Luminar or Lightroom?

Hannah Shia

Senior Member
What software do you choose for editing?
Both programs are interchangeable for me, but I'd like to know your preference.
Here's a good comparison of two I've found in this article:
1. Pricing. Lightroom: subscription-based monthly payments. Luminar: one-payment purchase for around $70.
2. Features. The most prominent difference is "layers". Personally, I love using layers and would appreciate this feature in Lightroom. Luminar already has it.
3. User Interface. It's mentioned that Luminar is easier to navigate and has a basic interface, though I have no issues with Lightroom interface.
Your thoughts?
 

Dangerspouse

Senior Member
Hi Hannah -

I use Lightroom. It's the one I started with, and I've never tried any other so I can't make comparisons myself. (Other that Nikon's Capture NX-D, which worked terribly on my computer.)

I will say that if you subscribe to Lightroom you CAN use layers because you automatically get PhotoShop with your subscription. Just choose "Edit in PhotoShop" in the Lightroom menu and your picture opens in the other app, ready to be worked with all the PS features.

Like you, I have no issues with the Lightroom interface either. Once I got past the initial learning curve it became very intuitive.

I do like Lightroom's updates, which so far have been useful and bug-free. I don't know if one-time price programs also offer that kind of support, but if they do, I would hope they're as good as Lightroom's.

:)
 
Although I have PaintShop Pro, Luminar and Lightroom (one-time purchase – I don't use post-processing software enough to justify a subscription), my own preference is for Luminar. I don't do a lot to my RAW images apart from cropping and tweaking exposure as needed. The main feature set is readily accessible. I always rename my files after manipulating them, so I can always go back and re-edit if I don't like the result. I stopped upgrading PaintShop Pro when I started shooting RAW a few years ago, but still use that program for editing graphics.
 

BF Hammer

Senior Member
I personally am big on open-source software. Since I don't make a living from my photos, I cannot justify the cost of using any Adobe products. I bought Luminar4 earlier this year because the price is not out of this world and I wanted to try working with the unique features it offers. Adobe is playing catch-up in the AI features right now.

I cannot say Luminar is something I can use full-time. Maybe the new-release Luminar AI will be a different story. But I find RawTherapee for the main processing workflow and GIMP as the finishing touches (not always needed either) to be the combination that works for me. I only had to add the Nikon ViewNX suite for the organization and importation features, and I previously used Google Picasa for that until about 5 years ago. But I keep trying out stuff in Luminar and I expect to use it more and more for projects in the future.
 
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