Product test
On1 Photo Raw: better than expected
by David Lee
Luminar Neo: the sky really is the limit
The RAW developer Luminar can work miracles on the sky. Other functions, however, feel like an uphill battle.
With Luminar Neo, you can manage and edit RAW photos. Unlike Adobe Lightroom, you get the software as a one-off purchase. Nevertheless, I can’t fully recommend Luminar as a replacement for Lightroom. It focuses on AI tools, has a different operating concept – and a multitude of weaknesses. Also, I’m not sure if Skylum, the company behind Luminar, has a better company policy than Adobe.
Prices and versions
The software’s available in three versions for different prices. In the cheapest version, you can only use it on the desktop (Mac or Windows), or with iOS and Android. All three variants offer the option of using Luminar Neo in Lightroom Classic or Photoshop for the plug-in.
As of mid-February 2026, the middle version costs 149 francs or 85 euros. According to the website, this is on offer – normally, it’d be 465 francs or 405 euros. The original prices are far too high, though. This would mean Luminar Neo’s significantly more expensive than the most expensive RAW developer out there: Capture One currently costs 299 francs or 369 euros. The Swiss prices are also much higher than those for Germany. I get the impression the pricing’s pretty random.
From what you can see in the FAQs, in all three versions the generative tools (delete, replace and expand) no longer work after one year. So you’ll have to fork out again to keep them running. But Skylum doesn’t reveal exactly how much. You can find the current prices and information on every version here.
Average image management
The image management part of the software’s okay – nothing special. Its range of functions lies between that of Photomator and that of On1 Photo Raw. You can use the same keyboard shortcuts for star ratings and markers as in Lightroom. Luminar applies the ratings from Lightroom, but not the markings. It’s clear Luminar Neo doesn’t recognise keywords.
You can create virtual copies and albums. If required, the software can also merge several images into an exposure or focus series or a panorama. You have numerous options for filtering the image stock. However, they’re difficult to activate and deactivate. For example, they don’t allow you to simply display all images with 3200 ISO and higher. To do this, you’d have to check (and then uncheck) all 25 ISO entries starting from this value via the menu.
When importing the photos, only an open dialogue box appears. There’s no preview for selection, and therefore no way to avoid duplicates. The export’s also very rudimentary: you can’t create your own presets.
Basic editing functions
When you initially open the editing section, it’s quite overwhelming with its extensive range of functions. The tools section alone has over 40 entries. Luminar Neo relies heavily on artificial intelligence editing. But the «classic» editing section also provides almost everything you know from Lightroom.
There’s an AI-supported automation, called «Enhance». It has two controls, one for the strength in general and a second for the sky. You can make some great improvements with just two clicks, especially in landscape shots. Depending on the shot, however, it soon looks unnatural – the sky then has strange halo effects.
The basic functions such as exposure, shadow brightening or white balance are hidden under «Essentials -> Develop». They cover everything you need and do what they should. More or less. In the following example, shadow brightening works very well at first glance.
But why doesn’t Luminar brighten the two posts? They both remain dark. Lightroom, on the other hand, shows what this should look like.
There’s also a lens correction function in the development section, but this doesn’t work with profiles – which significantly reduces its usefulness. The transformation tool offers an automatic function that doesn’t do anything, as does the automatic alignment to the horizon.
Confusing operating concept
Every time I open the Develop tool, all sliders are set to zero, even if I’ve already used them. They’re then applied again – which means, for example, that I can set the white balance several times. I don’t know why I’m able to do that, but there may be cases where it is useful.
If I want to change the previous settings, I have to switch to the «Edits» tab and find the tool there. If I’ve already used it several times, I have to find the correct entry in the history. And expand it. The tools Develop and Denoise are always included in the changes, even if there haven’t been any changes yet. But only in RAW files, not in JPEG.
I find this operating concept confusing, laborious and unnecessary. Especially as I can’t switch the adjustments on and off individually, but can only temporarily hide them by holding down the mouse button. It’s also not possible to treat them like adjustment layers, i.e. to change transparency, fade effects or even just the order.
As mentioned, I can use the Develop module multiple times – but I can’t easily apply it to specific parts of the image. I have to duplicate the existing layer, then select one part per layer, edit it and finally merge the layers. Changes to the layer aren’t visible in the Edits tab and can no longer be easily undone. Each level also has its own change log. Everything’s far too complicated.
