Luminar AI vs Polarr: Which Tool is Better

User-friendly. When you open the software, you see the Welcome screen. Everything is pretty standard there. Keep in mind that Luminar AI is not only a great editor but also an efficient image organizer. By default, it generates a folder for storing your files. However, you can keep them in any other place if you want, e.g., an external hard drive.

Click “+” in the upper navigation bar to add a photo or several files. If you add a folder of images, you will see it stored in the navigation bar at the right. All folders you upload to the program are stored there in the Catalog.

Rich collection of templates. Templates in the program resemble standard presets but with AI properties. So, when you apply such a template, it analyzes the content and colors of your picture and recommends the best edits. The best part is that every template is customized based on your photo. In other words, the software can suggest one and the same template for a series of images, but it will be adjusted individually for every shot. Thus, you can achieve an urban style, a big screen effect, etc.

Auto Skin AI enhancement. Preparing this Luminar AI vs Polarr comparison, I found out that the first program will better suit portrait photographer, who usually have a hard time editing model’s skin. There is a purpose-built tool for the task, which is reminiscent of the Spot Healing brush in Photoshop. However, when working in Ps, experts have to spend about half an hour removing all defects and making the result look realistic. With Luminar AI, you can achieve the same outcome in a matter of seconds.

Composition AI to change perspective. You may have experienced situations when you took a picture that looks nice but has problems with perspective. Many photographers, especially novices, simply delete such a shot even without trying to save it. Fortunately, this software has a tool that you can use to fix perspective issues. It is also helpful for adjusting the composition and pruning needless pieces.

Useful Structure AI. Another function that deserves mentioning is Structure AI. It allows adjusting and highlighting details, which may become murky or blurred because of incorrect camera settings or movement during shooting. This tool works wonders with restoring details.

User-friendly interface. Similar to its competitor in the Luminar AI vs Polarr battle, this program is rather intuitive to use. Every tool has a dedicated icon while the entire toolkit is logically structured. The workspace is neat and stylish with editing instruments arranged on the left and retouching features – on the right.

Plethora of overlays. No matter whether you apply a mask to your photo or not, you can still experiment with different overlays. There is a collection of pre-designed options or you can upload your own variants. By trying different blending modes, you are sure to create amazing compositions.

Histogram feature. By default, Polarr displays a color histogram. You can expand it into separate RGB histograms if needed. Since there is no clipping display, having a color histogram activated, you can keep an eye on your edits and whether your photo acquires the desired look. Drag a semi-opaque histogram anywhere in the photo and monitor corrections made.

Masking. The biggest advantage of the software is definitely its masks. They are indispensable for local adjustments. You can use radial, gradient, color, brush, depth, and luminance masking tools to select a particular area in a picture and change it without affecting the rest of a photo.

Use the Brush tool to select a part of an image manually. In this case, you also get an optional “Edge Aware” aid to prevent edge overlapping. This is a frequent problem, which arises when painting areas for selection. When working with masks, you can adjust brush size, hardness, flow, view mask and perform the inversion.

Tone and color adjustments. Polarr loses to its rival in the Luminar AI vs Polarr competition, in terms of color and tonal controls. Though it has tools for adjusting these parameters, you won’t see any auto WB option, and customizing this setting manually is a challenging task. Anyway, improving the overall color gamut is easy thanks to the Vibrance slider.

With the histogram turned on, you can change highlights, shadows, as well as colors more precisely. Switching from mid-tones to whites and blacks, you can get very lifelike colors in your pictures. By altering highlights and shadows, you instantly affect the brightest & darkest areas in your shots.