New York, NY — Aug. 8, 2023 — Skylum, a leading innovator in photo editing software and the company behind the award-winning program Luminar Neo, announces a significant milestone in the evolution of its core product that will release in the coming months, taking creators’ editing capabilities to the next level. The cornerstone of this update is the introduction of generative AI technologies being integrated into Luminar Neo. 

As one of the first movers in this domain, Skylum is determined to lead the way toward a future where AI-assistive photo editing becomes second nature, saving photographers precious time previously spent on mundane tasks that can now be dedicated to exploring the world and their creativity. The profound impact that AI has already had on all creatives is undeniable, and Skylum is proud to be at the forefront of this transformative shift, with a firm belief that AI should always serve photographers, not replace them.

To illustrate that, Skylum’s announcing an impressive array of new AI-assistive tools designed to streamline
photographers’ challenges with scene manipulation, removing unwanted objects, and expanding the canvas of a photo. Here is what Luminar Neo users can expect this fall.

• GenErase: A next-generation Erase tool that not only removes unwanted distractions from your images but also replaces those areas using content-aware tools, providing a focused and distraction-free composition. This feature preserves the integrity of your photos by intelligently filling in the gaps with textures and other elements to match the surrounding area. GenErase can seamlessly remove objects like trash, street signs, vehicles, graffiti, and more to preserve the beauty of the composition.

• SceneExpand: This tool enables users to extend the boundaries of their photos, adding a new dimension to original compositions. Whether creating panoramic landscapes or adding breathing room to favorite images, SceneExpand offers the ability to break free from traditional aspect ratios and unlock new creative possibilities.

• SceneSwap: Let users replace specific elements (such as the sky or foreground) with high-quality AI-generated visuals that blend seamlessly with the rest of the photo. Imagine a stunning sunset replacing the dull, overcast sky or crystal-clear azure waters instead of a murky pond in your photos.

• Water Enhancer: Designed to enhance water features in aquatic scenes, giving landscape photos greater visual impact.

• Studio Light: A creative tool for portrait photographers that faithfully replicate lightning effects usually achieved with expensive technical equipment in the studio and breathes new life into older photos. With Studio Light, creators can easily add a whole new dimension to portrait photos.

• Neon & Glow: Elevate your creations with impressive lighting effects. This tool will allow photographers to overcome challenges such as inadequate lighting conditions and seamlessly blend visually-striking neon elements into the composition, making them even more intriguing.

“As photography keeps evolving, AI should be seen as an opportunity and not a threat. Think about what makes a photo special — the creative ideas behind it, the personal touch, the experience of taking that image. AI cannot replace any of those things, but it can serve as a powerful assistive tool to expand the realm of photography, making it easier for everyone.”

Ivan Kutanin, CEO of Skylum

As part of the commitment to keep Luminar Neo intuitive and easy to use, Skylum will also debut a Refreshed UI Design and Navigation. This update addresses user interface fatigue and usability issues, as well as improves the overall user experience. The improvements will address some of the most common challenges with photo management and interaction with the app, making your experience using Luminar Neo even more intuitive and enjoyable. 

With this update, Skylum’s bringing next-generation AI-powered photo editing technologies, new post-processing tools, and a host of UI/UX improvements, making Luminar Neo better than it has ever been.

Availability of the next evolution of Luminar Neo

Platform upgrades and generative technologies will be available to monthly and annual Pro, Explore, and Ultimate plan subscribers. Studio Light will be added first to the software in the next release within a month, and the rest will be gradually incorporated over the following months this fall.

Existing Luminar Neo lifetime (perpetual) license owners can opt to switch to the Pro subscription at an early bird rate ($49 for the first year), or they can make a one-time purchase of the 2023/24 Creative Journey Pass for $39 (early bird price). This pass will grant access to generative technologies until Aug. 16, 2024, as well as all new features announced and released before that date, except Extensions.

Luminar Neo is available on our website as well as in the Microsoft Store and the Apple macOS App Store. Learn more about our pricing and subscription plans here.

My book Elder Sex came out of an article about sex after the age of 70 which was published in the New York Times magazine in January 2022. It’s all the pictures that the Times couldn’t publish. For instance, they couldn’t show any vibrators. America is a puritan country, remember? We have all these uptight evangelicals here.

All the friends I asked said no to posing, because there’s so much contempt for the subject of elder sex. It’s treated as a joke. So the Times did the casting call and I picked my models from that. I wanted real bodies, and I tried to get every race and every size. They had thought about using professional models but – how do I say this delicately? – the models just didn’t look their age. So we used actors, which also meant they could convincingly act intimate and in love.

I’m 74, so they were all just a few years older than me. I wanted to make them look good. They’re not perfect bodies, but this is everybody’s future, and I wanted to show it is not this dismal, barren place. Sex is a natural human instinct that doesn’t go away.

My thoughts when approaching the project were that, first, in all of history, people have never before been so healthy at that age. Second, people didn’t have Viagra before. And third, there has never been such easy access to sex toys. In Walmart recently I saw male vibrators in the cosmetics aisle – it blew my mind.

Our models were all in lingerie. The Times wouldn’t have let me shoot them naked – but then most people play dress-up on a special night or afternoon. The interesting thing – and it came as a real shock – was that all the signifiers of ageing just didn’t exist in the close-ups. I had to make sure to include their neck and hair, just so you could tell they were in their 70s. Where you age is your neck, your hands and your thighs; the parts that haven’t been in the sun looked young. Most of the women’s boobs and their butts weren’t wrinkled at all. Especially if they were people of colour. I had to make them push the skin to get wrinkles!

In the article, a lot of people said that they are currently having the best sex they’ve ever had. Having been together for a long time, they know what pleases their partner and what pleases themselves, and they don’t give a shit any more about being performative.

When the models all arrived at the studio I told them that they were going to be pioneers and we were giving permission to people not to reject their sexual feelings. The only caution was tripping over all the different electrical cords, but nobody did. We shot over five days and we had so much fun. It was one of the easiest shoots we’ve ever been on; we all said it.

I shoot behind glass a lot. I think the distortion creates metaphor; there’s a mystery to everything I shoot. I have a team I’ve worked with for 15 years: one person jets the steam, another two do the wipes. I point to where to wipe on the glass, and then I only have about six seconds to shoot through it before it steams up again. And my subjects really can’t see me at all, so they’re not self-conscious. I know it works because I’ve been shooting portraits this way for years. I can find the unguarded moment all the time.

Marilyn Minter’s Elder Sex is published by JBE Books

Marilyn Minter’s CV

Born: 1948, Shreveport, Louisiana
Trained: “I was badly trained at University of Florida and Syracuse University.”
Influences: “Everyone in art history.”
High point: “I think right now!?”
Low point: “Right after I did pro-sex porn paintings in 1989 and was panned for it.”
Top tip: “Listen to your inner voice and follow it. Expand on what already comes easy to you.”

Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela

A pig coated with a thick greenish film sniffs the ground while foraging near the shore. Pollution around Lake Maracaibo, one of Latin America’s largest lakes, is the result of decades of oil exploitation, inadequate maintenance and a lack of investment to improve an already obsolete infrastructure, say environmentalists

Photograph: Ariana Cubillos/AP