Forget Sky Replacement: This Crazy New Foreground Replacement Software Will Take Your Photography to the Next Level

If you’ve ever shot a landscape and been frustrated that the sky wasn’t epic enough for you, today’s software has you covered. But what if you need to swap out the foreground, too? This incredible new photo-editing package could dramatically improve your photography.

We’ve all been in situations where our subject is incredible but the light is flat and disappointing, and software manufacturers have responded to that need by allowing us to switch out the sky. However, sometimes, your photo just needs that extra bit of magic that involves not just shooting at a different time, but also shooting in a completely different location. So, what can you do?

This is no longer a problem. New software Photolar Lumishop allows you to swap not just the sky, but also the foreground. The uninspiring photo of your neighbor’s pool on a dull afternoon in March can suddenly be swapped out for an image shot in gorgeous golden hour light. And get this: instead of your neighbor’s pool, it’s of the Mesa Arch in Utah. The possibilities are endless.

Before and after running this image through Lumishop. The difference is remarkable.

The AI behind Lumishop draws on a huge database of hundreds of thousands of quite nice photographs that have been “Unsplashed” into its neural network. This gives you a vast choice of images that have been carefully curated by “deep yearning algorithms” after programmers developed tools that figured out what’s popular on Instagram.

“For us, the weather and time of day should never be something that restricts a photographer’s creativity,” explains lead developer Doonit Fothalykes.

Then we decided it was time to push things one step further. With our new Unsplashing AI, where you took your photograph is no longer a limit on the recognition that you deserve.

You should be entitled to get validation for your creativity without having to deal with all those other things that get in the way, like research, travel, or getting up really early.

I was lucky enough to receive an early version of Photolar Lumishop and was able to see what effect it had on my photographs and the level of engagement I received on social media.

To push it to its limits, I chose images that I knew would be very challenging. My first photo was this shot of some beef noodles that I took in the supermarket a few weeks ago. I knew at the time of shooting that the conditions weren’t quite right: the lighting is relatively diffused, which avoids harsh shadows, but despite the shallow depth of field, the lack of directionality flattens the image, removing any sense of depth.

Lumishop didn’t let me down. To replace the out-of-focus shelving in the background, it chose an epic golden hour skyscape with the sun creeping through the clouds and creating a gorgeous star. For the foreground, it selected a stunning image of Kirkjufellsfoss in Iceland — a location that’s definitely going to inspire my audience but also give me a huge buzz over having photographed one of the most iconic landscapes in the world.

Intrigued, I decided to check how the software performs when there are people in the image. I love this photograph of my wife and our pet dog, but both of them look a bit tired and uninterested, probably because it was first thing in the morning and my wife hadn’t yet finished her first cup of coffee.

The deep yearning algorithms are remarkable, instantly producing the perfect replacement.

My wife now looks much more engaged, both with me and what I assume is her breakfast. And while dogs are cute and often get a lot of engagement, I think my followers are definitely going to prefer the bikini model, especially given that she’s now looking straight into the camera.

Conclusion

Lumishop has the potential to transform your photography, changing images that weren't quite right into Instagram bangers that guarantee engagement. No longer will you come home from a shoot feeling frustrated that the model didn't have the right hair or that every single photo was out of focus.

Instead, you can now just fire up Lumishop and fix everything in a matter of clicks.

Credits:

Lead image: Nathan Anderson (left), Cosmic Timetraveler (right)

Concrete Swimming Pool Construction by Concrete Forms, used under CC by 2.0

Mesa Arch — Omer Salom

Kirkjufellsfoss — Luke Vodell

Women eating watermelon — Alex Azabache