Luminar 4 Tutorial, Ep 6: Creative tab

[@JimNix]

Here is a GREAT sky replacement pack with 400 skies in it! bit.ly/2OtcmzW By my friend, photographer Matt Suess. So awesome!

[@ericprouzet3851]

Jim, thanks for sharing this link. I just bought it: plenty of great sky photos at a very friendly price! 😀

[@JimNix]

@@ericprouzet3851 enjoy!

[@doomommy]

You are my favorite so far for diving into Luminar 4! I will be able to make the most of all the tools thanks to your methodical way of walking through it all! Keep it up!!

[@JimNix]

Thanks so much, I appreciate it and glad the videos help. Have fun editing!

[@migflowers]

Great explanation & overview!

[@JimNix]

thanks and hope it helps!

[@JohnDennery]

I really appreciate this video series. You've done a good job of including enough information to get me started without bogging me down with more details than I'm ready for. Thanks for posting!!

[@JimNix]

I'm glad it's helpful, thanks so much for watching!

[@PanelsUpSolar]

You're a wealth of information. Been watching you since Luminar 2018. THANK YOU for everything!

[@JimNix]

I appreciate that, thanks so much for watching!

[@cristianogiani702]

Thank you, Jim, see you soon.....

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching!

[@Rafaga777]

Thanks a lot for this tutorial/tips. Really very useful for a Luminar 4 newbie like me...

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching and glad the videos help!

[@marclabro]

nice presentation. happy to see texture filter has kept blend modes !

[@JimNix]

Thanks Marc and yes I agree!

[@deanwigmore4451]

Thanks Jim for the time and effort you put into your videos. Have learnt a lot from you this past year using Luminar. Loving the new sky replacement feature in Luminar 4.

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching Dean, I appreciate it and yes the sky replacement is pretty dang fun!

[@danschreckengost6153]

Jim, Like your approach on presenting these tab's.

[@JimNix]

Thanks much Dan, more soon!

[@smalltalk.productions9977]

still working my way through the series. really enjoyed seeing some tools that i never used in luminar 3. thanks for the effort and the sharing. i am an appreciative subscriber. thumbs up.

[@JimNix]

thanks much for watching and hope they are helpful!

[@andrewmckinney3053]

Super helpful, Jim. Thanks!

[@JimNix]

Thanks for watching Andrew!

[@Ilene1020]

Great series, Jim! Thanks to you, I'm getting more & more comfortable with L4 & what it can do

[@JimNix]

Awesome, glad to hear it is helping!

[@nagenhoj]

Thanks Jim. I’ll keep trying . 😊Keep these tutorials coming and have a great Christmas. We’re looking to 38c on Christmas Day.

[@JimNix]

Thanks and Merry Christmas to you too, and that sounds pretty warm. Hope it's a good holiday.

[@ircsi8491]

thanks Jim again for a great tut

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching Irene!

[@marjanrichard2080]

Nic this is Marjan Richard again this is about sky replacement. I have a picture with a completely blown out sky and when I open the tap it is gray no options but if i open other taps like adding sun rays it will give options. It’s a jpg now but still have the raw file. (Even tried to max contrast due to some white buildings). Thanks in advance and surely appreciate all your tutorials.

[@JimNix]

Hi there and yes on some photos Luminar cannot recognize a sky, hence the filter is grayed out. Nothing we can do about that. The tool works great most of the time but there are some images where it just will not find a sky. Thanks.

[@marjanrichard2080]

Jim Nix thanks that’s what I suspected I’ll try to just crop it out. Continue your great work highly appreciated

[@JimNix]

@@marjanrichard2080 you could try to add a new image layer and paint it in with a masking brush but that can be difficult to get correct. Thanks for watching.

[@marjanrichard2080]

Jim Nix I know but have a bunch of trees and did that before was hoping that sky replacement would have been the perfect solution. When you start wrong don’t expect a miracle 😉

[@JimNix]

@@marjanrichard2080 haha that's true

[@behramcooper3691]

You Mac users are so lucky, your brush masks start at 100% opacity. We Windows users have to raise the opacity from 50% to 100% every time we want to use brush masks. That is at least 3 extra mouse clicks every time. Looks like Skylum has it in for Windows users.

[@JimNix]

I didn't realize that Behram, good to know and hopefully they change that in a future update. Thanks.

[@MrFishman1963]

Another very helpful video Jim - thanks! One question re the link for the skies. Can these be used for water reflections? Thanks Mike

[@JimNix]

Hi Mike and yes they can, just need to add a new layer and invert as I demoed in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqa4gJx3bbWYirs

[@dashley23]

Great video tutorials Jim. I'm getting a lot from them. Could you please explain each of the settings within Sky Replacement when you get a chance. I don't understand all of them, and using them hasn't clarified things. Thanks

[@JimNix]

Thanks for watching David and yes I am planning a deep dive video on a few filters, including that one. Thanks.

[@dashley23]

@@JimNix Excellent 👍

[@normameyers4904]

Hey Jim. I am New to editing and luminar 4 so can you make a complete tutorial on a basic work flow for editing from start to finish including export image information? Can you include information on how to get photos ready for online photo printing service like Mpix? I edit a photo and don’t know what to do with it. Thanks so much for all the great videos.

[@JimNix]

Hi Norma and thanks, I can add that to the list of pending topics (which is getting really long). Exporting is quite easy (box with arrow in top center menu, click it and make appropriate choices) and I recommend you confirm what requirements Mpix has for photos they will print (jpg or tiff, ProPhoto or sRGB etc) bc they will have some idea what gives the best results. Thanks much for watching.

