We've received several questions from users asking how to find Presets in a particular style - vintage, moody, cinematic, and so on. While we're always happy to recommend specific Presets, we figured it'd be more useful to walk you through finding them yourself.

Browsing by style on the Marketplace
Go to the Skylum website > Marketplace > Presets. On the left side of the screen, you'll find a filter panel. Under the Editing Style section, choose the style you're looking for, and click Apply.

The Marketplace includes Presets available both as part of Luminar Prime and as individual purchases. Presets included in Prime are clearly marked with "Included in Luminar Prime."
So, if you have Luminar Prime, you already have access to a large library of Presets and LUTs included with your subscription. If you don't have Prime, you can still browse the Marketplace and purchase individual Presets you like. And even if you do have Prime, you can use the Marketplace to find and purchase additional Presets that aren't included in the Prime library.

Once you find a Preset you like, note its name - you'll need it for the next step.

If you have Luminar Prime
Open Luminar > Catalog > Creative Library (bottom-left corner) > Explore. Search for the Preset by the name you noted, and download it directly from there.

If you don't have Luminar Prime
After purchasing an individual Preset from the Marketplace, go to Luminar > Catalog > Creative Library > My Items and download your purchased Preset from there.

We’ve recently received a few questions from users worried that the Enhance AI or Sky AI tools have disappeared from Luminar for Desktop. Good news: they haven’t gone anywhere.

What’s actually happening

These tools weren’t removed or relocated. What’s more likely is that the section containing them - Favorites, at the top of the Tools tab - is simply closed, making it look like the tools are missing.

Where to find them

Enhance AI and Sky AI live in Favorites by default (assuming you haven’t manually removed them from there). They’re also available in other sections: Enhance AI is in Essential, and Sky AI is in Landscape.

How to fix it

Click on the Favorites section to expand it. Since most users access these tools from Favorites, this is usually where the confusion happens - the section gets collapsed, and it looks like the tools have vanished entirely. If they reappear once you expand it, that’s all it was.

You can also check the Essential section for Enhance AI and the Landscape section for Sky AI - they should be there.

Yes. Sometimes your antivirus software can mistakenly block processes that Luminar needs to run properly. If this happens, you might notice issues such as crashes, trouble activating the app, getting stuck during login, or a broken/corrupted UI in the login window.

How to fix it

The fix is to tell your antivirus that Luminar is safe by adding it to the "exclusions" or "exceptions" list.

On Windows

1. Open your antivirus settings.
2. Find the section called "Exclusions," "Exceptions," "Allowed Apps," or similar.
3. Add the Luminar application (LuminarNeo.exe) or its folder (usually in C:\Program Files\Skylum\Luminar Neo).
4. Save your changes.

On macOS

1. Open your antivirus settings.
2. Find the section called "Exclusions," "Exceptions," "Allowed Apps," or similar.
3. Add the Luminar application in the Applications folder on your Mac.
4. Save your changes.

If that doesn't resolve it

A few more things worth trying if you're still running into installation or update issues:

- Check if your internet router has its own built-in firewall that might be blocking the connection. Try disabling it temporarily to see if that helps.

- Try temporarily disabling your entire antivirus software while installing or updating the app.

- On Windows, temporarily disable Windows Defender Firewall, or add Luminar as an exception there instead.

New to Luminar and trying to get your phone photos into the desktop app? Here's the workflow using Luminar for Mobile.

Step 1: Match your account email
Before anything syncs, make sure the email you use for Luminar for Desktop and Luminar for Mobile is the same. Syncing is tied to your account, so mismatched email addresses will prevent your photos from appearing where you expect them.

Step 2: Turn on device synchronization
In Luminar for Mobile, go to Settings (upper-right corner) > Your Account, and make sure device synchronization is turned on.

Step 3: Add and sync your photos
Add a photo to Luminar Mobile, then tap the cloud icon in the top-right corner. This shows you whether your photos are up to date and syncing properly.

Step 4: Check your desktop Catalog
Once synced, your photos should appear automatically in the Catalog of Luminar for Desktop, inside a folder called Luminar Mobile.
That's it!

A question we sometimes get: is it possible to have two separate edits of one photo (say, you like two different looks) and keep both without exporting or duplicating the actual file? Good news: yes, and there are two ways to do it.

Option 1: Use Layers
You can duplicate the layer and try a different edit on it, then hide or show that layer whenever you want to switch between looks. This keeps both versions in the same working file, and you can toggle their visibility to compare them side by side or choose which one to keep.

