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

Alia Bhatt shared this image. (courtesy: aliaabhatt)

New Delhi:

Alia Bhatt scooped some time out of her busy schedule and did an Ask AMA session on Instagram, on Wednesday. Alia Bhatt answered a few questions pertaining to her personal as well as professional life. Alia Bhatt was asked by a fan, “Did Ranbir click the picture that is your current display?” The actress replied sharing another shot of herself, “Yes…Even this one… He’s my most fav photographer…Ever.” A question about daughter Raha also popped up. “How are you handling work and baby as a new mom? I feel so guilty at times,” asked a user. Replying to the question, Alia wrote, “Parenting is a lifelong role. I don’t think you can have all the answers or be perfect…All I strive to do is live each day with love and only love…Because there’s no such thing as too much love.”

Here are some of the questions answered by Alia Bhatt:

Screenshot of Alia Bhatt’s Instagram story.

Screenshot of Alia Bhatt’s Instagram story.

About her favourite Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani song – Kudmayi it is.

Screenshot of Alia Bhatt’s Instagram story.

Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor’s forever muse, loves to “casually flex” Ranbir Kapoor’s photography skills. Back when the Dear Zindagi actress and Ranbir ushered in 2022 together, she shared shots from their holiday and she wrote: “Casually flexing my boyfriend’s photography skills.”

Just another picture of Alia Bhatt through the eyes of Ranbir Kapoor. “All I need is sunsets and you…. Taking my pictures,” wrote Alia Bhatt, sharing this picture clicked by Ranbir Kapoor.

Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor trended all of Wednesday, courtesy a video that the actress posted for Vogue India. In the clip, Alia is then seen wiping off the lipstick and she explained that she does so because her husband and actor Ranbir Kapoor would ask her to “wipe off” her lipstick back when they were dating because he liked her natural lip shade. A section of the Internet wasn’t very happy with Ranbir’s remarks and bombarded social media with comments slamming the actor.

Alia Bhatt married her Brahmastra co-star Ranbir Kapoor in April last year at their house Vastu, in front of a few family members and close friends. The star couple had been dating for over 5 years before getting married. Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor welcomed their first child, a baby daughter on November 6 last year. The actress announced the news of her daughter’s arrival with this post and she wrote: “And in the best news of our lives:- Our baby is here…and what a magical girl she is. We are officially bursting with love – blessed and obsessed Parents! Love, love, love Alia and Ranbir.” They named her Raha.”

I discussed my book about Route 66, night photography, light painting, history, and stories in this YouTube video. I love it when so many fascinating topics collide in one presentation.

California Historic Route 66 Association Zoom Series

California Historic Route 66 Association began in 1990 to foster, expand, promote, and perpetuate public awareness relating to the development, history, and significance of Route 66 in California. It’s especially exciting when they ask you to discuss your book on night photography and the history of the Mother Road with other noted historians and authors.

I had the honor of presenting photography and stories with other noted authors Jim Hinckley and Cher Eichar Jett. We all have documented the Mother Road in different ways, whether through day photography or night photography.

More about Route 66 Abandoned: Under a Western Moon

I joked that the irony of my presentation with the California Historic Route 66 Association was that I would present places that no one wanted to go to anymore. But of course, Route 66 is about everything: Western Expansion, history, cars, the Dust Bowl and more. It’s also about what was left behind as well as what’s coming. Of course, much of it either brings the past alive or is moving forward. There are plenty of new stores, businesses and more along California’s portion of Route 66. Indeed, a decent part of Route 66 in California is in colorful, well-populated areas.

I wrote a book with over 140 color photos about the part of the Mother Road that was left behind. This covers much of Arizona and California. Some of the places are better known, such as Two Guns or Twin Arrows, while some are obscure. But all are fascinating.

To many, Route 66 became a beacon of liberation and opportunity.

And eventually, loss. 

The three of us presented our takes on Route 66 while touching upon these themes.

Photographing Route 66 at night

I explored these abandoned locations, driven by curiosity. And sure, I searched out the unusual and strange as well, aiming to photograph them at night. I would illuminate these forgotten locations with a handheld light, illuminating them during long exposure. Throughout the years, I put thousands and thousands of miles on my car, exploring the most famous roadway in the United States.

Saving history through photography

I had photographed Goffs General Store before. I now felt fortunate that I had done so.

Also, I photographed the store sign at night. It had fallen and was leaning against one of the exterior walls. Someone had seen the sign. That person brought it to the attention of the nearby Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association in Goffs. They took the sign over to the cultural center for preservation.

Now, that sign was all that was left of Goffs General Store.

Lots of photographers wonder about what the best camera for street photography is. And indeed, some are better than others for it. If you want really good autofocus, it’s tough to beat what Sony does. But if you’re looking for unique image quality, photographers trust Fujifilm and Leica the most. The same has been true since the beginning though the cameras don’t matter anywhere as much. What matters is the photographer’s ability to zone in on what’s happening and get the shot. That situational awareness can help photographers capture images like so many did before. What also matters, though, are the lenses.

The lenses are mostly what we’ll be talking about here for around a single paragraph. Lenses, specifically manual focus lenses, are best for street photography because of the zone focusing technique that you can use. Zone focusing is arguably faster than person and face recognition for street photography. But it also depends on the situation that’s currently happening. We prefer manual focus still.

Years ago, I made a video on how to do exactly this. And you can find it below:

We already talked about situational awareness and how important it is just a bit. But here’s the more important thing about street photography. The secret to better street photography is understanding the final photo. Lots of photographers simply just shoot and worry about the images later. This can be a valid technique, but it doesn’t always yield you your best images unless there’s a happy accident. Instead, you should try to look around, understand what’s happening around you emotionally, and then revision what the final photo will look like. At the same time, you should be constantly surveying the scene around you to figure out what your settings should be.

Yes, you should ideally be shooting in manual or aperture priority here. But those settings are nothing without the moment.

The reason why so many portrait photographers like shooting portraits is that they’ve got control over the moment and what’s happening. For the most part, the same goes for landscape photography. But with street photography, you’re only able to control what you can do. Everything else around you isn’t necessarily in your control. There’s the idea of the photo wait, which photographers like Jonathan Higbee do.

Unlike portrait photographers, street photographers, and other documentary-style photographers give up control of the situation that’s in front of them to a degree. And because of that, no amount of great camera gear can help them. With that in mind, you sometimes need to understand that you’re going to lose great shots because you can’t get to them in time.

Here’s a great exercise for you to do: go into the street and start doing street photography in program auto mode on your camera. Do this straight for a week. And when you’re done, and only after a week, look at the photos. Figure out what went wrong technically speaking and ascertain if the photos would’ve been great street photographs. If they were, then you’ll at least know what you needed to do technically. But if you don’t think that the images would’ve been portfolio-worthy, then go back and try again.

It’s important to understand the very human element to street photography that AI imagery and makers can’t necessarily always understand or put into words as prompts.

Ambedkar saw no hope for Dalit liberation without ‘political separation from the Hindus’. Gandhi, while agreeing that the honour of Hinduism could not be saved ‘without eradicating untouchability root and branch’, considered the idea of Dalit political separation from Hinduism ‘suicidal’ for the national movement.