Luminar Neo: a golden-hour edit workflow — How‑To
A simple, repeatable sequence for warm, cinematic light: develop the RAW, polish globally, then refine locally.
1) Start in Develop RAW
If you’re working with a RAW file, begin in Develop RAW to set a clean baseline: exposure, highlights/shadows, white/black points, and color temperature. Use Auto Adjust only as a starting point—then dial it back to taste.
Golden-hour goal
- Warm the image slightly (temperature up), then pull highlights down to protect the glow.
- Lift shadows carefully (avoid a ‘flat’ look).
- Set blacks with intention for contrast, but don’t crush detail.
2) Add a quick global improvement with Enhance AI
Use Enhance AI when you want a fast, tasteful improvement to overall contrast, color and detail. Treat it as a “first-pass polish” before doing any local work.
3) Shape the mood with Relight AI (near vs far)
Relight AI shines when the scene has depth: adjust foreground and background brightness and warmth independently, then fine-tune depth until the separation looks natural.
Golden-hour trick
- Warm the foreground slightly more than the background to mimic sun-kissed subjects.
- Keep distant areas a touch more neutral to preserve atmospheric depth.
4) Refine with Masks
When a global tool is too heavy, switch to masking. Start with gradients for skies, then brush for faces/subjects. Aim for subtle, layered adjustments rather than one big push.
5) Finish and export
Do a final pass: check skin tones, edge halos, and noise in shadows. Then export a web-sized JPEG for your blog, plus a high-res version for archive.
Suggested before/after: include two images in your post—one straight out of camera and one final grade—so readers can see the golden-hour feel clearly.