Hi Angela, another very useful video, well explained, thank you. It may have been mentioned but there seems in my opinion to be some sound distortion, possibly worth listening to the video once ready for uploading. I hope you continue to explain Luminar Neo as it will be helpful for some of the submenus where further actions are available to also be demonstrated please. Thanks and Regards JB
I'm glad I ran into this video, I was wondering what happened to Aurora HDR and so I guess they rolled-it-into the Luminar Neo package. That's great because I have been using Neo for a while. I have to go test this out. Thanks Angela!! BTW, mic has some hizzing, I think you can fix that with a plugin depending on what editing software you use. Again, great video!!
Yep! The underlying tech from Aurora HDR is now part of the Luminar Neo HDR Merge extension. The results in my testing have been remarkably similar. Appreciate the feedback on the sound in the video! Will try to fix and reupload.
Hi seabreezeof - in short, it won't. You can use Luminar Neo as a PS plugin, but in order to use the HDR Merge you need to open multiple bracketed images in Neo - with Photoshop, you can only send one at a time. As a workaround you could open your brackets in Neo as Single Images, process the HDR, then export and open in Photoshop.
@@angandrieux Appreciate your response, what file format is used once your files are turned into a single file in NEO + HDR...Does the file stay Raw, or converted to Tiff or DNG?
Hi Angela. Your video is very good. I understand that HDR Merge only works with the stand alone version of Neo (not for Lightroom or Photoshop plug-ins). I am an avid Aurora HDR user that catalogs everything in Lightroom (I seem to recall from a past video that you too catalog everything in Lightroom). Dropping multiple brackets from Lightroom to Aurora and back works super well. As HDR Merge is supposed to be the replacement for Aurora HDR, can you please file a formal request with your developers for this added functionality? We Aurora/Lightroom users REALLY need this. 🙂. Thanks!!!
Hi Scott - You are correct - at this time HDR Merge only works with Neo as a standalone. For now, my best workaround from LR, to right-click on an image in your bracketed set and choose Show in Finder/Explorer. Then select the bracketed images in Finder/Explorer, right-click, and choose Open With > Luminar Neo. This will open the images as single image edits and you can then merge/edit them. When you're done, you'll need to manually Export your finished image back to the originating folder. In Lightroom, right-click on the folder and tell it to synchronize. I know it is a bit convoluted, so hopefully, the Skylum team works out a plugin solution. I've already shared my feedback with the Skylum team, but the more voices that echo the request, the higher the likelihood of implementation, so I encourage you to email support@skylum.com and let them know your thoughts as well.
@@angandrieux Thanks for the ultra responsive reply Angela. Your the best. I have already sent a note to support, but figured you had better pull than I have. ;) I have saved your response for future use, but seems like the better (easier?) solution for now is to just continue using Aurora HDR, and then drop into Neo for further edits. Hopefully the Developement folks can figure something out soon. Thanks again!
@@sflanagin1 For what it's worth, the results I've seen comparing HDR Merge and Aurora are virtually identical. If Aurora still works for you, no reason to stop using it for now. Unfortunately for me, Aurora doesn't support the files from my camera (a Canon EOS R6) - Neo does, so I'm doing the workaround for now.
@@angandrieux Thanks for that info Angela. Very good to know. I generally shoot raw on my Cannon 5D Mark IV and Aurora still works fairly well for my merged or single shot HDR, but I know Skylum does not plan to support Aurora much longer, so just thinking I should consider changing with the times. For now though, it sounds like Aurora is still my best solution. I am a little surprised though that your Canon EOS R6 files do not work with Aurora (I mean, I know Skylum has not updated Aurora in years, but seems the Canon outputs of our two cameras would be similar). However, I guess that is not the case. I have thought often about transitioning to the mirrorless world, but with so much money invested in my current cameras and multiple lenses, I have just not pulled the trigger yet. Definitely the wave of the future. Thanks again for your wonderful assistance and suggestions! 🙂
@@sflanagin1 Canon made some significant changes between the CR2 and CR3 files. It took Skylum a while to get the differences sorted out in Luminar AI and Luminar Neo as well, but those are a lot newer than Aurora. For what its worth, while they might not continue to support Aurora, it should continue to work as long as you have a computer that meets its specs - meaning you don't upgrade beyond an operating system that can handle it. I would imagine you have a year or two at least that you can use it. Fingers crossed Neo has its plugin game sorted by then. :)
Thanks for showing, it kinda sucks that there is no preview option like in Lightroom. I just tried it on drone shots with spinning windmills in the background. Low setting didn't remove the ghosting. So I have to keep trying, I'm leaning towards refund and keep using Lightroom bc of this.
Hi and thanks for your comment! The HDR Merge is pretty fast and I can easily go back and reprocess if needed, so I don't find the lack of a preview much of an issue in my workflow. I've also learned over time about how much deghosting an image set will need based on the conditions so my "guess" is usually correct. That said, I would choose the HDR processor that gives you the results you like best. In my opinion, Lightroom does a decent job, but I like the results from Aurora HDR better - and that is the tech being used for the new HDR Merge in Luminar Neo.
Thanks Angela! Always such clear step by step instructions from you.
Appreciate the kind words, Rebecca! Glad the video was helpful :)
Hi Angela, another very useful video, well explained, thank you. It may have been mentioned but there seems in my opinion to be some sound distortion, possibly worth listening to the video once ready for uploading. I hope you continue to explain Luminar Neo as it will be helpful for some of the submenus where further actions are available to also be demonstrated please. Thanks and Regards JB
Glad the video was helpful. I'm aware of the sound issue and will try to fix and re-upload soon!