[@stevenrutsch5026]

Enjoying the series, thank you for your efforts. Question, can the sky replacement be used to create a mask of the sky as well somehow? I have an image where the sky is fine, but I want to mess with the color in the foreground. Could I remove the sky, leave it blank or drop in black, adjust the foreground and then replace the original sky? I'm no masking master and I know there are probably many ways to do this, just seems since sky replacement is so clean and easy that might be the quickest option. Did you enjoy your taco?

[@JimNix]

Hi Steven, sadly there is a not a visible mask for the sky that we can reuse. I would love that but at this point, there isn't one. But if you need to mess with the foreground I think doing what you suggest should work. Put in a new sky (doesn't matter which one - could be a solid black sheet), make your foreground adjustments as needed, then add in a sky you prefer (or just remove the one you added). No reason that wouldn't work that I can think of. Give it a whirl and see how it goes. And yes, the tacos were lovely as always, thanks much!

[@enzocriveller489]

Good morning Jim, is it possible to adjust the size and hardness of the brush with the graphics tablet?

[@JimNix]

Hi Enzo and I do not know that as I do not use a tablet so I cannot test it out.

[@mikewainwright3407]

Jim love you're videos, but could I ask you a question I am a bit disappointed that Luminar 4 doesn't allow me to mask in exposure and shadows, would like to here you're opinion on this please.thanks M Wainwright.

[@JimNix]

If you are referring to the tool known as Light, then yes you cannot mask it on the base layer, just like Develop in L3 which it replaced. But you can add a new layer and mask it there. You can also use Dodge & Burn on the base layer to add or subtract exposure with the brush. Thanks.

[@nagenhoj]

Hey Jim, I’m loving 4 but I find the catalogue is really limited. I imported my old Aperture folders in There were lots, about 50000 but it took hours to load them. Seems making the thumbnails is a time absorber. Any suggestions? Lightroom handles it just fine

[@JimNix]

Hi John and I imported about 140k photos and it worked fine for me. Sure it took a little while but only about an hour. In fact it seemed quicker than LR by a long shot to me. But note that you aren't technically importing them into Luminar as in LR. You are just sort of making Luminar aware of the folders and telling them their location. Luminar just mirrors your folder structure. Sorry but I don't have any tips to speed it up. Perhaps check with the support team for their input? Thanks.

[@tigermoth100]

what is the main difference between using STRUCTURE and DRAMA and ADD DETAIL ?. they all add crunch but is there more to their differences ?

[@nagenhoj]

Hey Jim, I’m missing the HSL fromLuminar 3. Where is that function now?

[@JimNix]

Hi John, on the Essentials tab, in Color, click on Advanced and you will find it.

[@nagenhoj]

Images hat is, not 50000 folders (sorry)

[@JimNix]

haha yep I figured that is what you meant

[@number4cat1]

You skipped right over the Sky Replacement sliders "Sky Global", "Close Gaps", and "Sky Local". What do they do?

[@irinalynch5764]

Hi there i just downloaded the luminar 4 and i cant get access to the tabs on the side for selection. I just have the essential open no options. please help

[@JimNix]

Hmm, that seems really odd since the product should have all those tabs. Please contact their support team to get assistance. [e-mail]

[@irinalynch5764]

Jim Nix I have and they haven’t replied yet

[@JimNix]

@@irinalynch5764 ok you could always try to reinstall the app just in case that helps - you should be able to download from your Skylum account, otherwise I am sure support will be getting back to you soon

[@robertb8806]

But Luminar 4 is not usable on Windows 10 due to a lost of crashes

[@JimNix]

Hmm, that stinks and sorry to hear that.

[@Kit2Canada]

robert b Hi Robert, try a complete uninstall, restart the PC and reinstall as the problem could be there.

[@robertb8806]

@@Kit2Canada Hello If you knew the number of times I did that

[@Kit2Canada]

robert b oh dear, sorry to hear that. Well if you’re looking for an alternative to Adobe, you might try Exposure X5 (free trial)

[@JimNix]

@@Kit2Canada good suggestion thanks

[@fintanbrady7908]

Hi every everyone, I just purchased Luminar 4. However when I tried to download it all went well until I entered the download code it would not accept it. it asked me to enter my Email address in the space, In did this and it proceeded to down load a trial version only . Any helpful comments would be much appreciated. Fintan Brady. Dublin Ireland.

[@JimNix]

Hi Fintan, you should be able to activate the trial using the code, or find it in your Skylum account on their website. thanks and enjoy! (and I LOVE Dublin)

[@petersalkeld1799]

Jim, great video series. Just a quick question. I have installed Luminar 4 on my Windows PC and love what it can do. BUT, it crashes out VERY frequently! Have you experienced this?

[@JimNix]

hi Peter and thanks for watching, but no I have not had crashes at all (on a Mac). Sorry to hear that. Perhaps remove the app, restart and reinstall? Not sure how to assist, sorry.

[@Kit2Canada]

Superb!

[@JimNix]

thanks so much Kit!

[@Wakodaf]

could you try make tutorial with Windows pc? :) Am having very poverfull pc but luminar 4 is very slow there :(

[@JimNix]

Hi Josef but sorry I do not have a Windows PC, only a Mac. Sorry it is performing slow for you. Thank you for watching.

[@Kit2Canada]

Josef Vak Hi Josef, try experimenting with converting your raw files to DNG. I’m trying it for the first time and L4 seems to be faster

[@TheMadbatter1]

Here I show how you can (1) change the available skies in the drop down menu so, say, replace the Skylum skies with your own, and (2) if you keep the existing skies, how to reflect them. Thanks. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mX6VZZ-plqqMf5o