Skylum just shipped Luminar 1.28, and it comes with a name change: Luminar Neo is now simply Luminar. The update brings a cleaner interface, easier navigation, faster performance and better Generative tools. It’s free for every existing user. Skylum calls it the first phase of a bigger round of upgrades, with more creative and workflow features landing in Fall 2026.
Luminar Neo becomes Luminar
The simpler name pulls everything under one brand: Luminar on Desktop, Luminar on Mobile, and the new Luminar on Web. Same editor you know, one name across every device you edit on.
A cleaner, more intuitive interface
The biggest visible change in Luminar 1.28 is the upgraded interface. It’s built to feel cleaner and less distracting, so you spend your attention on the photo and not the panels around it. Improved navigation makes tools easier to find and keeps the editing flow smooth.
Skylum isn’t treating this as a one-time redesign. It’s the first step in an ongoing effort to keep refining Luminar, built on one idea: the best editor is the one that stays out of the photographer’s way.
Faster performance and better AI tools
- Enhanced Generative tools that produce more realistic results
- Exports up to 25% faster
- Masking that uses 33% less RAM
- Preset previews up to 4x faster
- New camera support: Panasonic Lumix DC-L10, Sony A7 V Compressed RAW and Sony A7R VI
Luminar 1.28 is a free update for all existing users.
What’s coming in Fall 2026
Phase two arrives this fall and builds on 1.28. For all users: improved Masking and Presets, printing support, and an upgraded export experience with watermarks and frames.
Users who get the paid fall upgrade also get:
- Atmosphere 2.0 – Fog: realistic, scene-aware fog that reacts to the photo’s light and color, for natural depth instead of a flat overlay. Big for landscape shooters.
- Crop 2.0 – Composition Variations: suggested finished crops based on the image, with you still in control of the final frame.
- Improved Enhance AI: a scene-aware update that protects highlights, adapts to the photo’s existing palette and helps avoid the overcooked look.
- AI Assistant 2.0: a smarter assistant to make editing faster.
- Luminar on Web: a new browser-based editor, so you can edit wherever you are.
Should you update?
If you already own Luminar Neo, yes. 1.28 is free, faster, and the new interface is easier to work in. If you’ve been waiting to try Luminar, this is a good moment to start: you get the cleaner app now and the fall features as they roll out.