Other Tools And Black Friday Transitions To, What Else, Cyber Week!

 I ran through a lot of ink raving about the new "Restoration" tool in Luminar Neo.. you know, this one:

Mackinac Bridge ©Daniel Gauss/Shot On Site

Still damned impressed with how well it works, especially in concert with the other Luminar Neo tools. Like "Sky Replacement", which is incredibly useful for these old black and whites from the 1990's with their totally blown out skies.

The other tool that has all the "influencers" and "vloggers" wetting their pants is "Light Depth".  I admit, I really didn't get this one. That is, until I tried it for my Facebook profile picture for Veterans Day. In fact, I used both Restoration and  Light Depth, and it's quite impressive. 

It's Demo Time. 

Here's the digitized scan from the original 3.5x3.5 Instamatic print from my tropical vacation in Southeast Asia in 1969...

 

and the result of the restoration: 

Not bad, right? But it's missing something (besides a better sky, I mean). That's where the Light Depth tool comes in, (You'll find it at the top of the Creative Toos on the right column)

And when I got done managing the light with the Light Depth tool, and adding an appropriate sky, and fiddling with other tools like Vignette, and Golden Hour, and Landscape... well, it looked like this:

Marine Patrol, Republic of Vietnam ©HM3 Daniel Gauss, 1969

That's a banger, huh?

Here's another:

Multnomah Falls, Columbia R Gorge ©Daniel Gauss, ~1990

...and one more for good measure: (this one's a recent, digital image from only 4 years ago)

Leasburg Slot Canyon, Las Cruces NM ©Daniel Gauss, Shot On Site

Whet your apetite? Well the Black Friday Sale ends on Monday, but is that the end of the criminally low, low prices for new users, or upgrade passes for existing users? Oh, hell-to-the-NO! Because you know what comes after Black Friday? Do ya? That's right, CyberWeek! It's exactly the same pricing structure as the Black Friday Sale. 50-77% off! You must check it out, and here's how:

If you're an existing user of Luminar Neo, click this link.

If you're a NEW customer, and want Luminar Neo so bad you're crying, click this link. 

Each link will take you to the appropriate options for your situation. Pick the one that floats your boat. Maybe you want the Luminar Neo Ecosystem, which will get you Neo and Mobile (and fun fact, you can move seamlessly between the two! Start an edit on your phone, make it legendary on your desktop!) That's one of the options that will be presented to you.

And, of course, when you've made your selection, and are in the checkout line, remember to add the my coupon code: PHOTODAN to save even more! (10%)

Full disclosure: When you purchase using my links, I receive a small commission, with no extra cost to you, so help a fella out, yeah? I knew you would.

Come back soon, because I want to tell you all about something else that's new this Fall: SPACES!

teaser: https://spaces.skylum.com/en/web-page/894eb264a4d62917

THIS SPACE COMES ALIVE! for the BIG FALL UPGRADE!

And not insignificantly for a "Black Friday" Sale that lasts for more than a month!

But, first things first. 

Remember this image?  Of course you do, it's right down there in the previous post👇It's a scan of an image of my mother taken nearly 90 years ago, give or take. It's just one of hundreds and hundreds of old images I own, most of them fading and scratched and creased just like this one.

In the  past, I could have spent countless hours painstakingly editing this image to bring it back to life, and even with all the tools in Luminar Neo, or any of the other editing platforms out there it would still look not all that satisfactory.

You know where this is going, right?

I've been fortunate enough to be able to play around with the beta version of the "Big Fall Upgrade", and all of the new features and tools that are included, and there are some great ones, like the Luminar Neo Ecosystem, that combines the mobile apps with the desktop, seamlessly, to bring your phone-edited images to the desktop for further "massaging".  There's also the  new "Spaces" where you can creat your own personal "gallery of favorites", hosted by Skylum, and completely free of charge. It's included with your copy of Luminar Neo. There's the "Light Depth" tool, which I haven't quite figured out yet, but according to Skylum, gives you "perfect control over light and depth in every image

But nothing, and I mean nothing, got my attention like the "Restoration" tool, which brings new life to those old photos with, literally, one click of a button:

Ooh, uncomfortable "Marty McFly" vibes. I'll go in to more detail in future posts, but in the meantime, here are a few more samples, including my biggest day in high school (below), and showing you all images do NOT have to be restored with color-added.

Okay, the Black Friday Sale this year runs from 11am EDT today, until December 1(!) and features the deepest discounts of the year! Up to 75% off on the new Luminar Neo Ecosystem. Whether you're a current owner (Legacy Owner) of Luminar Neo, or an existing subscriber (and I should point out here, the invisible elephant in the room is that Skylum are doing away with the subscription model- big cheer from the peanut gallery- with no big fanfare). If you're a new purchaser, you'll get all of the new elements of the Fall Upgrade included with your purchase, as well as access to Luminar Mobile (for ios or Android). Legacy owners will get most of the upgrade elements, and will get all with purchase of an Upgrade Pass. And as I said, all purchase will come with deep, deep discounts, (including additional 10% with my personal discount code: PHOTODAN). "Affiliate Link" disclaimer: as always, if you purchase anything from Skylum using the links in this post, I'll get a small commission, which in no way affects your prices.

So, go. Go now and explore your options at this link (or any of the links scattered throughout this post), and save BIG TIME! I gotta get this online, and only ten minutes late.😎

WATCH THIS SPACE. FRIDAY OCTOBER 24

This is a phot of my mother at age... I dunno, maybe 14, 15? Anyway, watch for the next post on Friday, October 24.

