The number one catchphrase of 2023 was undoubtedly “Generative AI.” It’s everywhere! Our question is, how can it benefit us as photographers, and which tools are the best at harnessing the power of AI? As we dive into the new year, we are confident that Luminar Neo and its collection of generative AI photo editing tools will hold its own against other AI image editors.
Luminar Neo was first launched in 2022, built from the ground up with downright futuristic AI photo editing capabilities. We have seen new features released regularly, and they are getting more impressive with each new release.
Luminar Neo | GenErase, GenSwap, GenExpand
Today, we are exploring three new generative AI photo editing tools that solve some of the most common problems that photographers and artists face: GenErase, GenSwap, and GenExpand. As their names indicate, these tools allow you to use AI to erase unwanted distractions, replace a subject with something else, or simply expand the edges of an image to fit a different format.
These could be very useful tools for many different types of artists and content creators. Maybe you are a portrait photographer who needs to make a print that matches a certain horizontal aspect ratio, or maybe you are an influencer who needs to fit a lot of horizontal imagery in a vertical format, for example.
How do these features work, and what do the results look like? Let’s dive in and find out more…
GenErase
One of the most powerful tools in all of photography has to be the original clone stamp. When someone says,”just photoshop it!” …they usually mean, “erase that distracting element from the scene!”
Unfortunately, using the powerful clone stamp and most similar tools (before AI) would involve a long, tedious process. Sure, anything can be photoshopped/erased, but to get it to look right could take hours of highly skilled work.
With GenErase, we can use AI to virtually eliminate both of those obstacles. The process is incredibly fast, and the precision required is very minimal. In other words, instead of needing years of experience using the clone stamp and staring at a zoomed-in image to make sure every little detail is right, you can now get virtually flawless results by quickly, broadly brushing over any unwanted distraction.
In the video above, you can watch Pye put GenErase to the test as he quickly & easily removes lighting assistants and other distracting elements and objects from his shots.
Simply put, this is an incredibly useful generative AI photo editing, and it really does work! It is using generative AI, however, there is no need for a prompt, because the objective is to simply “erase” the thing(s) you’ve selected. Also, if the results aren’t quite perfect on the first try, the solution is usually as easy as trying it again. You can usually get the results you’re looking for on the second or third shot.
GenSwap
With GenSwap, you can achieve similarly effective results by replacing, moving, or adding virtually anything in your scene/image. Simply make a general selection of something in your image, and tell the AI prompt what you want.
The list of possibilities is almost endless, but some that come to mind are, adding dramatic clouds to a clear blue sky, swapping a windy lake surface for a calm reflection, …or basically adding any subject into an empty scene, moving it around, etc.
Once again, the learning curve for this tool is relatively minimal, which means the barrier to creativity is significantly lower than ever before. Also, once again, this generative AI photo editing tool is always happy to “try again” and give you a slightly different option.You can get different results without even changing the AI prompt, or you can of course make subtle changes to your prompt for additional fine-tuning.
[Related Reading: Using Luminar Neo To Create Studio Lighting and Special Effects]
GenExpand
A very simple yet frustrating problem that many artists face is this: If you want to display or even print your imagery, what if it doesn’t “fit” the desired format? Whether you’re sharing your content on a social media platform, creating commercial imagery for online or printed advertising, or hanging fine art prints on a wall, the aspect ratio is always a concern.
In the past, artists would have to do a lot of very tedious work in order to stretch or compress their images to fit a certain horizontal or vertical format. Once again, today that has changed, thanks to Luminar Neo’s ability to use AI and detect existing patterns, textures, and even human subjects. Without harming the main subjects themselves, GenExpand will use AI to add to your image, matching the existing subjects, colors, and textures, while adding or creating additional elements based on any AI prompt you may add.
Note, however, that in the case of GenExpand, you don’t even need to add a prompt, and in fact, we found that the simplest way to get perfect results is to just leave the prompt empty, and only expand one edge of the image a little bit at a time, (~5% or so) multiple times if necessary to achieve the desired final aspect ratio. (See below…)
Also keep in mind that, as with many other generative AI tools, GenExpand will require that you be currently connected to the internet when using the tool, because Luminar Neo needs to access the cloud to process your request.
Conclusion | Luminar Neo GenErase, GenSwap, & GenExpand
All in all, it seems clear that modern technology is still at the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of what is possible with generative AI, photography, and image editing/creation. We can only imagine how these results will be improved and refined in the very near future!
Luminar Neo has consistently been at the forefront of developing such new tools that harness the current best results AI has to offer. We are continually impressed, and we are looking forward to continuing to use these tools, and see what the future holds!
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