Skylum adds AI Augmented Sky capabilities to Luminar 4.2

Skylum announced the latest free update for its flagship product, Luminar, version 4.2, which includes a new AI Augmented Sky feature. The new tool lets photographers place different objects directly on the sky, enabling creatives to make either a realistic landscape or transform it into something straight out of a fairy tale, the company says.

In the Creative tab inside Luminar 4.2, there’s a new AI Augmented Sky tool present. Artists can choose objects from the Luminar database or use their own. Even with photos that have complex backgrounds like trees or buildings, there’s no need to involve masking or layers, the company said.  AI Augmented Sky detects a photo’s sky automatically and adds the chosen element to the sky area. Thanks to content-aware technologies, foreground objects are taken into account automatically, making the object blend naturally with the sky.

Below are some before-and-after samples of the AI Augmented Sky tool:

 

“We’re really excited to see how photographers use the AI Augmented Sky to create digital works of art,” said Dima Sytnyk, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Skylum. “AI Augmented Sky can be used to make everything from subtle tweaks, like moving the moon in the sky, or to totally transform the world around us. The possibilities are endless!”

Other improvements to Luminar 4.2

The new architecture of the Face Features Detection Neural Network lets Luminar 4.2 provide even better automation when it comes to enhancing portraits, the company says. The technology is trained to detect different faces in all sorts of positions, accounting for things like head tilts, unusual angles, badly lit or partially hidden faces, and even those with heavy makeup.  In the AI Skin Enhancement tool, you’ll find a new option for Shine Removal Technology, which reduces excessive shine on the forehead or cheeks. It works by restoring the skin on the patches of the face where it was hit by excessive light, automatically generating realistic-looking skin, which blends in with the rest of the face.

Also in AI Portrait Enhancer is the improved Slim Face 2.0 Technology. Prior to Luminar 4.2, face slimming only worked with the lower portion of a person’s face, sometimes making for unrealistic results. With Slim Face 2.0, the tool can make the whole face proportionally smaller and naturally slim, letting photographers obtain more realistic and pleasing results, the company claims.

Located “under the hood” of the AI Sky Replacement tool is an improved Relight Scene technology. Prior to Luminar 4.2, AI Sky Replacement in rare cases gave a yellow and unrealistic glow — particularly on crisp, white objects. This improvement solves this problem, letting you retain the colors as you originally captured them in-camera.

Improvements have also been made to ML Cache, which will increase the efficiency and speed of interaction with the machine’s processor.

Windows users also have various other updates specific to the platform, including:

• Preview Preset Multithreading – For multi-core systems, generating previews has received a boost, making for faster and more comfortable viewing and usage.
• Third-party Plugin Implementation – Popular plugins can now be used. At this time, plugins for the Aurora HDR, DxO Nik Collection family, as well as the Topaz plugins collection, are supported.

Luminar 4.2 is a free update to current Luminar 4 users. On a Mac, click in the Top Menu Bar and choose Luminar 4 > Check for updates. If you purchased via the Mac App Store, simply open the App Store and go to the Updates tab. On Windows, in the Top Menu Bar choose Help > Check for updates.