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Now in photo editing, the advent of generative AI tools is poised to revolutionize the way photographers of all levels work their magic. While Adobe caters to professionals, Skylum, the brains behind Luminar Neo, has set its sights on providing user-friendly AI features to a broader audience, including hobbyists. With its latest offering, Luminar Neo has introduced a series of generative AI features, making their desktop apps for Mac and Windows even more powerful.
These tools, GenErase and GenSwap, offer remarkable capabilities, allowing users to effortlessly eliminate unwanted objects, expand their canvas, and seamlessly incorporate or replace specific elements in their photos. This move aligns with Adobe's Generative Fill tool, yet Skylum has taken a slightly different route. Instead of relying on text prompts, Luminar Neo simplifies the process by enabling users to select an area in the image for removal and then clicking the "Erase" button. Unlike Adobe's offering, it doesn't provide multiple result options; if you desire a different outcome, you simply click "Erase" once more.
Skylum, formerly known as Macphun, embarked on its journey in 2008 when game developers and amateur photographers Paul Muzok and Dima Sytnik joined forces. Initially focused on iOS applications, their passion for photography eventually led them to create image editing apps for Mac, each earning recognition and millions of downloads. Luminar, a desktop photo editing software designed to simplify complex tasks, emerged in 2016. It evolved into Luminar Neo in 2022, primarily catering to hobbyist photographers. Nonetheless, even some professional photographers employ Luminar Neo, often as a plugin for software like Lightroom or Photoshop.
Incorporating generative AI models into their software was a natural progression for Skylum, aiming to make photo editing more accessible. They plan to release one generative AI tool per month until the end of 2023. GenErase, the first of this series, debuted on October 26. GenSwap, designed for element replacement, and GenExpand, perfect for expanding the canvas, are set to follow on November 16 and December 14, respectively.
Skylum's commitment to innovation comes without the baggage of external funding – the company has remained profitable for several years. Boasting a dedicated team of over 120 individuals, Skylum has firmly established itself as a pioneer in the world of photo editing, continually pushing boundaries to create more intuitive and powerful tools for photographers everywhere.
