Luminar 4: The Power of Layers

[@pederkristensen4691]

Great explanation of the Layer and how the mask option works.

[@JimNix]

Thanks so much Peder!

[@Frontdoor53]

Ha, did not know you could erase part of a gradient mask using the brush tool. Always something new. Great tutorial, thank you.

[@JimNix]

thanks much Mike!

[@clasijuls1]

thank you much

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching!

[@gerardoberetta]

Jim...Real great and comprehensive tutorial for us beginners, thank you very much.

[@JimNix]

thanks much for watching!

[@gerardoberetta]

@@JimNix You're the best !

[@douglaslaw4068]

Great videos Jim. I'm using the trial version of Luminar 4 at the moment and will definitely buy the product. Your easy to understand videos have gone a long way for me to understand Luminar 4 and my decision to buy. Was subscribing to Photoshop for some years but only using it in a very simple way. Luminar is much better for me and makes my landscapes stand out. Cheers and keep up the great work.

[@JimNix]

Thanks Douglas, glad the videos have helped. If you aren't yet aware, Skylum has announced a new product called Luminar AI that is coming late this year, essentially to replace Luminar 4. So if you are not in a hurry, perhaps wait and spend your money on that? Regardless, Luminar 4 is great and will keep working, and my videos (200+ on Luminar 4) will remain here for anyone to view. Thanks!

[@dennishegdahl8616]

Once again, good stuff and very helpful... Thanks.

[@JimNix]

thank you Dennis!

[@colinmelhuish1254]

Another great result. explanations helped me so much. Thanks

[@JimNix]

thank you Colin!

[@andrewmckinney3053]

Very helpful, Jim ... many thanks!

[@JimNix]

thanks much Andrew!

[@TedSchade88]

Jim, this was an excellent example of layers. I have always been a bit confused about when to use them, this video clarified the process greatly. Especially the use of a separate layer for Looks. Thanks again.

[@JimNix]

Thanks for watching and glad this helped!

[@myraposner486]

Excellent tutorial!

[@JimNix]

thank you!

[@tedebaer1]

Thank you!

[@JimNix]

you bet

[@danschreckengost6153]

Great job

[@JimNix]

thanks so much Dan!

[@jean-francoisdamon4847]

encore un super tutoriel!

[@JimNix]

thanks so much!

[@annebowman4371]

Another very helpful video Jim, thank you. Like that you can mask an area on a layer prior to making the adjustments.

[@JimNix]

thanks much Anne and yes lots you can do in L4!

[@dubaigeek1988]

Good guide

[@JimNix]

thank you

[@Scubabuddy9958]

I have tinkered around layers, but your video brought some concepts together. I can see where I was doing some things wrong and can use layers to improve my edits. I know there is a lot more to layers, so I will begin playing with them. Thanks for the insights.

[@JimNix]

Thanks for watching Mark!

[@JimBailey]

Thank you so much Jim. :)

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching Jim!

[@robertmeyerson1618]

Learned a lot, thanks !!

[@JimNix]

thanks Robert!

[@aknord62]

Very helpful video as always. Thank you, Jim. And congratulations on your new Fuji X100V 😄

[@JimNix]

thanks much glad you liked it!

[@008unbeliever]

Thanks Jim great tutorial, learned a lot!

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching!

[@ronlysik6976]

Hi Jim, Great video. In the past you did a video on using Topaz and Luminar using layers. Will you be doing another one? Can we still access the old one? Thank you.

[@JimNix]

Hi Ron and I may do more videos with both products, although nothing is currently planned. All my videos are still here, I have not deleted any of them. If you are on my page, click on the tab entitled Videos and you will see them all there in reverse order of posting (newest first, so scroll down a ways). It will be there somewhere. Thanks!

[@marceldomke1678]

In the sky I see banding, is there a solution to fix that

[@JimNix]

This was a jpg so some banding showed up, but I do not see that when I edit a higher quality file.

[@Pixels37]

I am very new to Luminar 4 and how do you get to the layer selection.

[@JimNix]

Layers are accessed in the upper right corner, click on the icon that looks like 3 sheets of paper stacked on each other. Thanks!

[@Pixels37]

@@JimNix Thanks!

[@JimNix]

@@Pixels37 you bet

[@hughellins1422]

Jim Afternoon. Really trying to get to into layers . I undertsand transform , adjustment and stamp layers . What is the purpose of duplicate layer?

