In this video we’ll look at Lightroom’s most powerful and important masking tools and how they work (and Adobe Camera Raw). Whether it’s editing a bright sky, or working with a specific color, these tools change the way your adjustment filters / Brush work, and help you blend your changes in much more realistically.
Lightroom’s Most Powerful Masking Tools
Feb 6, 2019 | Lightroom, Photoshop, Tutorial | 36 comments
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36 Comments
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I love teaching and photography... In that order. I feel that enjoying photography, and photo editing can get WAY too complicated. So my personal mission (and favorite thing to do), is to create education that simplifies the process of taking great photos, and how to edit them to get the results you’ve always wanted.
I loved this. Had no idea what this feature was. Thank you.
When you turn on the Luminance Mask and Left Range Slider indicator was passed left center only the very bright areas were lightly shaded on the left. Is there a way to remove the light mask from the sky to have only the bright areas on the rocks showing? If I failed to described it properly it would be only the lower left on the photograph highlighted. Oh, and it was the first example I am referring to.
Hi Richard. You could use the Brush option with every selective adjustment to erase from areas you don’t want. Hope that helps!
Thanks Matt. I am just learning this from another site but you were so much clearer.
By the way the Composite Corse.
Another I like about your style is that you get right to the point. I want to make a video larger and hit the end button by mistake. Well I drag the red slider back to the beginning of the video but let it go a little too soon. At 0.07 Seconds into the video you already mentioned the subject that you were covering. Not a moment wasted.
ThankS Richard 🙂 I really appreciate it!
Thank you, Matt. Glad I saw this.
“I always learn something!” wow, I’ll have to watch this video several times but what great results! Thanks, I appreciate your tutorials!
Thanks Matt! This is a high quality tutorial jam packed with useful info. You’ve answered some issues I’ve been struggling with techniques I didn’t know were available. I’m impressed and appreciative.
Matt, every time I switch from library to the develop module it starts in the expanded HSL panel (my 3rd panel down), I would prefer it started in the Basic panel (I am in solo mode).
Matt,
Thanks. I have been using these masking tools since first introduced. That said, your excellent tutorial has given me some tips to refine masking even more carefully. Nice job 🙂
One mention, not related to the video. When I use brushes, gradients, or radials several times on an image, LR begins to respond more and more slowly, eventually requiring a restart. After a restart, LR will run fine for a while and then again degrade with the use of brushes etc. My system well exceeds recommendations for HW. Searching on-line, I do see this is a fairly common issue. Adobe tends to be somewhat silent about the LR performance degradation. Any thoughts you can share?
Seems like Lightroom has improved a lot since I dropped the subscription to switch to On1 Raw 2019. Unless what you demonstrated can also be done in On1 Raw? What do you think?
Thanks so much for the excellent video! When showing the mask overlay of the red flower, and it was “red on red”, remember that you can change the color of the mask overlay by pressing Shift-O (letter O) to change it to green. Green really stands out!
Thanks. I learn so much from you and your videos. I appreciate your tips.
i finally understand range masking after seeing this quick video. you nailed it…thanks!
Thanks Matt, another brilliant, very clear explanation of this function. You really are a great teacher.
Thanks, Matt. As always, when watching your videos, I learn great new tricks. That’s even true for tools I use all the time! One big thing I learned in this video was using click and drag with the color eyedropper. On another site, I had been told the color eyedropper was used by clicking on a color, then shift+clicking on up to (I think) five other colors for a total of 6 colors the mask would work on. That was supposed to be the method to allow you to select multiple shades of the color (such as blue and gray-blue in a sky).
Hi Susan. As you’ve seen both methods work. Best to try them out on a few photos and see which one you prefer.
Thanks, Matt
I wish they would come out with a – color selector to choose everything but that color.
Any Thoughts
Thank you Matt! Wonderful instructions and examples.
Thanks so much! I always learn so much from you.
I cannot open the the range mask. Why do you think it doesn’t respond when I click on it?
Awesome job Matt. You are the best tutor on the web. I just completed a survey for Adobe and the main reason I use their products is because I can learn from folks like you. They should be paying you!
Agee that Adobe should be paying Matt !
Super tips as usual. Thank you
Terrific and practical tips, Matt, as always!
Thanks Matt, as always, you are a great instructor.
Wow. This video came at such a good time. I have been tweaking some images to use in a video, and there were a couple of sunrise ones that I knew still needed a little something. The luminance mask was just the trick. Thank you so much.
Very helpful. Thanks.
Wow – I would agree that these are valuable tools
Thanks Matt. Now I can start using the Range Mask much more than I have in the past.
I can see lots of uses for this mask. Thanks for this tutorial, I knew nothing about it.
Superb! I appreciate your comment about “I’d gladly give up everything else for the gradient, radial, and brush tools.” Lightroom is really powerful!
Oh, thank you! Now I understand Range Mask. Such great explanations and illustrations.
Fantastic, and fairly simple! I have been trying to find time to look at luminosity masking in Lightroom, Photoshop and On1 Raw. However, this would appear to be a quick and easy alternative?
Thanks you Matt, I had no idea of the power of the Range Color Making tool. As always you are a wealth of info and your delivery of the material is TOP NOTCH!
Thanks Matt. That was so informative. I always enjoy learning from you.