Luminar Neo review
8.1/10★★★★★AI-first photo editor with sky replacement, GenErase and a one-time licence option
- Best for
- Hobbyist photographers who want strong AI tools without an Adobe subscription
- Price
- Paid · from £129 one-time
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
- Made by
- Skylum
- App store ratings
- iOS 4.8★ (4.6K) · Android 4.5★ (16.7K)
What it is
Luminar Neo is Skylum's photo editor for Mac and Windows, with mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android and a web version due in autumn 2026. It has more than 20 AI tools, including Sky AI, Relight AI, Enhance AI and generative GenErase, GenSwap and GenExpand, and works as a plugin for Lightroom and Photoshop.
Latest: Autumn 2026: an upgrade brings Enhance AI 2.0 and AI Assistant 2.0, with a web version announced for the same season.
What the AI does
- Sky AI replacement
- GenErase, GenSwap and GenExpand
- Enhance AI and Relight AI
- Skin AI and Face AI portrait tools
- Noiseless AI and Supersharp AI
- AI Assistant
Pros and cons
- Best-in-class sky replacement
- Perpetual licence option
- Generative tools are genuinely useful
- Works as a Lightroom and Photoshop plugin
- AI tool access in a licence lasts one year unless renewed
- Demanding on older computers
- Weaker photo library management than Lightroom
How it scores
Strong AI edits and a one-time price option; the time limit on AI tools and no web app yet keep value and platforms short of the top.
Feature checklist · 5 of 9
- Remove unwanted objects or people (yes)
- Background removal or replacement (no)
- AI subject or sky selection and masking (no)
- Generative fill or expand (yes)
- Edit by describing changes in text (no)
- AI enhance, denoise or upscale (yes)
- AI portrait and face retouching (yes)
- Free version with useful editing tools (no)
- Available on both mobile and desktop or web (yes)
Alternatives
See all Luminar Neo alternatives, ranked →
- Google Photos 8.4/10Anyone who wants quick, free AI fixes on the photos already on their phone
- Adobe Lightroom 8.3/10Photographers who want pro-grade editing and a synced photo library on every device
- Canva photo editor 8.2/10Non-designers who edit photos to use in social posts, slides and marketing
- Adobe Photoshop 8.1/10Designers and retouchers who need full control over complex edits and composites