Did you ever have a problem only to be sent around in circles? Unfortunately, I’m writing this post just after encountering a problem with Luminar.
I’m licensed for Luminar 4, and in the short time I’ve had it, I love it! I get an email regarding what looks like an update to Luminar 4.3. Great! Not so great. Once I install the update, it tells me I downloaded a free trial. If I have a license, put it in this box. I copied and pasted my license number in the box, and it says it’s not associated with my email.
I try a few more things, and finally it says that license number is associated with my email! In frustration, I tried to get a hold of tech support. The chat box opened. This chat is computer operated–no live person at the other end. To make a long story less long. The chat bot, as it’s called, gave me instructions that either didn’t work or sent me in circles. I’m currently waiting for a tech support reply. Do you hear my screams??
Okay on to Old Sacramento. We went down there for a sunset. I was amazed at how crowded it was, and many people weren’t masked. That made me a little uncomfortable, so I tried to stay away from people as best I could. There weren’t any clouds, but I thought this would be a good opportunity to replace the skies with Luminar. It worked well, and for the most part I was happy with the results.
Here are some before and after shots.
This was the first one I did. A photo buddy suggested moving the cloud so that it wasn’t directly over the tree, but since it was a Luminar sky, I couldn’t.
This one I went from Lightroom to Luminar to Nik Silver Efex.
Another attempt with a much smaller sky.
And finally, this image got me into the trouble today. I was looking for a tutorial on cleaning up a sky replacement, but first went into my email. I should have gone to the tutorial first. This is the Tower bridge. I liked the sunset sky, but the second tower seems to have the sunset sky run through it. If anyone has a suggestion how to eliminate that thin bit of sky, let me know!
Luminar had nothing to do with this last image; just mother nature and a boat.
I’ll let you know how I make out with Luminar in another post. Maybe my next one! Hopefully in my next post!!
Slow Shutter Speed 
Technology!?!? The necessary evil in our world 😊. Hang in there, I’m sure it will all come together. I really like how your skies look with Luminar. I may have to invest in a license.
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They did send me a link that reinstalled without the trial. After installation, it offered me an update. I didn’t take it!! There’s a lot to learn about this program. I finally got into it last night. I got it free when I bought my Fugifilm. Take care.
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A good reason to wait to upgrade Luminar…. or everything, in fact! I always wait a few weeks so there is time to fix any possible bug (I guess this is because I’m married to a guy working in IT, hehehe).
Are you happy with Luminar? I have the feeling it is a middle step between Lightroom and Photoshop (way more intuitive than Ps, of course!), but I don’t use it to its full potential… I stick with Lightroom whenever it’s possible! What do you think?
I love how the photos look with the new sky, specially the bridge at golden hour!
Take care, Anne!
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Thanks Mercedes! A Luminar Tech did answer my email rant and I followed his link. It reinstalled Luminar without saying it was a trial. Yes, I like Luminar mostly because it intuitively does things and automatically does layers. This was my first time really using it. I think it will be a great plug in for Lightroom. Fuji is not supported that well by Adobe, so Luminar came with the new camera. It seems to be a good stand alone product too.
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I love the photo of the old locomotive! And technology has it’s good points, but it can be an evil monster too!
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Thanks Cherie! My Luminar problem has been solved. They keep wanting me to upgrade but NO. I do think I have the latest version. Good luck with your blog. Bullying is such a big problem for anyone, especially school aged kids. It’s a tough fight, but it needs to be done.
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You’re so welcome, Anne. And thank you for such kind words. They mean a lot. 🙂
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Cherie, I think you could also bring up the problem on shyness. I’m shy and as a kid it was difficult. I was mainly ignored, not many friends, and just felt alone. Kids need to be shone how to reach out to the shy peers. Once the ice is broken and shy people feel comfortable and included life is much better. I also recommend Toastmasters for anyone who is shy or has low self-esteem. I’ve learned how to handle my shyness, and Toastmasters helped.
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One of the reasons I don’t depend on Luminar is their upgrade policy. It seems every time there is a serious revision or new process available they charge more money! I very rarely use their sky replacement for the very issue you recommended, which is if there is something poking into the sky, their program doesn’t recognize it and the sky goes over it making it very obvious that a replacement happened. All that said, you’ve achieved some wonderful results with your images. Sometimes you can fix the issue by moving the horizon up or down or over depending on where the issue is and how much sky you have in the image.
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The Luminar issue has been resolved by their tech support. I’ve also received some advice on removing the sky going through the second tower. I don’t think I would use Luminar as a stand alone product. But it seems to be a good plug in for some things. Their customer service is lacking while Adobe has an effective live chat who immediately handles your problem. Actually, the program came with my new Fuji camera lens. If they want money to upgrade, I just won’t do it.
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