The latest update of Luminar has just been released and is available for free to existing users. Luminar 4.3 is an upgrade you want to make as it seems like the people over at Skylum have listened to the user’s feedback; they’ve packed this update with valuable features and improvements.

“With Luminar 4.3, we continue to optimize the user experience and focus on performance. We know that, with this update, post-processing workflows will become faster and will help photographers be able to get started quicker and easier than ever before” said Dima Sytnik, Co-Founder and CTO of Skylum in a recent press release.

I’ve had the opportunity to test the new update for the past week and, as stated, it does indeed speed up the workflow considerably. In addition to the speed improvement, here’s a full list of the new features and improvements in Luminar 4.3:

  • Photo Search
  • 500px Integration
  • Stability and Performance Improvements
  • Faster Looks Experience
  • Improvements to Cropping
  • AI Augmented Sky Improvements
  • Custom Skies and Sky Objects
  • Updated Camera Support
  • New Masking Brush Workflow
  • Localization/Language Improvements

There are several features and improvements I’ve been eagerly waiting for myself that I’m happy to see being included in the latest update. Let’s take a closer look at what each of the updates/improvements mean for you:

New ‘Photo Seach’ Feature

This is a feature that I’ve been asking about before and one that I’m particularly excited to see included in Luminar 4.3. The feature allows you to search for your photos based on their name, folder, date, or extension.

Being able to search for photos is a great improvement for anyone using Luminar 4 as a standalone software; it drastically improves the photo management experience. The only thing missing in order to take full advantage of it as a photo management software is the ability to also add keywords to each image.

Photo Search in Luminar 4

Users of Luminar 3 will also be excited to hear that this feature will be included in their next update too.

Integration with 500px

The new 500px integration makes it possible to share images directly to the 500px photo sharing platform from within Luminar 4. Until now it’s only been possible to share images through Email, Messages or to Smugmug.

500px Export in Luminar 4

Improvements to Stability and Performance

A few users have complained about long load times of RAW files or an overall poor performance when working on large files. This seems to have been fixed in Luminar 4.3 and, according to Skylum, even users on old computers should notice a different in processing speeds.

The stability and performance improvements are mainly targeted at two areas:

RAW Files: Luminar 4.3 has big improvements on the software’s handling of RAW files and it’s now quicker than ever to open and edit this files. You’ll notice a big difference in processing your RAW files after this update.

Luminar Tools: Luminar tools are now using less of the computer’s memory. This results in a quicker experience working with tools, and more importantly, more responsive sliders. This should speed up your workflow quite a lot.

Faster Looks Experience

Luminar Looks is an important feature for many photographers as it allows you to quickly process images. However, they can drastically slow down the software, especially when purchasing more and more packs from your favorite photographers.

Since there is a lot of data connected to a Luminar Look (each and every adjustment made with that preset) and the fact that many photographers use large RAW files, it’s likely that you’ve noticed delays as you click your way through the various Looks. This has been solved in Luminar 4.3 as it now allows us to instantly preview looks by hovering over them. Browsing the looks by hovering over them is making the process considerably faster.

Improvements to Cropping

The Crop & Rotate Tool has seen a big update and is now moved to the right panel underneath Lens & Geometry. The new improvements makes the cropping workflow a lot quicker than what it’s been before and you’ll most likely avoid any lagging in the process.

Skylum stated that users should also see a significant performance boost.

Cropping Luminar 4

Improvements to the AI Augemented Sky Tool

The AI Augmented Sky Tool was one of the most talked-about features that was implemented in the Luminar 4.2 update as it makes creating composites easier than ever before. This tool has received further improvements in Luminar 4.3 and is now performing at a much faster speed.

In addition to speed performances, the AI Augmented Sky Tool has a few more noteworthy updates:

  • You can now flip the objects and quickly position them to fit your image
  • You can now access a custom folder of locally stored skies and objects
  • A marketplace section on the Luminar website featuring premium objects has been added
  • You can now easily copy and paste multiple skies into the sky folder

Improved Masking Experience

A new and improved masking brush workflow is another noteworthy feature of the Luminar 4.3 update. The workflow and masking brush experience has become a lot better as the masked areas now are visible during the masking process. It is shown as a transparent red mask.

Updated List of Supported Cameras

The Luminar 4.3 update includes support to recently released cameras. The complete list of newly supported cameras goes as follows: Canon EOS-1D X Mark III (uncompressed only), Fujifilm X100V, Fujifilm X-T200, Fujifilm X-T4, Leica SL2, Nikon Coolpix P950, Nikon D780, Nikon Z50, Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, Olympus E-PL10, Panasonic DC-S1H, and Sony A9 Mark II.

Improved Support of Languages

The final improvement of Luminar 4.3 is the improved understanding of all supported languages. According to Skylum, the software now understands German, Japanese, Korean, Italian, French and Spanish better than ever.

How to Update Luminar 4.3

Luminar 4.3 is a free update to current Luminar 4 users and only takes a few minutes to initiate. Updating the software is, in similarity with the software itself, a quick and easy experience.

How to Update on a Mac

Click the Top Menu Bar and choose Luminar 4 -> Check for Updates. A pop-up window will appear with details about available updates.

If you purchased Luminar 4 via the Mac App Store, open the App Store and go to the Updates tab. Here you can update just as you would with any other app.

How to Update on Windows

If you’re on a Windows computer, you can update to Luminar 4.3 by going to the Top Menu Bar and choose Help -> Check for Updates.

How to Update Luminar 4 Plugin

For those who are using Luminar 4 as a plugin to Photoshop, Lightroom or Photoshop Elements, it’s recommended that you also rerun the plugin installer.

How to Purchase Luminar 4

If you haven’t heard about Luminar 4 before or perhaps you’re curious to see if it’s a photo editor that will work well for you, I recommend that you first take a look at our Luminar 4 review. This is an extremely easy software to use (compared with the more advanced Photoshop) and it allows you to complete even advanced techniques with only a simple click.

Unlike other editors, Luminar 4 is available as a one-time purchase at the price of $89. Use the discount code CAPTURELANDSCAPES at checkout and get an additional $10 off. Alternatively, you can get a free copy of my eBook ‘A Photographer’s Guide to Luminar 4’ included by purchasing this bundle.