How to Use Luminar – Complete Beginner’s Tutorial 2026, by Anthony Turnham on YouTube. 33 min 49 s.
- Video length
- 33 min 49 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Open Luminar and add your photos by pointing the catalogue at a folder on your drive. The catalogue tracks where files live, so keep photos in one place rather than moving them afterwards.
Pick one photo and open it in the Develop section. All edits stay non-destructive, so the original file is never changed and you can reset at any time.
Set the camera profile first, then fix white balance. Adjust exposure, highlights and shadows while watching the histogram so you do not clip detail at either end.
Add colour with vibrance rather than saturation. Vibrance lifts muted colours gently, while saturation pushes every colour and quickly looks unnatural.
Run Enhance AI or Accent AI for a quick overall boost. Move the slider slowly and compare against the original so the result still looks like a photograph.
Try the AI Assistant if you are unsure what to change. It suggests a set of adjustments you can accept, then fine tune each slider yourself.
Apply Structure AI to bring out texture in buildings, landscapes or skin-free detail. Keep the amount low on portraits to avoid harsh, crunchy edges.
Use a brush mask to edit one area, such as brightening a face, and a linear gradient to darken or lighten a sky. Paint or drag the mask, then adjust the sliders.
Stack multiple instances of the same tool when one pass is not enough. Add Light Depth or the AI relighting tools for a more creative, dimensional look.
Check the before and after view, then export. Choose JPEG quality, pick the correct colour space for your use, and set the output size and folder.
Tips and common mistakes
Do the technical fixes in Develop before adding AI looks, or you will stack corrections on top of problems.
Keep every AI slider subtle; small amounts look real, large amounts look processed.
Duplicate the photo before a big creative edit so you keep a clean version to fall back on.
Export at full size for printing and a smaller, sharpened copy for social media.
Questions
Do my edits change the original file?
No. Luminar edits are non-destructive and stored with the catalogue, so the original photo stays untouched until you export a new copy.
Should I use saturation or vibrance?
Use vibrance for most photos because it protects already strong colours. Reach for saturation only when you want a bold, stylised look.
What file format should I export?
Use JPEG for sharing and printing at high quality, or TIFF if you plan to keep editing the file in another program.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