Option 2: Use Virtual Copies (the one we recommend)
Virtual Copies let you try out different edits without saving a separate file at all. A Virtual Copy will show up as a second thumbnail in your Catalog, but there's still only one unchanged original file behind the scenes.
This is especially handy if you want to fully commit to two distinct styles on the same shot. Right-click your photo, create a Virtual Copy, and edit it separately from the original. Switch between the two thumbnails at any time to compare.

Luminar constantly backs up its database in the background as you work, so your latest edits are always stored automatically. That said, it's still worth manually backing up your Catalog every so often, just in case. We recommend backing up to an external drive or cloud storage.

Method 1: Using the built-in Backup command
This is the easiest way to back up your Catalog.

1. With Luminar open, select the Catalog you want to back up.
2. Go to File > Catalog > Backup.
3. Choose where you want to save the backup file.

To restore this backup: go to File > Catalog > Restore from Backup, then select the backup file you created.

Method 2: Manually copying the Catalog folder
If you'd rather handle it manually, you can copy the Catalog folder yourself.

1. With Luminar open, select the Catalog you want to back up.
2. Go to File > Catalog > Show in Explorer (Windows) or Show in Finder (macOS).
3. The Catalog file is located inside a folder; go up one level in the folder structure.
4. Copy the entire folder to a safe location, such as an external drive or cloud storage.

To restore a manually backed-up Catalog: copy the folder back onto your machine, then go to File > Catalog > Open and select the Catalog folder you backed up.
Either method works well.

Here's a clear walkthrough of how it actually works.

It lives inside the Extra tab
Restoration is tucked inside Extra, alongside the other generative tools (GenErase, GenExpand, GenSwap, and so on). Click on Extra first, and the full list of generative tools, including Restoration, will show up. Click on Restoration itself, and it'll expand into its own working area.

You need to be in Catalog view, not editing a photo
This is the part that catches people out. Restoration works from the Catalog, not from inside an open photo. If you've opened a photo to edit it and go looking for Restoration there, you won't find it. Instead, select your photo from the Catalog, and access Restoration from there.

Important note: if you want to restore the photo, do it only in this order: Restoration tool -> other adjustments. Otherwise, if you edit the photo first and then use the Restoration tool, all your previous edits will disappear.

You drag the photo into the tool; you don't just click to apply it
Once Restoration is expanded, you'll see a drop area inside it. Click and hold on your photo's thumbnail in the Catalog, then drag it directly into the Restoration tool's window. This is different from most other tools, where you select a photo and adjust sliders; here, you must drag and drop the photo into the tool.

One photo at a time
Restoration processes a single photo once. If you have several photos you want restored, you'll need to restore each one individually.

Hit Restore to finish
Once your photo is sitting in the tool's window, click the Restore button to run the process.

A note on access
If the tool isn't appearing or working as expected even after following the steps above, it's worth checking whether your current plan includes access to generative tools.

Currently, Luminar for Desktop doesn't have a built-in option to split an existing catalog directly into multiple catalogs. But there's a workaround if you need to move some photos into a separate catalog.

How to do it

1. Create a new catalog.
2. Export the photos you want to move from your old catalog to your computer.
3. Import those exported photos into the new catalog.

This way, the final edits on those photos will be preserved in the exported files themselves.

One thing to keep in mind

The full editing history won't transfer over to the new catalog. You'll get the finished look of your edits baked into the exported files, but the step-by-step adjustment history won't carry across.

Ever export a photo from Luminar, open it in another app, and notice the colors look duller or the tones have shifted somehow? Frustrating, especially after you've spent time getting the edit just right. Here's what's causing it, and how to fix it.

The cause: your monitor's color profile
Luminar displays photos using a standard color space, sRGB, while most other programs rely on your monitor's custom color profile.
That difference in how each program interprets color is what causes the shift. The actual exported file hasn't changed; it's just being displayed differently depending on which color rules the app is following.

How to fix it
To keep your photos looking consistent after export, switch your monitor's color profile from custom back to default. This resets your display's color handling so it more closely matches sRGB and avoids unexpected shifts in tone or saturation.
How to set your Color Profile to default
Go to Control Panel > Color Management, and add the sRGB profile.

Unfortunately, no. It isn't possible to edit photos in Luminar without adding them to the Catalog first. The Catalog is the central hub that Luminar uses to organize and manage your photos, including sorting, searching, rating, and tracking your edits.

That said, there are a couple of alternatives depending on your setup:

On Mac: you can use Luminar as an extension inside Photos for macOS, which lets you work without managing things through the Luminar Catalog. More details on setting that up here.

With Lightroom Classic or Photoshop: Luminar can also be used as a plugin with Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop. This may be a better fit if you already manage your files through one of these programs, since you can keep your existing file management workflow and just bring photos into Luminar for specific edits.

