The Photographer’s Guide to Luminar 4, Now Available!

I’ve been waiting to post this for quite a while. Over the past year I’ve hinted at working on a project about Skylum’s Luminar photo editing software, and now it’s finally here! My latest book, The Photographer’s Guide to Luminar 4, is currently available as an ebook (PDF, Kindle, and Apple Books) and the paper version is being printed. If you order through my publisher Rocky Nook, use the code CARLSON40 to get 40% off the ebook, the print book, or a bundle containing both.

To kick off the launch, I’m hosting a free webinar this Thursday, April 9, at 11 AM PST. I’ll demonstrate some of the editing techniques from the book and answer questions live. Register for the free webinar here.

UPDATE: You can view the webinar replay at YouTube below, or at Webinarjam (which includes the chat sidebar).

One of the reasons Rocky Nook and I chose to write a book about Luminar is that it’s deceptively deep. On the surface, there are several powerful, AI-driven tools that make photo editing easy for anyone. The AI Enhance tool is literally a single Make Better slider that may be all a photo needs; the portrait tools automatically recognize faces in a photo and let you touch up subjects in a flattering way. At the same time, Luminar includes professional tools for adjusting tone, color, and texture, backed up with the ability to use masks, layers, and blend modes for editing control. You don’t have to be a photo-editing master to improve your shots, but if you know what you’re doing, your experience will be rewarded.

The Photographer’s Guide to Luminar 4 covers it all in 256 pages of step-by-step instruction, guided walkthroughs, and beautiful color images. I’ll have more to say about it this week.

Peak Design Travel Tripod Launch

When Peak Design launched their Kickstarter campaign to fund the Travel Tripod, I was immediately on board. Since receiving my carbon-fiber model, I’ve really enjoyed its sturdiness, compact design, and overall ease of use.

Peak Design has now officially launched the Travel Tripod as a stand-alone product, and through April 10 they’re donating 100% of the profits toward COVID-19 relief (the CDC Foundation) and fighting climate change (Climate Neutral).

Pricing starts at $350 for the aluminum model and $600 for carbon fiber model (which turns out to be not just lighter, but sturdier than the aluminum one). Order Your Peak Design Travel Tripod Now

PhotoActive Podcast

I’ve really enjoyed creating the PhotoActive Podcast this year. We’ve had great guests and explored some interesting topics. PhotoActive comes out every two weeks, and episodes tend to be only about 30 minutes (by design), so subscribe in your favorite podcast player or listen at the PhotoActive website. Here are a few recent favorites:

• Episode 64: Creativity Is Problem Solving, with David duChemin
• Episode 61: Choosing What to Photograph
• Episode 60: Machine Learning with Andrius Gailiunas and Pixelmator Pro
• Episode 58: Rule of Turds

Start with those, and then go to PhotoActive.co to get caught up!