I'm glad I ran into this video, I was wondering what happened to Aurora HDR and so I guess they rolled-it-into the Luminar Neo package. That's great because I have been using Neo for a while. I have to go test this out. Thanks Angela!! BTW, mic has some hizzing, I think you can fix that with a plugin depending on what editing software you use. Again, great video!!
Yep! The underlying tech from Aurora HDR is now part of the Luminar Neo HDR Merge extension. The results in my testing have been remarkably similar. Appreciate the feedback on the sound in the video! Will try to fix and reupload.
Angela, you showed the workflow for standalone Neo HDR Merge , how will it work as a plugin to PS?
Hi seabreezeof - in short, it won't. You can use Luminar Neo as a PS plugin, but in order to use the HDR Merge you need to open multiple bracketed images in Neo - with Photoshop, you can only send one at a time. As a workaround you could open your brackets in Neo as Single Images, process the HDR, then export and open in Photoshop.
@@angandrieux Appreciate your response, what file format is used once your files are turned into a single file in NEO + HDR...Does the file stay Raw, or converted to Tiff or DNG?
@@seabreezeof Neo's HDRs are turned into TIFFs. So far, I have had great results with the image quality and the flexibility in editing the TIFF HDR.
@@angandrieux Thank you Angela
Is there a way to do this for alot of photos. Say like a entire photo shoot. Real Estate?
Hi - Yes! Luminar Neo now has batch processing for HDR. It works wonderfully! I'll try to do a video on this in the not-too-distant future. ~Angela
Thank you! This was great.
But letting you know, there are issues with your mic/sound…. Is scratchy throughout the video.
Yeah I was scared that my speakers were dying lol.
Hi Scott - Darn! So sorry about the audio quality. Not sure what went wrong there but will see if I can fix it and re-upload.
Hi Angela. Your video is very good. I understand that HDR Merge only works with the stand alone version of Neo (not for Lightroom or Photoshop plug-ins). I am an avid Aurora HDR user that catalogs everything in Lightroom (I seem to recall from a past video that you too catalog everything in Lightroom). Dropping multiple brackets from Lightroom to Aurora and back works super well. As HDR Merge is supposed to be the replacement for Aurora HDR, can you please file a formal request with your developers for this added functionality? We Aurora/Lightroom users REALLY need this. 🙂. Thanks!!!
Hi Scott - You are correct - at this time HDR Merge only works with Neo as a standalone. For now, my best workaround from LR, to right-click on an image in your bracketed set and choose Show in Finder/Explorer. Then select the bracketed images in Finder/Explorer, right-click, and choose Open With > Luminar Neo. This will open the images as single image edits and you can then merge/edit them. When you're done, you'll need to manually Export your finished image back to the originating folder. In Lightroom, right-click on the folder and tell it to synchronize. I know it is a bit convoluted, so hopefully, the Skylum team works out a plugin solution. I've already shared my feedback with the Skylum team, but the more voices that echo the request, the higher the likelihood of implementation, so I encourage you to email support@skylum.com and let them know your thoughts as well.
@@angandrieux Thanks for the ultra responsive reply Angela. Your the best. I have already sent a note to support, but figured you had better pull than I have. ;) I have saved your response for future use, but seems like the better (easier?) solution for now is to just continue using Aurora HDR, and then drop into Neo for further edits. Hopefully the Developement folks can figure something out soon. Thanks again!
@@sflanagin1 For what it's worth, the results I've seen comparing HDR Merge and Aurora are virtually identical. If Aurora still works for you, no reason to stop using it for now. Unfortunately for me, Aurora doesn't support the files from my camera (a Canon EOS R6) - Neo does, so I'm doing the workaround for now.
@@angandrieux Thanks for that info Angela. Very good to know. I generally shoot raw on my Cannon 5D Mark IV and Aurora still works fairly well for my merged or single shot HDR, but I know Skylum does not plan to support Aurora much longer, so just thinking I should consider changing with the times. For now though, it sounds like Aurora is still my best solution. I am a little surprised though that your Canon EOS R6 files do not work with Aurora (I mean, I know Skylum has not updated Aurora in years, but seems the Canon outputs of our two cameras would be similar). However, I guess that is not the case. I have thought often about transitioning to the mirrorless world, but with so much money invested in my current cameras and multiple lenses, I have just not pulled the trigger yet. Definitely the wave of the future. Thanks again for your wonderful assistance and suggestions! 🙂
@@sflanagin1 Canon made some significant changes between the CR2 and CR3 files. It took Skylum a while to get the differences sorted out in Luminar AI and Luminar Neo as well, but those are a lot newer than Aurora.
For what its worth, while they might not continue to support Aurora, it should continue to work as long as you have a computer that meets its specs - meaning you don't upgrade beyond an operating system that can handle it. I would imagine you have a year or two at least that you can use it. Fingers crossed Neo has its plugin game sorted by then. :)
Thanks for showing, it kinda sucks that there is no preview option like in Lightroom. I just tried it on drone shots with spinning windmills in the background. Low setting didn't remove the ghosting. So I have to keep trying, I'm leaning towards refund and keep using Lightroom bc of this.
Hi and thanks for your comment! The HDR Merge is pretty fast and I can easily go back and reprocess if needed, so I don't find the lack of a preview much of an issue in my workflow. I've also learned over time about how much deghosting an image set will need based on the conditions so my "guess" is usually correct. That said, I would choose the HDR processor that gives you the results you like best. In my opinion, Lightroom does a decent job, but I like the results from Aurora HDR better - and that is the tech being used for the new HDR Merge in Luminar Neo.
As mentioned by another viewer, the microphone needs some help.
Appreciate the heads up. I’ll try to get the audio re-recorded soon. I hope the content was helpful, otherwise!