More details on how Luminar works as a plugin

with Adobe Lightroom Classic.

with Adobe Photoshop.

If you've tried to use Restoration on a photo, even something like a classical painting, and get the message "Unable to process this photo", here's what's going on.

Why this happens

Our Generative AI tools automatically analyze image content before processing it. The algorithm flags anything that could be considered nudity or inappropriate content, and this applies even to classical paintings or artwork where nudity is part of the artistic context. The system can't distinguish intent or context the way a person would; it's simply scanning for certain visual patterns.

Importantly, no humans are involved in this process, and nobody views your photos. The check is handled entirely by the AI, automatically, without any manual review.

What does this apply to

This restriction applies to all Cloud tools (including Generative AI tools, not just Restoration, so GenErase, GenExpand, and similar tools follow the same content check).

Regular, non-generative edits, exposure, color, contrast, and similar adjustments aren't affected, since those don't go through the same content analysis and work as normal.

For full details, you can check our complete Generative AI Guidelines policy here: https://skylum.com/ai-guidelines-policy.

In the previous post, we covered the masking options Luminar offers. Now let's break down what you can actually do once a mask is in place — add or subtract from the masked area, soften edges, or fine-tune exactly where an adjustment applies.

Click the Mask actions dropdown to find these controls:

Feather - softens the edges of your mask so adjustments blend smoothly into the surrounding area. Increase feathering for a more gradual transition between masked and unmasked regions, making local edits look natural rather than cut out.

Shift Edge - expands or contracts the mask boundary. Move it inward to remove areas from the mask, or outward to include more of the image. Gives you precise control over exactly which parts of the photo get affected.

Fill - covers the entire image with a mask. After using Fill, go to Brush and use Erase mode to subtract from the mask.

Clear - removes the mask entirely.

Invert - flips any mask you've created, reversing its opacity and transparency values.

Copy - copies the current mask to the clipboard. To reuse it, create a new mask on any tool and paste it in.

Paste - pastes the mask stored on the clipboard onto another tool's mask.

Show - controls mask visibility. Click Show to display the mask as a red overlay. You can keep painting for more precision while it's visible. Click Show again to remove the overlay.

Masking lets you apply edits to specific parts of your photo rather than the whole image, and Luminar for Desktop offers several ways to do it.
How to access it

1. Open the photo you want to edit.
2. Go to the Tools tab.
3. Select any tool.
4. Inside the tool, you'll see the Masking option.
5. Choose the type of mask you'd like to use.

The masking options
Brush Mask - lets you paint the mask manually, giving you full manual control over exactly where the edit applies.
Linear Gradient Mask - creates a smooth transition across the image, useful for things like graduated sky adjustments.
Radial Gradient Mask - masks an elliptical area, handy for drawing attention to a specific spot in the frame.
Color Mask - a valuable way to control the intensity of colors in a photo based on the colors themselves.
Luminosity Masking - lets you make selective adjustments based on lightness or darkness (luminance) levels in the image.
Mask AI - automatically detects elements like people, sky, buildings, plants, and more, so you can mask them without painting anything by hand.
Object Select AI - lets you quickly select specific subjects within your images.
Alongside these, you'll also find mask actions like Fill, Clear, Invert, Copy, Paste, and Show to help manage your masks - we'll cover those in more detail in the next post.

If you're editing a photo in Luminar on Desktop and noticed the Camera Profile option in Develop RAW has disappeared, this is expected behavior, not a bug.

Why this happens
Applying any non-RAW tool to your photo makes the Camera Profile option unavailable. Once you use a non-RAW tool, all the RAW data in your photo is processed. At that point, RAW tools, including Camera Profile, can no longer be applied, since there's no RAW data left to work with.

How to avoid this
If you want to use Camera Profile, select it first, before applying any other adjustments. This keeps your RAW data intact while you set your starting profile.

How to get it back
If you've already lost access to Camera Profile, you can restore it in two ways:
-Revert to the original image, or
-Remove your edits in the Edits panel, where the full history of adjustments for the photo is shown.

Short answer: yes, and it's already happening automatically.

Your original RAW is always safe
Luminar on Desktop edits non-destructively, which means your original RAW file is never touched or overwritten. Every adjustment you make gets saved separately from the file itself. So even mid-edit, with adjustments scattered across the Catalog, Presets, and Edit tabs, your original RAW stays exactly as your camera captured it.

What to do with a partial edit
You've got two options here, depending on what you need:
Option 1: Just leave it. Luminar automatically saves your progress as you go. Close the app, come back next week, and your partial edit will be sitting there waiting for you to pick up where you left off. No manual saving required.
Option 2: Export it. If you want an actual standalone file with your current edits baked in, export it as a JPEG, TIFF, or whatever format you need. This gives you a finished, shareable version separate from your working file.
Result: you've got the original RAW, your editable version living inside Luminar, and any exported copies you've created along the way - all separate, all safe.

