Adobe just introduced a powerful masking feature in Lightroom Classic and Adobe Camera Raw, changing the way you edit photos.
Coming to you from Matt Kloskowski, this practical video breaks down Lightroom's new "Landscape Mask" option, which, despite the name, isn't limited to landscapes. The masking tool automatically detects and separates different elements within your images, such as architecture, vegetation, water, wildlife, and even artificial structures like roads. Kloskowski demonstrates how easily you can adjust brightness, highlights, and color for each specific element. While automatic masks usually do a good job, Kloskowski points out that the tool isn't perfect—masks might occasionally spill into adjacent areas—but he clearly shows how quick manual adjustments like subtracting the sky or brushing out unwanted areas can sharpen your results.
The video becomes especially useful when Kloskowski dives into specific scenarios, like editing wildlife or complex scenes involving overlapping elements, such as an eagle set against the sky and vegetation. He carefully walks through the process of refining masks that initially aren't perfect, using straightforward techniques such as subtraction via color range or subject selection. Understanding these finer points allows you to produce images that stand out without hours spent on manual masking adjustments. Instead of pushing one-size-fits-all solutions, Kloskowski emphasizes that these masks will usually require minor manual tweaks, empowering you to perfect each image while keeping editing time manageable.
The video also covers a handy preset, available through the description, which simplifies the process of generating these masks, eliminating repetitive checkbox selections and further streamlining your workflow. These presets save significant time during editing. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Kloskowski.
