Luminar NEO: How to use Neon & Glow Tool

The Neon & Glow tool in Luminar NEO is a powerful feature that enables you to enhance your photos with captivating radiance and vibrant colors. It adds a neon and glow effect that elevates the visual charm and creative richness of your images. In this blog, we will provide a detailed discussion of these tools.

GIFT 🎁: Download your Free Luminar NEO Shortcut Cheatsheet and immediately speed up your editing workflow in Luminar NEO! Click here to get your gift!

In this article:

• What is the Neon & Glow Tool
• Introducing Neon & Glow Tool Sliders
• Getting started with the Neon & Glow Tool
• Video tutorial
• Luminar NEO

What is the Neon & Glow tool

The Neon & Glow tools are part of the Creative tools available in Luminar NEO. These features enable you to infuse your photos with enhanced creativity. You can easily apply a magical glow to accentuate objects from within or outside of your photo or use the neon light effect to highlight specific elements and draw attention, adding a touch of enchantment to your images.

Introducing the Neon & Glow Tool Sliders 

Neon

Draw

The "Draw" button lets you freely draw your desired areas for the neon effect. The Amount slider allows you to adjust the amount of effect you wish to apply. 

Erase

The "Erase" button lets you remove any areas of the effect you previously applied. You can control the size of the erase feature with the Size sliders. The Amount slider allows you to adjust the amount of erase you wish to apply. 

Automatically Select Object

If you want to apply the neon effect to a specific object in your image, just click on the "Object Recognition" button. This feature will automatically detect the objects in your image and apply the neon effect to them. You can adjust the intensity or thickness of the neon effect by moving the "Amount" slider. If you want to control the distance of the neon effect, you can adjust the "Indent" setting. Moreover, if you need more detailed adjustments to your object selection, click on the "Refine Object" button to access additional refinement options.

Refine Object

The "Refine Object" feature provides versatile options for fine-tuning your selection. Within this tool, you can draw to add, erase to remove, or restore areas to your selection. You can adjust the brush's size, softness, and strength for precise selection control, ensuring that your editing is accurate and detailed.

Style

Spread: Adjust the "Spread" slider to control the degree of added glow to your selection. This setting provides flexibility in achieving the desired level of radiance.

Atmosphere: Use the "Atmosphere" option to generate a distinct atmospheric effect that directly influences the background surrounding the glow. This feature enhances the overall visual impact of your neon effect, allowing you to create a unique ambience.

Hue: The "Hue" setting is a powerful tool for adjusting the colour range of the glow in your neon effect. This control allows you to finely adjust the hues, enabling you to customize and select the color palette that best complements your creative vision.

Whiteness: The "Whiteness" option regulates the strength of the white tones within the glow effect. With this setting, you can finely control the level of whiteness present in the glow, tailoring the effect to your preferences. This feature allows you to enhance or tone down the brilliance of white within the neon effect, providing the means to achieve the desired luminosity in your image.

Glow

Refine Object

The "Refine Object" feature offers flexible options to help you fine-tune your selection. With this tool, you can add to your selection by drawing, remove unwanted areas by erasing, or even restore parts of your selection that you might have accidentally removed. You can also adjust the brush's size, softness, and strength to achieve precise selection control, ensuring that your editing is accurate and detailed.

Inner

Amount: The "Amount" control lets you adjust the thickness and strength of the inner glow effect. This allows you to achieve the desired level of luminosity for your creative purposes.

Hue: The "Hue" setting is a powerful tool for manipulating the color range of the glow in your neon effect. By using this control, you can adjust the hues to customize and select the color palette that best complements your creative vision. This feature gives you precise control over the neon effect's color, letting you achieve the desired aesthetic quickly.

Whiteness: The "Whiteness" option regulates the strength of the white tones within the glow effect. By adjusting this setting, you can fine-tune the level of whiteness present in the glow, catering to your preferences. This feature allows you to enhance or tone down the brilliance of white within the neon effect, giving you the means to achieve the desired luminosity in your image.

Brightness: The "Brightness" slider is the key control for managing the luminosity of the glow applied to the selected object. By using this slider, you can precisely adjust the brightness level, allowing you to attain the perfect level of radiance that aligns with your creative preferences.

