Luminar 3 - First Look

The market for image editors is changing again. Your favorites are now available by subscription only. Some tools haven't been updated in quite some time. Others, are virtually unobtainable for a variety of reasons.

The market is also growing. Folks dumping cell phones and computers just need a simple photo viewer and editor - one that's easy to use and doesn't cost a fortune. You might have heard about the alliance between Cellebrite and Input-Ace. That's cool, but the licenses are a bit pricey and not everyone will have access to those tools all of the time.

Years ago, I ran a very long beta test and proof of concept at the LAPD of what was first called Amped First Responder. Then, with the partnership between Axon and Amped, that product was shifted into the Axon ecosphere and renamed - Axon Investigator. Another round of beta tests. The partnership dissolved. The project went into dormancy. Amped later released Replay. But, the concept is different. Replay isn't an affordable bulk purchase. I wanted a simple editor that was affordable for the average investigator - so everyone could have a copy at their desktop.

My old colleagues need something simple and effective. Something affordable. The latest update of Luminar 3 from Skylum might just be it.

Luminar 3 is a photo editor. It's not for crazy CCTV codecs, or video for that matter. It's a competitor to Photoshop or Lightroom, not PremierePro.

Simple things like focus, colour, sharpening, are all built in and easy to use. To reference the Adobe UI, the tools in Luminar 3 seem like a blend of ACR and Lightroom.

I loaded one of my test files into the program. There's glare from the window. There's a colour cast. The license plate is far away, but there's enough nominal resolution to be able to resolve it. It's a typical task - here's a photo from my mobile, fix it and find the suspects.

30 seconds later, I had clarified the image and saved out a copy. I even took the time to save the settings (known as Looks in Luminar 3).

Once saved, the Look shows up in the UI under Luminar Looks: User Luminar Looks. You can have Looks for all of your typical tasks - which really speeds things up. Plus, if your saved Look is too strong, you can vary the amount and dial back the effect.

Luminar 3 is fast, it's user friendly, it's easy to learn, and it's incredibly affordable. Luminar 3 is just $69. Not per month - total. You own it. Plus, your purchase allows up to 5 installs (either Mac or PC). That's a bargain.

I'm going to be exploring some of the features of this handy tool that I think will work for various tasks in the justice system - from the crime scene to the court room - in future posts. In the meantime, it's worth a look. They even offer a free trial.