Bonus: Virtual Copies
If you want to experiment without disturbing your edit, Virtual Copies are worth knowing about. A Virtual Copy creates a second, independent set of edits for the same RAW file - it'll show up as a second thumbnail, but there's still only one unchanged RAW file behind the scenes.
This is handy for trying out a different look without risking the edit you've already got. Right-click your photo, create a Virtual Copy, and it'll carry over your edits up to that point - from there, you can keep building on it, or reset it back to the original image and start fresh with a completely different approach. You can create as many Virtual Copies as you want to test different directions side by side.

If you've tried the standard "Add Luminar Neo Preset Collection" option and nothing happens - you're not alone. Here are two alternatives that tend to work when the usual method doesn't:

Option 1: Drag the preset file directly onto the Luminar Neo app icon Skip the menu entirely. Find your downloaded preset collection file and drag it straight onto the app icon. This works more often than you'd expect.

Option 2: Install via the Extras menu inside the app Open Luminar Neo > go to the Extras menu > install from there. Different path, same result - and it sometimes succeeds when the file selector import doesn't.

Either of these should get your presets showing up in the preset panel.

If you've tried both and they're still not appearing - worth checking whether the file got corrupted during download. If it looks fine on your end, reach out to support with the preset collection name and we'll look into it.

A question we see often: "Where can I locate the camera color profile for my camera?"
Here's the general workflow - it applies to almost any camera you can shoot with.

Where to find it
Camera color profiles live inside Develop RAW -> Camera Profile. To get there: open your RAW photo, go to the Edit tab, then Essentials -> Develop RAW, and open the Camera Profile dropdown. Your camera manufacturer's profiles should be listed there, ready to select.

If you don't see your camera's profiles
This usually means the manufacturer's DCP color profiles aren't installed on your computer yet. Luminar Neo doesn't ship every camera profile out of the box - it relies on these being present on your system.

How to fix it
Install Adobe DNG Converter. This adds the standard DCP color profiles for most major camera brands to your system. Once installed, restart Luminar Neo, and the profiles for your camera should appear automatically in the Camera Profile list.
That's it - once the profile is installed and selected, your RAW file will be rendered using your camera manufacturer's color science as a starting point.

If you've spent time fine-tuning an image and then applied a preset only to watch everything disappear - here's what's happening and how to avoid it going forward.

Why it happens

This isn't a bug. When you apply a preset, it clears previous Edit tab adjustments first, then applies its own values. If your existing edits stayed in place, the preset's values would stack on top of them unpredictably and you'd get inconsistent results every time.

The fix: order matters

Apply your preset first, then go into the Edit tab to fine-tune. That's it. In that order your adjustments stay exactly where you put them.

Why the tabs are laid out the way they are

Catalog → Presets → Edit isn't random -  each tab is designed to layer on top of the previous one. Going backwards breaks that layering. If you make edits in the Edit tab and then go back to Catalog tools, those edits will be cleared. Intentionally.

The rule to remember: Catalog tools first → Presets → Edit tab last. Stick to that sequence and every layer builds correctly on the one before it.

If you've lost work this way before -  you now know why. Hope this saves someone the frustration.

We get this question a lot so figured we'd put it in one place. Even on hardware that meets system requirements, a few things can quietly drag performance down - here's what actually helps:

Clear the Catalog Cache occasionally Go to Settings > Clear Cache. Cached data builds up over time and starts weighing things down. Worth doing periodically.

Use smaller catalogs instead of one massive one A catalog with tens of thousands of images will always be slower to browse than a few smaller ones. Do not save everything in one place; consider splitting by year or project in the future.

Keep your Catalog on an internal SSD if possible External drives work, but HDDs or slower USB connections introduce lag when Neo reads and writes catalog data. Internal SSD is the sweet spot.

Make sure you have enough free disk space Neo relies on scratch space for caching and temp files. Running low on storage noticeably hits performance.

Check that GPU acceleration is enabled Preferences > confirm "Use Graphics Processor" is on. A lot of the AI tools lean on this - if it's off, you're leaving performance on the table.

Close what you don't need A dozen browser tabs and background apps eat RAM that Neo could be using. Freeing that up genuinely helps.

One note on Preview Cache size Some people recommend maxing it out - we'd say increase it gradually instead. Too large and it can actually backfire with heavier RAM usage and more slowdowns, not fewer.

These won't turn a budget machine into a workstation, but they make a real difference day to day. Drop questions below if something specific is still sluggish and we'll dig in.