Meanwhile, check out the latest from Skylum/Luminar Neo, and get ready for the biggest discounts of the year!

Scratch That.

Keep this under your hats, kids... but I've got another "secret sale". But you gotta act quick, because it ends October 7.  

The goodies for sale include licenses for the new "Luminar Neo Ecosystem" release coming soon, and rather than me trying to go through the various and sundry deals included for new purchasers (or subscribers) and existing owners, just use this here link and it will take you to the Skylum website and you will see your personalized options. Nothing could be easier!

As always, there's an important little bonus the fine folks at Skylum have seen fit to let me offer you. Instead of my normal 10% discount code, you can use DG20 at check out for (you guessed it) 20% off the current sale prices. So take the link ride for no obligations, and risk free purchases.

For getting this far, I'm going to treat you to some samples of a couple of the new tools (including my most anticipated one).  First is the Volume, which adds depth and dimensionality to your images, with a single click (and fine tuned with sliders). An instant "dodge and burn" tool, if you will.

And, speaking of scratches, here is the one I can't wait to try out, Restoration.  Got a bunch of those old prints from years, or generations back? Bring them all back to life. You're gonna love this one. I'm gonna love this one!

 

So, there you have it. Smash that LINK. And, of course you know that if you make a purchase using this link I'll get a small commission from Skylum, but that has zero effect on your prices. And don't forget that extra 20% off! DG20 👈(only good for the duration of the "secret sale"!)

TWO DAYS LEFT. That is all.

 

Save big on the new Luminar Ecosystem... SEE PREVIOUS POST 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

"Luminar Ecosystem"?

What's that all about? Let's find out...

There's a big, new upgrade coming in November 2025, which Skylum are calling the "first phase of the Luminar Ecosystem". Let's keep it simple, shall we? Bullet points👇

• Cross-device Mobile to Desktop editing. Currently you can use Luminar Mobile to edit your phone images, and/or Luminar Neo to edit your camera and phone images, but the two platforms can't communicate with each other. That will change in November... start your edits on the mobile platform on the road, complete them on your desktop when you get home. Details in November.
• Web Galleries. This one excites the hell out of me. Almost the most exciting upgrade in the bunch (but not quite... you'll see). You'll be able to turn your edited images into a curated web gallery with just a few clicks, and you don't have to know crap about web publishing. I will be doing this as soon as I have this update in my grubby little (bigger than T*ump's, though) hands. Again, more info as November draws nearer.
• Restoration.
  Exactly what it sounds like, and if you're like me, you've got thousands of old prints around, from dozens of different decades (including before you were born, of course), that are just fading and crackling away before your very eyes. This is the one I really, really like. Can't wait to check it out.

  

  
  
• AI Assistant. (??!!) In the words of Ryan Hall Y'all, "don't be scared, be prepared".  Not all "AI" is scary. The "assistant" analyzes your photos and recommends optimal edits, streamlining your editing flow. You might think this is only for beginners, or newbies to Luminar, but you can bet I'll use it, because it will make a lot of the tools like Curves, and Color Harmony- tools that I've been reluctant to use because they look daunting- easier to use than ever. 
• Volume. Crank it to 11? This is the mystery upgrade, and I'm as in the dark as all the YouTube influencers touting this upgrade I've watched this morning. Sounds tantalizing, though. What they say:

"Instantly add depth and dimensionality by enhancing light and shadow. A one-click solution to elevate contrast and visual impact — no manual Dodge & Burn needed."

So, you may ask, if this is all happening at the end of November, why, Dan, are you giving us all this information now? Glad you asked, and the answer is simple: There's EARLY BIRD PRICING!  👈That's your link. Hit that mother and go see what the folks at Skylum/Luminar have for you! You won't be disappointed, (and if, for some reason, you are? You got a week or something like that to get your money back. So, try it risk-free). And don't forget my discount code: PHOTODAN. Join me on this exciting photo editing journey!

Bold Print (Not "fine" print): There are a limited number of licenses available for this offer, and the early bird pricing is only available until August 31, 2025. Activate your FOMO now!!

   

News Flash!

 

Vaughn, New Mexico.©Daniel Gauss/Shot On Site

I've got some good news for the great many of you who shy away from subscription-based editing platforms. When Skylum introduced the subscription model of Luminar Neo a few years ago, a lot of you said, "Nope. I'm out."  But here's the thing. The "lifetime" version of Neo never went away. It's still available. And here's another thing: If you buy the Lifetime version, you still get all of the performance updates that the subscribers get. What you don't get, are the fancy AI tools that get added with some updates, but I'll let you in on a little secret. Periodically, Skylum will offer a premiium update package for the Lifetime owners at very reasonable prices, and they will include those fancy tools. This usually happens once, or twice a year.

All this to say there is currently a Summer Sale (yes, another one). Began today (July 24) and will run until August 3, and has some very attractive prices for Lifetime versions of Luminar Neo and Luminar Mobile. Check out the details by clicking the ad at the top of the righthand column, or this link.

But wait! Don't go just yet. Skylum have given me a special discount code, just for this sale. Instead of my normal 10%, you can now save 20% at checkout, using the code: J20-Daniel. That's 20% in addition to the discounted sale price. 

What have you got to lose? Try it risk free. Make pretty pictures like the ones above.  Now from your mobile devices, too!