[@JimNix]

Hi Hugh and I rarely use duplicate layers, but I guess you could do that when you have a look you really like, but maybe want to experiment a little more, so you could duplicate it and then make adjustments there. If you decide you don't like the adjustments, just delete it. Thanks.

[@hughellins1422]

@@JimNix Many thanks . I shall keep watching your videos Hugh

[@JimNix]

@@hughellins1422 thanks for watching!

[@adrianvanleeuwen]

The color treatment is reminding me of a french impressionist painting ( ie. color schemes for some of the landscape painters) where warm colors cover the top of the grass streaking across from the sun. The amount of saturation justifies this intent of the photo to emphasize it. In other words, it works!

[@JimNix]

Oh thank you, it's a bold color choice and highly saturated, and although I left it mostly for demo purposes, I also kinda liked it. Thanks much for watching!

[@vincepalmer9518]

I saw you last name and had to comment...I worked with a Dean Van Leeuwen for years in California..

[@adrianvanleeuwen]

@@vincepalmer9518 Dean Van L is not a direct cousin to me, but perhaps a distant cousin generations back. Cheers!

[@vincepalmer9518]

@@adrianvanleeuwen Thanks for the reply.

[@timothykieper]

Very interesting and my attempt at using layers. It just seems that the same thing can be accomplished by using masks on the original and selective editing? Please correct me advantages of layers.

[@JimNix]

Yes you can use a filter mask on a single layer to accomplish quite a bit. However when you use Layers you can isolate a section of a photo, mask that section, and then every tool you use just impacts that area. So it saves you from having to remask an area again and again. Plus you can only use a filter once on each layer, so adding new layers lets you use it again for a different section etc. Thanks.

[@timothykieper]

@@JimNix Thanks Jim, All good points !

[@sliedude]

Hi Jim a great video (as always). Thanks. I see you get some banding in the sky immediately after you apply AI Accent and AI sky enhance. Does this happen often and what do you think causes it? I look forward to your reply. Cheers

[@JimNix]

Thanks so much for watching! I see a little banding too. It's a small jpg in this case so that's likely the cause of it, although I do not see it in the exported photo. I don't see it often but when I do, it's usually bc it's a jpg and I am pushing the pixels around fairly hard. :-) Thanks much.

[@kennethcomben5453]

Hi jim, can luminar 4 help with bracket exposure images eg 3 images under/ over/ normal. tried using layers and creatin stamped layer.... but did not work any ideas?

[@JimNix]

It does not auto-combine brackets, but you can do that in Aurora HDR (which is what that product is designed for). You could stack them as layers and mask in different portions to create and exposure blend. Hope that helps and thanks!

[@kennethcomben5453]

Hi Jim Thanks for that info , to be quite honest as i never had a manual or guide for Aurora i did not realise i could do that. Just tried loading all 3 images and it worked fine .

[@JimNix]

@@kennethcomben5453 ok glad to hear that

[@hibeesal]

Love the complete edits Jim a great reminder as to how powerful and flexible layers can be. I must admit to not making much use of Looks but with the current lock down there's no excuse for not experimenting.

[@JimNix]

thanks Alan and yes the time to experiment is now :-)

[@OurWanderingWays]

Thanks for the video. I’m just starting to play around with layers. One thing that has me stumped is trying to add a sky replacement in a layer, can’t do as it is greyed out. I did find I could get it in a Stamped layer. Is that the right way to go? Still so much to learn.

[@JimNix]

Yes the new sky has to be on the base layer or a stamped layer. I nearly always put it on the base layer though, as my very first adjustment, bc then all the other adjustments that I make to light and color will impact it. That gives me a good starting point to build on. Otherwise if you edit the photo first and then add the sky, it is going to require work to make it match. Thanks.

[@OurWanderingWays]

Jim Nix thank you for that.

[@JimNix]

@@OurWanderingWays you bet

[@Ilene1020]

Thanks Jim, so helpful. I have a much clearer idea now when to employ a new adjustment layer & the flexibility it can give

[@JimNix]

Thanks much for watching Ilene!

[@ipadwong9507]

Jim, this is a wonderful layer demo. I have a personal request if Luminar 4 layer could blur out background from a Portrait subject like Photoshop as well?

[@JimNix]

You could do that but it would require manual masking and filter usage. It is not automatic. But you could blur/soften and mask in the background, and then for more effect you would need to do that a couple more times on new adjustment layers to increase the blur. Thanks.

