How AI technology can transform your photos

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the key buzzwords of today, with various industries using this emerging technology to improve their products and user experience. AI has become incredibly important across disciplines from healthcare to app design and will no doubt continue to help shape our lives in future. 

You might not think that AI matters to you, but it could completely transform your photos – recently announced application and plugin Luminar AI from Skylum uses artificial intelligence to help you save time and effort when editing your photos. And it's soon to be available on both macOS and Windows.

AI in photography isn't exactly new. Whether you've noticed it or not, AI has actually been a part of photography for years, with smartphone cameras using sophisticated mechanisms such as machine learning and colour enhancement to improve the look of images.

But now, AI in photography has just got better. "Luminar AI will help make image editing easier for everyone," says Alex Tsepko, CEO of Skylum Software. "We’ve removed the boring and difficult parts of photo editing without sacrificing creativity. Luminar AI will be a great tool in a creators’ workflow. They can focus on great results – not on the process of editing."

Read on to find out exactly how Luminar AI uses artificial intelligence to make your life easier, but first, let's address the elephant in the room...

But isn't AI scary?

With the words ‘artificial intelligence’ often conjuring mental visions of dramatic '80s movies, not everyone will be happy to embrace AI. However, the idea that AI is dangerous, or that it could be a replacement for human creativity, just isn’t correct. AI will also only work on the specific problem that it's been asked to solve – so Skynet is always going to remain a work of fiction.

Meanwhile, artificial intelligence will never be able to replace human creativity because it relies solely on humans inputting data. Without this feed of information, AI would be essentially useless. Even with AI gathering its data from humans, it’s unable to understand, comprehend or learn from its surroundings in the same way as a real person. This means that the sanctity of human creativity remains untouched – and photographers can rest assured that their images remain their own, even if they've been effortlessly improved with AI.

Get more from your photos

While artificial intelligence is a complex technology, the term is frequently used incorrectly. Too often, it is used as a throwaway marketing buzzword, to add a sense of perceived value without being useful. Not so with Luminar AI. This new software uses algorithms developed with machine learning to "see" a photo and understand all of the elements in the frame and where they are in 3D space.

Using this understanding, Luminar AI can then take several actions to help get the very best out of it. First, Luminar AI will look to autocorrect common capture problems with exposure and colour. Next, it suggests several creative paths, called Templates. The user can use these to produce stunning results with a very specific look or style, and quickly, too.

Skylum’s focus on true artificial intelligence is what helps separate it from other software companies that talk about the theory of AI, but fail to utilise it properly. By creating truly functional AI tools, Skylum enables creatives to produce the amazing results they’re looking for both quickly and efficiently.

Speed up your editing process

However, Luminar AI isn't just about the big-picture changes. It can help subtly redefine your workflow, too. Even for photography enthusiasts, manually editing hundreds of photos can often be the least exciting aspect of a project. However, Luminar AI is able to eliminate routine mundane tasks and speed up the editing process. 

Skylum hasn't been created in isolation, either. The company has collaborated with top photographers including Marvin Grey, Richard Bernabe, Kate Phellini and more to help train the app’s neural network. This essentially means that using Luminar AI is like consulting with a vast team of imaging experts every time you edit your photos. However, even with the huge array of AI-powered tools available, photographers still have complete creative control over their images.

From achieving the perfect composition, to avoiding tedious tasks such as manual selections, to enhancing the mood of your photos, you might just find that Luminar AI is capable of cutting hours out of your workflow – and making your images look better than ever.

Reserve your copy of Luminar AI today to access a special price and get exclusive access to the Luminar AI Insiders, a private community solely for those who pre-order Luminar AI. Not only will you enjoy exclusive access to the Luminar AI team, but there will also be new tutorials, special events and even a few surprises too for no additional charge. After you’ve made your purchase, you’ll receive your invitation to join this special community.