Contrast: The "Contrast" slider is a critical control that directly influences the degree of difference between an image's light and dark regions. Essentially, it determines how well-defined and distinct the variations in brightness appear throughout the image. Increasing the contrast creates more pronounced variations between the light and dark areas, resulting in a visually bold and dynamic effect. Conversely, reducing contrast lessens the distinctions between light and dark, yielding a softer, more subdued appearance. Thus, adjusting the contrast plays a pivotal role in shaping an image's visual appeal and clarity, making it a fundamental parameter in image editing and photography.

Background: The "Background" slider adjusts the brightness of the background surrounding the selected object. By using this slider, you can easily make the background appear lighter or darker as needed. This control allows you to fine-tune the background's luminosity, helping you achieve the desired contrast between the object and its surroundings in your image.

Outer

Amount: By adjusting the "Amount," you can control the thickness and intensity of the inner glow, enabling you to achieve the desired level of luminosity for your creative purposes.

Size: The "Size" slider determines the reach of the glow surrounding the object. With this slider, you can precisely adjust the distance over which the glow extends from the object, offering you the flexibility to customize the spread in accordance with your creative intent and the particular needs of your image.

Hue: The "Hue" setting is a powerful tool for manipulating the color range of the glow in your neon effect. Using this control, you can finely adjust the hues, allowing you to customize and select the color palette that best complements your creative vision. This feature grants you precise control over the neon effect's color, enabling you to achieve the desired aesthetic quickly.

Whiteness: The "Whiteness" option regulates the strength of the white tones within the glow effect. By adjusting this setting, you can finely control the level of whiteness present in the glow, tailoring the effect to your preferences. This feature allows you to enhance or tone down the brilliance of white within the neon effect, providing the means to achieve the desired luminosity in your image.

Sparkles

Amount: By adjusting the "Amount," you can control the thickness and intensity of the sparkles, enabling you to achieve the desired level for your creative purposes.

Spread: The "Spread" setting allows you to control the extent of sparkles to your selection. By adjusting the slider, you can determine the degree to which the neon effect enhances the luminosity of your selection, providing flexibility in achieving the desired level of radiance.

Hue: The "Hue" setting is a powerful tool for manipulating the color range of the sparkles in your neon effect. Using this control, you can finely adjust the hues, allowing you to customize and select the color palette that best complements your creative vision. This feature grants you precise control over the sparkle effect's color, enabling you to achieve the desired aesthetic quickly.

Getting started with the Neon & Glow Tool

Follow these steps to begin using Neon & Glow tool:

1. Open your image and move it into the Edit module.
2. Open the Neon & Glow tool, located in the Creative section.
3. Select the Neon tool, and select the Automatically Select Object button. Increase the Amount slider, and let the application scan the image and create an automatic mask of your main subject. Use the Indent slider to adjust the position of the effect.
4. You can control the effect even further with the Style sliders (Spread, Atmosphere, Hue and Whiteness).
5. If you need to refine the selection, click on the Refine Object button. Select the brush you need (Draw, Erase or Restore) and use the sliders to adjust the brush options. 
6. Select the Glow tool, and click on the Inner and Outer buttons. Use the different sliders to adjust the glow of the neon effect.
7. Use the Sparkles tool and its sliders to add additional sparkles around your subject.
8. Use the Masking tab (Optional) to apply the effect to a specific part of your image. 
9. If you wish to add a second Neon or Glow effect, simply close the tool and re-open it. 

Neon & Glow Tool video tutorial

Watch the full video tutorial covering all controls in this tool.

Luminar NEO

Luminar Neo is the latest editing software from Skylum. It was announced back in September 2021 and has been highly anticipated.

Luminar Neo is an AI-powered photo editing software. Skylum has said that Neo isn’t replacing their previous release—Luminar AI. But Neo sets out to fix some of the issues users faced with Luminar AI.

We were impressed with the AI tools in Luminar AI. But like many others, we encountered performance issues. Luminar Neo uses the same AI tools, but the new high-speed core engine improves speed and performance.

Luminar Neo isn’t just more of the same. We’re happy to see Skylum has taken Neo in a different direction, adding layer and mask AI tools to the program. This broadens Neo’s appeal, taking it in an Adobe Photoshop direction.

Learn more about Luminar NEO here.

Use one of our discount codes: CPNEO10 will give you a 10% discount - CP10 will give you a $10 discount.