![]() Phones come with photo tools like Apple Photos and Google Photos, but a lot of enthusiasts want more for their digital photography. But Lightroom isn't cheap - it starts at $120 per year - and new photographers might opt for more affordable alternatives, particularly those with a one-time price instead of a recurring subscription. You can't just move your photos from one app to another because nondestructive editing is a proprietary process. Watch the video below to see how Flex works with Smart Objects, for example.It'll be hard to woo photographers who are deeply embedded in the world of Lightroom. I think there’s a more compelling case for people who touch up their photos in Photoshop, but don’t really bother with Lightroom, because there’s much less feature duplication between these two packages and the plugin is integrated very smoothly. ![]() That said, for me there’s too much crossover between what Lightroom and Luminar Flex do to make this a must-have. One thing I didn’t mention above is that Flex allows you to work in layers – something Lightroom itself doesn’t offer – so you can experiment with different filters and then simply wipe them away if you’re not happy, or stack multiple layers on top of one another. I like many of the filters, particularly those that deal with landscapes. Would I pay £65 for the Luminar Flex plugin? That’s a tough call. Even worse, it’s hard to judge exactly what you’re getting in each pack until you’ve stumped up – but then the same could be said for many of Lightroom’s presets. Skylum’s online store has bundles of extra Looks for sale, which sticks in the throat when you’ve already paid £65 for the plugin. It can instantly transform a leaden landscape into something quite dramatic, as you can see from this before and after shot. The AI Sky Enhancer is particularly strong, boosting the blues in skies and giving clouds more impact. Luminar’s great strength is adding impact to landscapes. So why would you pay Skylum for more? In this case, that’s the £65 question. Lightroom already has an extensive set of filters (or presets) and you can add as many as you like, many of which are free to download online. If you’re editing in Photoshop, you open the Luminar editor by selecting Filter from the top menu and then clicking on Skylum Software > Luminar Flex. This is handy because some of Lightroom’s tools (dodge and burn, for example) are much easier to use than Luminar’s. Once the edits have been applied, Flex shuts down and you can continue working on the photo in Lightroom if you wish. The Luminar Flex window will open and you can make as many edits as you like, before committing them with the Apply button. When you choose to edit a photo in this way, Lightroom will (by default) create a copy of the chosen image. Lightroom users should note it only works with the Classic version of the app, not the newfangled Lightroom CC. It’s compatible with full-blown Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and Lightroom – both for Windows and Mac. The installer asks which of Adobe’s products you want to add Flex too and then goes quietly about its business. But does it do anything that Photoshop and Lightroom don’t already offer? Let’s find out. Its chief selling point is a range of filters, designed to give landscapes greater impact and portraits more punch. Enter Skylum’s Luminar Flex plugin: a version of the company’s Luminar software that is designed to work as a companion for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Of course, getting it right in-camera is the ultimate answer, but even the best photographers fall back on post-processing. Photographers never stop looking for ways to improve their images. You must pay more for extra filters (or Looks).A lot of feature duplication with Lightroom. ![]()
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