice edit Jim. But I’m wondering if you could accomplish the same look without adding layers?

[@JimNix]

Thank you but the challenge with that is that you can only use a filter/tool one time per layer, so for any duplication of a filter you need more layers. Thanks.

[@TC_Conner]

@@JimNix It just sounds like a lot more work when you add all the extra layers. I've never seen the benefit of layers in my workflow. But we're all different. :)

[@JimNix]

@@TC_Conner well it is more work, but it gives you more control in that you can isolate specific parts of a photo to edit, and reuse filters there that you previously used elsewhere in the photo - hope that helps and thanks for watching

[@fenraven]

What is that strange shape in the sky at the midpoint? I keep looking at it, wondering what it is! Heh. Think I would have cloned that out. Terrific edit, though. I learn something new every time.

[@JimNix]

haha it's a cloud Theo but yeah it looks kinda weird, I give you that - thanks for watching though!

[@jagoss45]

Maybe I'm missing something, but is there a way to move the image around when zoomed in like when brushing in a mask? Is there a way to switch between the hand and the brush?

[@JimNix]

Hi Jim and on my Mac I can use a two-finger movement to move around inside a zoomed photo. Not sure if it's different on a PC though. thanks.

[@patrickshepherd3262]

I have wondered the same thing about moving the image when zoomed in. Jim Nix, do you have a touchscreen on your Mac. My iMac does not have that.

[@JimNix]

@@patrickshepherd3262 no touchscreen I just move around with a two finger swipe sort of thing

[@PalmFronds]

Hi Jim, it looks great. I think, for my taste though, I would reduce the saturation a bit on the red neon signs. I find them a bit distracting, Just my opinion. Love your tutorials!

[@JimNix]

thanks much Paul and yes, I do like my color, but if you wanted to tone that down it is a simple fix in Luminar - thanks for watching!

[@focus1ist]

👌👍👌👍

[@JimNix]

thank you!