Luminar Flex Not Showing Up in Lightroom: What's Going On?

When Skylum released Flex, many users were excited about its potential as a plugin for Adobe Lightroom and other photo editing software. However, some users have reported that Luminar Flex is not showing up in Lightroom, leaving them wondering what's going on.

In reality, the issue lies with Skylum's decision to update Luminar 3 so it no longer works as a plugin. Instead, it will only function as a standalone application. This change was announced shortly after Flex's release, which may have caused confusion for some users.

So, why did Skylum make this change? It appears that the company decided to focus on creating a more robust plugin experience within Photoshop and other Adobe applications, rather than competing directly with Adobe Lightroom. As a result, Luminar Flex is designed to work seamlessly as an extension in Photos and as a plugin inside of Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and Elements.

Despite this change, many users are still frustrated with the lack of features and performance issues with Luminar 3's digital asset manager (DAM). In fact, a recent poll conducted by my Facebook group showed that only a small percentage of users were happy with Luminar 3 at the time. I personally was not a fan of the software, and it seems I wasn't alone.

For those who want to use Luminar's filters without the DAM, Flex may still be an option. The latest update, version 1.1, brings new features and improvements to the plugin. If you're unsure whether Flex is right for you, consider your needs: do you want to use Luminar's filters as a standalone application or as a plugin within another photo editing software?

In conclusion, while Luminar Flex not showing up in Lightroom may seem like a problem, it's actually a sign of Skylum's focus on creating a more robust plugin experience. Whether or not this update is beneficial to you depends on your specific needs and preferences.

New Features

For those interested in seeing what's new with Flex, I'll be discussing the latest features in a future article. In the meantime, feel free to scroll down for more information.

Luminar flex not showing up in lightroom