[@joseefournier244]

i have a question on the right side your case is there not mind you now why?

[@JimNix]

Hi there but I do not understand the question. What case are you referring to?

[@joseefournier244]

@@JimNix on the right side onther the proffesionnel you have a little case

[@joseefournier244]

@lili bellule o merci je me demandais du coté droit on as le proffessionel en dessous la petite valise ou boite moi elle n est pas la je me demande comment l ouvrir

[@JimNix]

Oh yes that is the Deprecated tab and it only shows up when you use a Look from a Previous version that contains a filter that is not in Luminar 4.

[@jandaub4471]

Thank you Jim, have been pondering the issue, what is the difference between a layers mask and tools mask. Seemed redundant, thank you for making this very understandable and workable. Picked up some great tips today.

[@JimNix]

thanks much Jan and hope you are doing well my friend!

[@nrlondon7959]

Another great video, Jim. Thank you. I have a question unrelated to this video. Photoshop has the ability to increase the canvas size beyond that of the original photo. Does Luminar 4 have this feature. This situation occurs when I want to blend two or more photos to create a vertical panorama.. I have tried using transform but that requires that I squish (technical term) the two photos which flattens them out. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated. Thanks, Nyall

[@JimNix]

Hi Nyall and thanks, glad you liked the video. Sadly there is not a way to increase canvas size in Luminar. I can see how that would come in handy with vertoramas but it is not there today. Maybe someday? Thanks much.

[@nrlondon7959]

@@JimNix Thank you. Jim. What I may do is create a blank image of various sizes in Photoshop. Then bring it into Luminar and create the composite image. Again, great videos. I have learned a lot from you and your tutorials. Stay safe and healthy.

[@mathewrupp8568]

I just wish they would stop updates, it fixes problems with the last update like the disappearing looks slider and creates new problems. I have Luminar 4 on two computers my older computer I use for scans and Jpeg and my newer computer for RAW. Since the last update my photo's in library are all blurry and if I import half the photo's will be blurry and the other clear. A lot of the features are nice but what a head ache, I almost didn't update as the sliders on Looks seemed to reappear most of the time. If they don't get there act together soon I'm jumping ship at least my free PhotoScape works.

[@JimNix]

I'm sorry to hear that is happening to you. I assume you have already contacted support but if not I recommend doing so. Obviously it's not supposed to be doing those weird things. Hope it gets working for you.

[@Rafaga777]

Thanks for this Luminar 4 layers tutorial. Initially I was rather reluctant to use layers but nowadays I use them constantly. In addition I give each layer a differential name which makes it easy when I want to re-edit a specific layer.

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching and yes renaming them is a huge help for sure, thanks for mentioning that in case others see this tip!

[@vincepalmer9518]

I've found that when using layers my photo freezes blocking any action such as export. The only way I've found to save my work is to do a screenshot which saves the photo to my desktop where it can be imported to Photos.

[@JimNix]

Hmm, that is weird. I recommend contacting their support team bc that is obviously not supposed to happen. Plus, the screen shot is not the same quality as the photo itself.

[@vincepalmer9518]

@@JimNix I did contact them and the answer it seems is always delete the program and reinstall it. I have completely uninstalled the program and reinstalled it but still have problems with "lockup." I think it is a program glitch and perhaps they will correct it.

[@JimNix]

@@vincepalmer9518 oh, sorry to hear that, that stinks and wish I could offer a solution for you

[@phlotographer]

@@vincepalmer9518 are you on the Windows platform? It seems to have issues since 2018 which don't seem to occur much with a MAC. Would be interested to know as this is the sort of thing that has kept me from moving up to L4 as both 2018 & L3 had crash issues and I do have a reasonably fast system.

[@volkerwehres5917]

As always fun and learning within one video, just great, keep on doing that and stay healthy in these difficult days where I‘m glad to live in Germany...

[@JimNix]

thanks much Volker and stay safe out there!

[@garyc7446]

Jim I have been using Luminar for a little while now and tried a test between it and C1 in your opinion, is Luminar 4 considered a pro App because it really does a great job. Yes, its missing a little better Noise reduction and maybe a litter better highs etc. but it seems to do an amazing job. Your thoughts

[@JimNix]

hi Gary and I definitely think Luminar is a Pro app bc it has a lot of advanced features, but the great thing about it is that it does not have a pro learning curve like Photoshop for example - however I have never used C1 so I can't compare them - thank you for watching!

