Masks that select the subject or sky.
Through machine learning, the Select Subject and Select Sky masks automatically put a mask over the subject or the sky in your photo.
Masking tools let you apply an adjustment to one specific area of a photo, rather than the entire image. If you want to make the subject of your photo pop by increasing its saturation while leaving the background as is, put a mask over your subject and adjust the saturation on the masked area.
Through machine learning, the Select Subject and Select Sky masks automatically put a mask over the subject or the sky in your photo.
Paint on your mask manually with the Brush tool for more detailed selections.
A gradient mask has an edge that gradually tapers off. A Radial gradient is circular and a Linear gradient cuts straight across.
Mask and make changes to only a certain range of hues.
Target the foreground or background of photos taken in iPhone Portrait Mode or with the Lightroom for mobile Depth Capture feature.
Mask and make changes only to areas with a certain range of luminance, or brightness.
Any edits you make to masked areas are nondestructive, meaning you can go back and adjust them later. You can also adjust the shape of your mask and what’s included in it with easy-to-use tools..
Masks show up as a red overlay on your photo when you add them. You can also see a preview of your mask in a small thumbnail in the masking panel. The white area shows where you’re editing.
Add to or subtract from your masked area so you can get your mask just right. Click Add or Subtract on your Masks floating panel. Or combine effects from two existing masks with the Intersect tool.
To affect areas outside of your mask rather than inside, click Invert. Your mask will instantly swap position. For example, choose Select Subject then Invert to edit just the background.
The Brush tool is the best way to make tiny tweaks to your masked area. Click Subtract to use the brush to erase pieces of the mask or Add to use it to expand your masked area.
Follow along to create your first mask and level up your photo editing.
The best way to get comfortable using masks is to play with each of the masking tools. Explore how you might use different masks to emphasize different parts of your images. Make sure your version of Lightroom is up to date, and then try these Lightroom tutorials to get started:
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