Macphun Luminar Neptune Updated with Accent AI, an AI Photo Filter

Macphun has launched an update for Luminar Neptune, the company’s photo editing software. Along with speed improvements to the software, the update includes an interesting new filter dubbed “Accent AI.”

The Accent AI filter is part of a new workspace in Luminar called ‘Quick & Awesome’. The workspace contains all of the tools a hobbyist photography loves best: the Clarity slider, Saturation & Vibrance, and the new entry: Accent AI.

Macphun says that the new filter uses artificial intelligence to analyse a photograph, and then it decides which parts of the image need improvement. The filter makes edits to shadows, highlights, contrast, tone, saturation, exposure, details, and other parameters with one slider. The user can adjust the intensity of the changes with the slider to create a more natural or a more dramatic look.

“Our mission to make complex photo editing tasks simple and fun led the team at our R&D Lab to explore Artificial Intelligence technology for image enhancement,” said Kevin La Rue, Vice-President at Macphun. “The Accent AI Filter emerged as a ground-breaking way to make perfect images instantly, incorporating the power of dozens of filters into one convenient tool.”

“This is something other photo software is missing; and what’s more important, it’s something that all photographers will greatly benefit from.”

Here are some example before-and-after comparisons found on the product website:

Along with the new workspace and filter, Luminar contains plug-in integration with the company’s Aurora HDR 2017 software, faster masking/brushing, an improved Vignette filter, and better memory management.

The update is available for Mac only at the moment, but Macphun is planning to launch a public beta of Luminar for PC in July. The full new version currently costs $69, or $240 off its list price of $309. More details are available on Macphun’s Luminar website.