Luminar AI Update 2 greatly enhances Sky AI sky replacement technology

posted Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 4:00 PM EST

Skylum updated Luminar AI today with the free Luminar AI Update 2. Among the update's features are significant improvements to the software's Sky AI editing tool. The promised ability for Sky AI to automatically reflect the replacement sky in bodies of water.

Before getting to other Luminar AI updates, let's dive into the improved Sky AI tool. When Luminar AI was released, Skylum promised that a future update would add the ability for water to reflect an image's new sky. With today's update, this promised feature has arrived. You can see it in action in the video below.

Thanks to its enhanced AI engine, Luminar Ai can now automatically reflect a new sky in the water. Skylum promises that the results are realistic because Sky AI can automatically conform to the angle and depth in a scene. If water has ripples, the software can deal with that as well.

Sky AI features improved scene relighting in the new update by eliminating strong color casts from the original sky on foreground objects. Further, a new Relight Human control matches people to the sky, resulting in better environmental portraits. There are also improved controls for aligning the new sky in a shot, including controls for rotation and horizontal offset. To make it easier to find the right sky for your shot, the Sky AI panel has an improved user interface, plus some new free skies.

Image credit: Bess Hamiti

Beyond big improvements to Sky AI, Luminar AI Update 2 includes transformable texture overlays. You can upload PNG files with transparency to use as textures in Luminar AI. You can use this feature for adding watermarks, text and more to your shots. Texture overlays can be moved, flipped, rotated and resized. Plus, you can save an overlay as a Template for future use.

Beyond texture overlays, Templates are improved in the new update. It's now easier to find and use your Templates, including ones you've built yourself and ones that have been purchased. Templates you've bought can now be presented by the software when it suggests enhancements to your images.

Image credit: David Sarwono

Luminar AI Update 2 also adds support for new cameras and file formats to Luminar AI. The newly supported cameras include Canon EOS R5, Canon EOS R6, EOS 850D, EOS-1D X Mark III (lossy compressed files), Fujifilm X-S10, Leica M10-R, S3, SL2-S, Nikon Z 5, Z 6 II, Z 7 II, Olympus E-M10 Mark IV, Panasonic DC-G100 / G110, DC-S5, Sony ILCE-7C (A7C), ILCE-7SM3 (A7S III) and Zeiss ZX1 cameras. Lossy compressed .CR3 and .RAF files are supported in the new update.

'Too often, complexity is the enemy of creativity. It adds time and frustration to a process we think should be fun, even joyful.' said Alex Tsepko, CEO of Skylum. 'With Luminar AI, our goal is to strip out that complexity. Update 2 builds on this work and offers more creative tools. I am excited to see what people make with it.'