The masking tools in Lightroom and Camera Raw are some of my favorites which is why I love shortcuts and tips that help me use them easier and faster. Enjoy!
My Wildlife and Landscape Presets – CLICK HERE
My Portrait Masking System – CLICK HERE
My Favorite Lightroom and Photoshop Masking Tips
Oct 27, 2023 | Lightroom, Photoshop, Tutorials | 36 comments
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.
AS always, learned something new about LR masks.
Thank you Matt
Some good tips! Thanks so much! Is there a solo mode in Lr Desktop? I couldn’t find it.
just right click on a bar – like basic – and solo mode is an option
Matt’s course also showed me how to get effects, which I use on every photo, moved higher up the list
LR is a great course!
This is great! Thanks for this Matt.
Thank you Matt!
Hello Matt
Thank you for all the advice you give.
Greetings,
Branko
I am (forever) new at Lightroom Classic and LOVE your very helpful videos! Thank you so much!
I did not know that you had a podcast. Please tell us what it is called and how we can find it.
Thank you so very much!
Hi Bonnie – just scroll back on the blog and you’ll see it. Thanks.
Matt: Whenever I rt-click on any of the sub-panel headers in Masking, it simply opens or closes that sub-panel. No “solo mode” option.
Control Click on my Mac doesn’t open a context box.
Your video will not load for last two days
As alway, very useful. I was especially intrigued by the preset discussion. That prompts what is likely an off-topic question. I’ve only used LrC for a year, so I’m still learning. I work primarily on bird photos. I’ve experimented with the AI Subject mask, and the semi-AI Objects mask. My experience has been that Objects almost always does a better job of creating a mask than Subject. The difference I’ve seen most often is that Subject does a good job of the outline, but frequently does not so a 100% fill inside the outline; Objects on the other hand usually does as well as Subject at the outline, but always does a 100% fill inside the outline. My experiments suggest that overall Objects results in less work. Am I missing something?
This video is great, thanks, Bruce
Is there a way to move the adjustments panel to another screen in ACR like we do with adjustment layers in PS?
Hi Matt,
I was able to set the masking panel to Solo in Lightroom but not in ACR’s masking tool. While there is an option for Single Panel mode in ACR, the only options in the ACR Masking panel are Normal or Compact. I recall you saying that MOST of the features you would be discussing about Lightroom would also be applicable to Photoshop. Is this one of the features that isn’t in both Lightroom and ACR?
In PS, go to Edit – Preferences – Camera Raw Preferences – Panels – Edit Panel Behavior. It offers three choices: Single, Responsive, and Multiple. When I’m processing multiple similar photos, I use Multiple. Then before I exit Camera Raw, I do a C0ntrol C. In the rest of the photos, I can just do a Control V to apply the same settings, but I can also change individual settings if I need to. I would like to be able to arrange the ACR adjustment panel so I keep the most often panels used at the top, but I haven’t figured out how to do that.
Hi Matt,
Thank you so much for the informative video – the solo mode in the masking panel is very useful and I hadn’t spotted that.
One query, does the solo mode work in Camera Raw Filter masking panel in Photoshop? Right clicking only seems to give me a normal/compact option.
Thank you once again.
Regards
Tom
Matt, thanks once again for all your great tips and tutorials!!
SO helpful. Thank you – Your course on LRC taught me so much. You are a great teacher. Thank you.
Link to the Portrait Masking system does not work.
I am wondering that is there a way to migrate/sync your settings for LR from one computer to another? I have a desktop and a laptop and would like to sync any LR/PS settings between the two computers.
Thanks Matt! I swear by Solo Mode and can’t believe I missed it in the Masking tools!
Interesting. Thanks. In the video, you said that you would never use dehazing. Was that only for the photo you were working on?
I believe I was saying that whatever I was doing wasn’t necessarily a great edit for the photo. I would gladly use Dehaze on a photo that needed it.
Hey Matt
Great stuff
I see you are using a Mac Studio Display.
What are you powering it with?
A lap top or a Mac Studio, or a lab top with separate keyboard?
thanks
Hi Doug. It’s a Mac XDR Display with a laptop. Powering it with the cable it came with.
Matt, I don’t know how you keep finding these gems, but I’m very glad that you do and keep sharing them with us. Thanks!
A great set of tips Matt, thanks so much. I especially liked the solo mode and the subtract tips 🙂
I love listening to you teach – and I learned that you and my favorite teacher, Tom Bol (and Cree), is a good friend……He’s great and he thinks a lot of you, so I listen to you a great deal.
The tip about creating masking presets is something I never thought about. Thank u Matt!
Very helpful tips. Thanks for your videos.
Great tutorial Matt. Love your manner and knowledge.
Great tips Matt, thanks. Never even thought to use the Solo Mode in the masking section!
This is a really helpful tutorial. Thank you!
Very useful. I liked it very much.
Thank you
Good set of tips. The one on “Solo Mode” should have been obvious – but wasn’t to me even though I have it set outside the masks. And the Subtract Sky from a mask when subtracting spill over – very nice as well.
Thanks.