Luminar (formerly Luminar Neo)
Skylum's AI photo editor, renamed from Luminar Neo, on a one-time licence
Overview
Luminar, renamed from Luminar Neo in August 2026, is Skylum's AI photo editor for sky replacement, depth-aware lighting, photo restoration, portrait retouching and generative removal. It is sold as a one-time licence from $129 and runs standalone on macOS and Windows or as a Photoshop, Lightroom Classic and Apple Photos plug-in.
Pricing
Pricing shown for reference only. These figures reflect RECATOOLS research as of 12 Oct 2026 and may be out of date or incomplete. This is not financial or purchasing advice — always confirm the current price on the provider’s official website before making any decision.
- Perpetual licence on 2 computers (macOS, Windows)
- 1 year of Restoration, GenErase, GenSwap, GenExpand and AI Assistant
- Fall Upgrade 2026 included
- Everything in Desktop Only
- Perpetual Luminar Mobile on 3 devices
- Cross-device editing and Spaces web galleries
- Everything in All Platforms
- 1 year of Luminar Prime, renewing yearly
- 1 year of the Library of Assets
Use cases
What you can produce with Luminar (formerly Luminar Neo)
- Overcast skies replaced convincingly in a few clicks with Sky AI
- Depth-aware relighting with Light Depth, without hand-painted selections
- Old or damaged photos repaired and colourised with Restoration
- Distractions removed or replaced with GenErase and GenSwap, and the canvas extended with GenExpand
- Bokeh, skin and face retouching for portraits
- A Lightroom Classic catalogue imported (beta), or Luminar run as a plug-in for Lightroom, Photoshop or Apple Photos
- A one-time licence from $129, with AI tools renewable through Luminar Prime
Luminar is still the fastest route from a flat photo to a finished one: Sky AI, Light Depth, Restoration and the generative GenErase, GenSwap and GenExpand tools do in clicks what takes a masking session elsewhere. The August 2026 redesign merged Catalog and Edit and, by Skylum's own figures, made it noticeably quicker.
The pricing is one-time but not the whole story. Desktop Only costs $129, yet the generative tools, Restoration and the AI Assistant last 365 days before Luminar Prime is needed, and Skylum says big upgrades can cost extra. Buy it for the editing you can do today, not for features you expect to keep for free.
What we found
Luminar Neo is now just Luminar. Skylum dropped the "Neo" with version 1.28.0 on 5 August 2026, a redesign that merged the Catalog and Edit views into one workspace, and the old product address now redirects to skylum.com/luminar. The current release is 1.28.1, from 16 September 2026, and a second-phase Fall Upgrade with Atmosphere 2.0 and new versions of Enhance and the AI Assistant is promised for later this year.
It is still the shortcut editor. Sky AI swaps skies, Light Depth (which replaced Relight AI in November 2025) adds depth-aware lighting, Restoration repairs and colourises old photos, and GenErase, GenSwap and GenExpand handle generative removal, replacement and canvas extension. Earlier versions of this page dated those additions to 2026; they arrived in late 2025. It runs standalone on macOS and Windows or as a plug-in for Photoshop, Lightroom Classic and Apple Photos, and a June 2026 beta can import a Lightroom Classic catalogue.
Buying it is simpler than it was, though not subscription-free. Every plan is a one-time licence: Desktop Only at $129 for two computers, All Platforms at $159 adding Luminar Mobile, and Max at $199, with the last two shown as sale prices against $259 and $399. A Singapore visitor sees S$191, S$235 and S$294. The catch is in the AI tools. Restoration, the generative tools and the AI Assistant are included for 365 days only, after which they need Luminar Prime, an annual subscription that Max bundles for its first year, and Skylum warns that "big upgrades may require extra upgrade payments".
On Trustpilot, Skylum's claimed profile showed 4.6 from 7,007 reviews on 12 October 2026, and recent reviews mostly praise the support team. The complaints that do appear concern that fine print: one September 2026 reviewer was asked for $80 for a fall upgrade days after buying, and another lost access to GenSwap after an update.
It remains a finishing tool rather than a cataloguing system for a large archive.
Compiled by RECATOOLS from public sources: vendor documentation and pricing, code repositories and published reporting.
Notable facts
- Luminar Neo's GenExpand feature can increase a portrait's canvas size to achieve a different aspect ratio by generating realistic background content that matches the original scene.
- The Extension Store model allows photographers to start with a base subscription and add only the modules relevant to their genre — saving 40% compared to buying a full suite.
- Luminar Neo was built by a team that continued developing through the Russian invasion of Ukraine, demonstrating remarkable resilience and commitment.
Frequently asked questions
About this listing
This entry was compiled from publicly available data including Luminar (formerly Luminar Neo)'s official website, press releases, documentation, and reputable third-party publications. RECATOOLS is not affiliated with Luminar (formerly Luminar Neo) unless explicitly stated.
Third-party AI tools update their pricing, features, availability, and policies frequently. Information here may be outdated by the time you read this — we make reasonable efforts to keep listings current, but cannot guarantee absolute accuracy.
For the latest details, please refer to Luminar (formerly Luminar Neo) directly →
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