How to Use Tools Multiple Times in Luminar Neo

Luminar Neo, the newest creative image editor from Skylum, has a variety of tools that can help improve your photos. One of the most powerful features in Luminar Neo is the ability to use a tool multiple times. It enables you to create stronger effects, or produce local adjustments, at different levels, for varying parts of a photograph.

Structure^AI, two ways

This photo has already had several global adjustments, meaning the effects have been applied to every pixel in the photograph. You can view the tools you’ve used in Luminar Neo by clicking on the Edits tab. To complete this photo, there are a couple of enhancements I’d like to add using the Structure^AI tool.

1. Add additional mid-tone contrast and clarity in the foreground on the shipwreck and rocks
2. Reduce the detail and clarity in the water closer to the horizon.

Using two instances of the Structure^AI tool, along with a tool mask to affect specific areas, makes this possible.

Structure^AI on the rocks

To add a tool, switch to the Tools tab in Luminar Neo. Select Structure^AI and increase the Amount and Boost sliders, paying attention to the rocks and shipwreck in the foreground.

By default, the effect is applied everywhere in the photo. To restrict the added detail to the foreground, click the Tool Mask, and paint the effect over the rocks and shipwreck.  

Switch to the Edits tab. Structure^AI has been added to the list of tools used. If you need to modify any previous adjustments, click on it in the Edits tab, and make any necessary changes.

Structure^AI on the water

Once again we’ll switch to the Tools tab in Luminar Neo, and click on the Structure^AI tool which has been reset and is ready to use again.

This time we’ll use negative structure to soften the details in the water. Decrease the Amount slider in Structure^AI, and pay attention to the texture of the water closer to the horizon.

The effect, by default, is applied to the entire photo. To soften the water, click on the Tool Mask, and paint the effect over the ocean.

If we switch back to the Edits tab, we see that there are now two instances of the Structure^AI tool.

In this example, we used Structure^AI to show you can use a tool several times in Luminar Neo to affect different areas of a photograph. You can also use a tool multiple times to create an even stronger effect. The possibilities are endless in how you can use Luminar Neo’s tools, multiple times to make your images amazing.