The Photographer's Guide to Luminar 4. Jeff Carlson

      FIGURE 2-10: Convert the layer to a Smart Object to retain more editing capability.

      1 3. Select the layer and choose Filters > Skylum Software > Luminar 4.

      2 4. Make your edits in Luminar and then click the Apply button. The edits exist as a Smart Filter, which is a subset of the Smart Object layer. Toggle the visibility button on that layer to show and hide the edited version you made in Luminar.

      3 5. To return to Luminar for further adjustments, double-click the Luminar 4 Smart Filter. Luminar opens the image again, with all of your earlier edits applied and editable.

      4 6. Save the file as a Photoshop-format PSD file. You can close it and reopen it at any point to pick up where you left off in Luminar.

       Edit from Photos for macOS

      The Photos for macOS app has its own mechanism that supports editing a photo in a separate application, while keeping the result within the Photos library. Select an image and do the following:

      1 1. Click the Edit button or press the Return key to enter the editing environment.

      2 2. Click the More () button and choose Luminar 4 (Figure 2-11). The Luminar interface loads within Photos.

      FIGURE 2-11: Use the Luminar editing extension in Photos for macOS.

      1 3. Make your adjustments using Luminar’s tools. That includes working with layers, a feature Photos doesn’t offer.

      2 4. Click the Save Changes button when you’re finished editing.

      3 5. Photos is still in its own Edit mode, so if you have no more edits to apply, click the Done button.

      Photos also includes an Edit With feature, accessible by right-clicking a photo and choosing Edit With > Luminar 4. However, do not use that approach because it hands off a copy of the image to Luminar instead of using the Luminar plug-in.

      The way Photos handles third-party edits is to keep an unedited original in reserve, and to present the edited version. Unfortunately, you can’t return to the active controls from your previous foray into Luminar by choosing to edit the image again. If you want to do more work on the photo, you can make edits on top of the edited version, or return to the original.

      To restore the original, click the Edit button and then click the Revert to Original button.

       Edit a Photo in the Luminar Library

      Some applications that manage a photo library store image files in specific locations. Lightroom (the newer, cloud-focused version, not Lightroom Classic) and Apple Photos default to putting the files into their own directories, which aren’t in user-accessible locations. Luminar, by contrast, can use any folder on your computer.

      Initially, Luminar starts building your library by setting the Pictures folder as the default source, since that’s likely where your existing photos are stored. You’ll see those photos show up in the Library module as Luminar scans the folder and any subfolders it contains.

      If that’s where all your images reside, you don’t need to do anything else. All new photos added to that directory automatically appear in your library.

       A Case for Not Using the Pictures Folder

      Your computer’s Pictures folder is the natural location for photos, so it makes sense to start there when building a library from scratch. However, if your Pictures folder is like mine, there’s a lot of detritus you may not want in your Luminar library.

      Pictures is the default image dumping ground for most applications, meaning you may scoop up a lot of unrelated photos, thumbnails, and miscellany. Instead, I suggest storing your photo library in a different directory. It can be a folder within Pictures, or elsewhere on disk. To accomplish this, remove the Pictures folder as a source folder in Luminar, and then add your dedicated library folder as a new source folder.

      FIGURE 2-9: Duplicate the Background layer in Photoshop before you use Luminar’s plug-in.

       Add Source Folders

      You can also direct Luminar to read other folders as sources by doing the following:

      1 1. Click the Library tab to view the Library panel if it’s not already open.

      2 2. Next to Folders, press the + button. You can also choose Library > Add Folder or press the Open Button Menu and choose Add Folder with Images (Figure 2-12).

      FIGURE 2-12: Choose a source folder that Luminar will keep track of.

      1 3. In the dialog that appears, navigate to the folder on your computer you want to set as a source.

      2 4. Click the Add Folder button. Luminar scans that directory and adds photos contained there to the library, including images in subfolders.

      The link between what appears in the library and what exists in folders is live: if you add new photos or move image files in the Finder or Windows Explorer, those changes are reflected in the Luminar library. (However, I’ve occasionally seen Luminar not update when removing a file from a folder outside the application. Restarting the app refreshes the view correctly.)

       Add Subfolders

      It’s also possible within Luminar to create subfolders within folders. With a folder selected in the Library panel, choose Library > New Subfolder and name the new folder; it’s created in the folder hierarchy on disk, not just within Luminar. Any image you drag into it within Luminar is relocated on disk, too.

      The hierarchy of folders and subfolders is inclusive. Selecting just a subfolder in the Library panel reveals only its photos. Selecting the subfolder’s enclosing folder displays all the images stored there, plus the ones in the subfolder.

       Remove a Source Folder

      Just as you can add source folders, you can remove them from the library, too. But what happens to the image files and edits depends on which folder you choose, so read this part carefully:

       •Select a top-level source folder and choose Library > Remove from Catalog, or right-click and choose Remove from Catalog (Figure 2-13). In the dialog that appears, click Remove Folder (macOS) or Yes (Windows). The source folder and any edits you made to its photos are removed from the library, but the original image files stay in place on disk.

      FIGURE 2-13: Remove a source folder.

       •When you select a subfolder, the removal option disappears, leaving something that