[@andreask.6872]

Howdy, Jim, again a very interesting video of you. Love that. I also like to work with layers in Luminar, but sometimes with the aim of comparing different edits. For example one layer with warm colors, a second layer with colder colors. But your video gave me another idea: I miss the clarity slider in Luminar 4, so I took one of your presets I bought a while ago and reset all settings except the clarity. I saved this as my own preset, and voila, since today I can use clarity again. Either as the first tool during editing, or as a tool on its own layer. Sometimes you just have to think a little bit crosswise :-)

[@JimNix]

thanks Andreas and yes that is a good idea for being to access Luminar 3 filters in L4, thanks for sharing!

[@andreask.6872]

@@JimNix It's really fun, I spent another hour on the topic and found out that I still have Luminar 3 on my computer. I activated all filters of Luminar 3 and saved this as a look. I moved this look into the corresponding Luminar 4 folder and now I have access to all filters in L4 that were not applied by L3. These are in the german version: Farbtemperatur, Polarisationsfilter, Klarheit, Struktur, Weißtöne/Schwarztöne, Helligkeit/Kontrast, Tonwert, Bi-Color Tonung, Kanalmixer, Crossentwicklung I was mainly interested in clarity, cross-development and bi-color toning. Best wishes, take care and stay healthy!

[@JimNix]

Good idea and glad it’s working for you!

[@rodgercresswell9294]

Great tutorial Jim. Some ways to use layers that I was missing out on

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching Rodger!

[@RichH1689]

Quick question I've seen photos restored using PS, have you restore an old photo using Luminar 4?

[@JimNix]

thanks and good question, but no I have not yet - it's something I intend to look into if I can find the time - thank you

[@annebowman4371]

Richard, I did try restoring an old photo taken 70 years ago of myself and my siblings and was very pleased with the results

[@JimNix]

@@annebowman4371 glad to hear that!

[@dennismaloney965]

Jim, if I am finished with a photo with multiple layers and tools and am about to export it, would it always make sense to Rasterize it?

[@JimNix]

I just export it. As long as all layers are active, the exported image will include all the edits across all the layers.

[@jimoathout7543]

After you finish your layers, do you somehow combine all the layers into the final image, or is he last layer also the final image? I'm a guy who needs to understand the process before I can begin to work the details. Thanks!

[@JimNix]

Good question and as long as you have all layers turned on (check box ticked next to that layer) then the image you see is the final, combined image. I do not combine them as I don't need to. I just export the finished image and it contains all the edits. Thanks!

[@steveschneider6150]

Jim - A great tutorial. If I remember right, in one of your videos on a prior version of Luminar you suggested naming the layers to help keep track of what they are.

[@JimNix]

Thanks Steve and yes naming them can be really helpful.

[@guy3206]

lovely sunset, and...by the way, I'd love to caresse the top of those grass (like Costner did in a famous film) ;-)) thx Jim

[@JimNix]

haha thanks much Guy!

[@erknjerk35]

Water World?

[@ronycon3100]

Thank you jim. I watched all your video.. Still my editing null

[@JimNix]

thanks much for watching!

[@stephenwoodburn2970]

I remember this photo. I have started using layer masks more and more, as I love that it allows me to not have to copy and paste my mask time and time again. I hope that Luminar adds some AI masking selection tools in the future. That would be awesome. Great edit, Jim. I love the colors.

[@JimNix]

thanks much Steve and yes some AI Masking would be super awesome in Luminar...hopefully someday!

[@mikegettings2171]

Jim Great video on Layers. However, I'm not sure about the situation when you want to export your image to a folder on a hard drive. in Photoshop if would' havte to then you have to flatten the image. Do you need to do anything in Luminar or is the final (manipulated) image saved? Thanks

[@tpiorkowski]

Another excellent video, thanks again for all the great video’s, stay safe,

[@JimNix]

Thanks Mike and if you are using the library in L4 then it is saved and you can just export for sharing purposes. But if you are using L4 as a plugin from Lightroom or elsewhere, then when complete you can return it to LR and it's saved there - is that what you are asking about? thanks much

[@mikegettings2171]

@@JimNix Thanks for this, Jim. I think I will store my photos on my hard drive and the cloud but work from Lightroom as it has a better library structure. The plug in for Luminar works well. Again thanks

[@JimNix]

@@tpiorkowski thanks much!

[@JimNix]

@@mikegettings2171 makes sense to me thanks