How to Replace the Background in Luminar Neo

Have you ever tried to replace the background of a photo? If you have, you know it’s not always as easy as it sounds.

Perhaps you’ve used one of the one-click solutions that promise perfect results.

Unfortunately, they often leave pieces of background behind or accidentally cut off parts of the subject. Other times, they create a clean cutout but don’t give you a chance to adjust the shadows or color temperature.

Or maybe you’ve tried a robust photo editor that gives you full control. However, mastering the necessary skills takes plenty of time, and each background removal is time-consuming as well.

Well, I have good news: Luminar Neo strikes the perfect balance between the two choices. Neo leverages AI to do the heavy lifting, while giving you plenty of room to fine-tune every step so you achieve the best result.

And if you haven’t tried replacing a background before, lucky you, you landed in the right place right from the start.

So, whether you’re an old-time user looking for a more efficient tool or a first-timer finding their way around, this article will show you everything you need to know to easily replace a background using Luminar Neo.

Why Replace a Background in Luminar Neo?

While the subject is the hero of a photo, the background is extremely important. A distracting background can ruin an otherwise perfect picture.

This is why replacing the background can make your subject pop, pulling the viewer’s attention to it.

On the other end of the spectrum, a dull background can also hurt your photograph by causing the viewer to lose interest too soon. In these cases, background replacement can enhance a picture or strengthen the overall composition.

But replacing a background isn’t just about fixing problems; it’s also a creative technique. For example, you can replace the background to alter the mood of a photograph.

You can also use it to create imaginary worlds or add variety throughout a photo session without ever leaving the studio.

• More: How Does Cross-Device Editing Work in Luminar?

Who Could Use a Background Replacement?

Anyone from a beginner to a professional photographer can benefit from replacing the background in a photograph. Here are a few examples where it may be useful.

• Portrait photographers can easily switch from busy environments to atmospheric ones when the shooting location wasn’t ideal in the first place.
• Product photographers use background replacement to achieve clean, professional results without a full studio setup. They can also use it for white-background e-commerce shots or to add a brand-color backdrop for consistency.
• Social media creators use this technique to quickly produce eye-catching visuals for thumbnails, Stories, or themed posts.
• Digital artists often replace backgrounds as a starting point for more complex photo composites and other creative projects.
• Hobbyist photographers can also benefit from background replacement to enhance a photograph when they don’t have a budget for a professional studio or location. It’s also a fun way to experiment with and improve their photo-editing skills.

How to Replace a Background in Luminar Neo? Step-by-Step

Are you ready to experiment with background replacement in Luminar Neo? Here’s an easy-to-follow guide.

Step 1 – Import your photo

As you probably know, Luminar Neo doesn’t work directly on the files saved on your device. Instead, you import your photographs into Luminar’s Catalog and work there.

This is a very simple process that lets you keep your originals intact and manage your files, streamlining your workflow within the app. You can learn how to work with Luminar’s Catalog in our dedicated article.

So, the process starts by importing the photo where the background needs replacing. At this point, you don’t need to import the new background image.

To import a file, simply click on Add Photos.

Step 2 – Background removal

The first thing you need to do before putting in a new background is remove the old one.

Fortunately, Luminar Neo has AI tools that make this easy. So, select your image from the Catalog and open the Edits workspace.

On the right side of the screen, you’ll find all the editing tools. At the very top, you’ll see the Layer Properties Pro feature – click on it.

Once the panel opens, click on the Masking tab and choose the Background Removal AI tool. This feature works for all sorts of pictures; however, if the subject is a person, it’s best to choose Portrait Background.

As soon as you click it, the AI starts scanning the photograph. Once it’s done, it will generate a mask, which you’ll see as a red overlay on the subject.

Even if it’s not perfect, don’t worry, just click Remove. You’ll now see the subject isolated, but the removal is non-destructive; the background information is still there.

If the mask was done right, you can skip to the next step.

If the mask needs refinement, use the Brush tool to paint back in parts of the subject that were accidentally removed, or erase the background that wasn’t captured by the original mask.

Feel free to try other masking tools like Object Select or Mask AI; depending on your picture, you might get better results.

Step 3 – Add a new background

Once your subject is isolated, you can add the new background. To do so, click on the Plus sign you’ll see on the left side of the screen in the Layers section.

When you click it, it will open a gallery with the default images included with Luminar Neo and any images you might have previously uploaded to use as layers.

To add a new one, click on Load Image. This will open a browser window you can use to find the correct file on your hard drive and upload it.

Beware that you can’t pick images from your Catalog, and that images uploaded as layers won’t become a part of the Catalog either – these are two separate databases.

Back to our image, though. The new background will be placed on top by default. You need to put it below the original layer with the subject. To do so, simply drag it down.

You can move any of the layers around to adjust the composition, and change their size by dragging the corners to fit the way you want.

That’s it, you now have a new background for your picture. Consider that it’s usually necessary to adjust the color and lighting to achieve a more realistic result.

Step 4 – Export your image

It’s worth noting that your composited image will remain as such – currently, there isn’t an option to merge both layers. This is a good thing because it’s non-destructive.

However, if you want to apply edits to the entire image, you have to do them twice, once for each layer, which isn’t very efficient. To solve this, simply export your composite and upload it back to the Catalog as a new image.

Of course, you can also export it to share it or print it. Simply click Export, choose the file format, size, and quality.

There are a few sharing options from inside Luminar Neo, such as send by email. Plus, you can publish as a Space.

• More: How to Use Luminar Neo’s Sky Replacement

What Makes Luminar Neo Good for Background Replacement?

Background replacement is a common edit used by many professionals, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. However, Luminar Neo offers many advantages that make this task simpler than in other software, even for beginners.

First of all, it has multiple masking tools – many of which are powered by AI. This means that selecting subjects, refining edges, and accurately isolating your subject requires less time and skill.

In many cases, you can select the subject with a single click using the Background Removal or the Portrait Background tool without having to refine the mask.

Another advantage of Luminar Neo is its support for layer editing. So, none of what you do is destructive – you can always go back and refine the edits. Plus, you can control the blending options and add more layers to the composite.

You’ll also have plenty of editing tools, both traditional and powered by AI, to achieve a realistic result. I find the Color Transfer tool particularly helpful for matching the color and lighting of the new background to those of the subject.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of Luminar Neo is how approachable it is. All of its tools require a minimal learning curve, so you can do complex editing tasks like background replacements like an expert in a very short time.

Tips & Tricks

Replacing a background in Luminar Neo is extremely easy. However, you don’t want your subject to just be pasted on top; you want it to look realistic.

To achieve that, you need to pay attention to the details. Here are some tips and tricks to get the best results.

• Choose images with similar lighting. Make sure the background and the subject are lit from the same direction and have similar shadows. Use tools like Light Depth or Studio Light to fine-tune the results.
• Match the perspective. One of the most common mistakes when compositing a photo is ignoring perspective. Look at where the horizon is in each photo and make sure they match.
• Make use of the editing tools to fine-tune the effect. Some people think that background replacement is just about cutting and pasting. However, you need to refine the results to make sure the colors, perspective, and lighting match. Take advantage of the wide array of editing tools available in Luminar Neo.
• Consider sharpness and background. We’re often so caught up in fixing the light and color that we forget about sharpness. The background needs to be adjusted to match the depth of field in the real situation.
• Refine the edges of the mask. As good as the Background Removal tool is, you should always zoom in and see if the edges need refinement. Leaving a halo around the subject is one of the biggest giveaways when replacing a background.