I must say first and foremost that I am quite a bit disappointed that the DAM has been pushed to not only 2018 but also will be included in a new version that I must buy while the DAM was supposed to initially come out this year. At least that’s what support told me at the time. Twice.
But to come to my question, unless this is already available, are there any plans for Luminar’s adjustment brush to have content-aware features? Mainly to be aware of edges and such when using it? Anyone heard anything about this?
I too was disappointed that Macphun (I cannot remember their new name) did not meet their projected DAM availability date of midyear 2017. I would have been perfectly willing to pay for an upgrade that included DAM capability, as I see that as a massive undertaking. On the other hand, features such as perspective correction, that were promised as coming soon when Luminar was released, should have been included in a free update (as this was the implication when preordering of Luminar opened up). However, this is not the reason I have abandoned Luminar and moved to Capture One Pro for my image organization, management, and editing.
While I was waiting for the Luminar DAM, I evaluated Lightroom and Capture One Pro. I did not like Lightroom’s modular workflow, and detest Adobe’s subscription only business model. Capture One Pro proved to have almost everything I wanted for photograph management and editing, and I really like the interface, unlimited customizing options, and editable keyboard shortcuts for virtually every action. As for editing, Luminar has far more filters, but 80 to 90% of them I would not use. The editing tools in Capture One are exceptional, in my opinion. I am particularly impressed with the colour editor, colour balance, high dynamic range, clarity, structure, and film grain tools. Capture One has everything I need. The only things I miss from Aperture are the ability to stack similar images (although you can stack variants of the same image) and Album Picks. Capture One is expensive compared to the other options (299 USD), but a 10% discount is always available using a discount code from a “Capture One Ambassador”). To my mind it is worth the price.
I am sure Luminar will prove to be an excellent app, but I am not prepared to wait to see if and when it includes all the benefits I have now with Capture One.
Andrew