The killer feature: replacing the sky
The undisputed highlight in Luminar Neo is the sky replacement function. It delivers spectacular results. In doing so, the software also outperforms industry leader Lightroom, which lacks such a function.
Here’s an example: the original image is on the left, on the right the sky’s been replaced. What’s particularly impressive is how the sky’s reflected in the water and how the light changes – this is clearly visible on the walls of the houses. The strength of the re-exposure can be freely selected.
I’m less impressed by the sky detection. Lightroom does this much better – even On1 Photo RAW did better on my standard test image. The many wires running through the sky confuse Luminar’s algorithm. Because the ambient light’s adjusted, you don’t usually notice if the software hasn’t recognised the sky correctly. I’ve deliberately edited it here in an absurd way so that you can clearly see the parts it didn’t recognise.
With the sky function, the sky can only be replaced, not edited. Nevertheless, there are ways of working round this. Many tools offer a masking function in which you can select the sky relatively quickly with a colour selection or automatic object recognition. But in this case I notice how the object recognition isn’t very good.
Masking is always done within these tools. If you want to edit a part of the image, such as the sky, with different tools, you have to create a new mask each time.
There are currently 35 skies to choose from, including four starry skies. Of course, you don’t want every photo to show the exact same clouds. You can buy additional packages – you have a large selection to chose from. But that also adds up quickly. Alternatively, you can use your own photos for the sky. These may only consist of sky. Luminar simply uses the whole image, it doesn’t extract the sky from an ordinary landscape photo.
Further lighting tools
In addition to the sky replacement function, Luminar offers further options for adjusting the light of the entire photo. The twilight optimiser bathes the scene in a freely configurable evening light. Together with the «golden hour» slider from the landscape tool, I create the following edit:
Light depth makes it possible to subsequently brighten or darken a certain horizontal area and studio lighting adds artificial light. I haven’t found a useful application for either of these.
Lots of AI, but not that useful
Some of the AI functions aren’t even that great. Take «SuperSharp» for example. This function distorts photos – it changes parts of the picture geometrically or leaves a patchwork of sharpened and unsharpened areas on a wall.
Upscaling via AI doesn’t work as I’d like it to either. Image noise is also scaled, but not regularly, resulting in a patchwork of completely different looking parts of the image. There are also interrupted lines. If that wasn’t bad enough, the software takes a long time to apply the edits and has to save the finished image as a new file.
In my opinion, the AI function for denoising is mediocre. Mind you, it’s better than the traditional method – practically nothing happens there.
Generative deletion – one of the three functions blocked after a year – sometimes works better, sometimes worse. Theoretically, you can use it to make annoying objects disappear, such as an ugly pack of tissues in this otherwise pretty bedroom. Yet, that was a complete fail – the AI somehow tried to extend the remote control and invented non-existent cables for it. If I also delete the stuff around it, it works reasonably well. On closer inspection, however, you realise something’s been manipulated.
In a nutshell
It won’t replace Lightroom, but interesting for certain situations
Luminar Neo offers a wide range of functions, but not all of them deliver good results. This applies to both AI-supported tools and traditional tools. The automatic alignment is bad, the lens correction doesn’t work with profiles and the AI-based sharpening and upscaling is disappointing.
With the sky replacement function, Luminar Neo has an impressive unique selling point. Still, since the sky can only be replaced, not optimised, this is more image manipulation than RAW development. Other tools such as adding rays of light or changing the lighting are also similar. Luminar focuses on different areas to classic RAW developers like Adobe Lightroom. It seems to me to be more of a supplement than a replacement.
At first glance, Luminar Neo appears easy to use. It quickly and effectively improves images with its automatic AI function. However, the operating concept reveals weaknesses when it comes to complex processing. For example, settings can only be changed in a separate area called «Edits», a mask can’t be edited with several tools and the tools used can’t be activated or deactivated. The filtering in image management is far from helpful.
Anyone who wants to move away from Adobe because of the company’s pricing policy should think carefully about whether Luminar Neo is the solution. Although the software’s available as a one-off purchase, a few functions are simply deactivated after a year – with no indication of how much it’ll cost to continue using them. What’s more, the original prices are extortionate without a discount.
Pro
- Extensive editing functions
- Impressive sky replacement function
- Simple and effective AI automation
- Available as a one-off purchase
Contra
- Awkward image filtering
- No import preview and no export presets
- Operating concept takes some getting used to
- Some functions don’t provide good results
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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