Master Photoshop’s Select Subject Tool With These Easy Tricks

The new Select Subject tool in Photoshop makes it easier than ever to refine edits without heavy manual work. Whether you want to brighten a person in a photo or shape the atmosphere with color adjustments, the tool gives you a faster way to separate subject from background and build cleaner edits. This makes it especially useful when you want control over light and color without masking by hand.

Coming to you from Aaron Nace with Phlearn, this detailed video shows how the new cloud-powered Select Subject tool works inside Photoshop 2025. Instead of relying only on local processing, the tool can now use cloud-based AI for sharper, more accurate results. Nace demonstrates how to turn on cloud processing under Image Processing settings and why it matters for getting cleaner selections. Once active, it allows you to quickly brighten a subject using adjustment layers like Curves or Levels. Because the subject is already masked, changes apply exactly where they should, letting you refine shadows and highlights in seconds.

The video also covers creative ways to enhance a scene once your subject is isolated. Nace walks through adding a subtle sun flare effect by applying Levels and working with individual red and green channels. Using a gradient mask, he shows how you can place the flare naturally in the frame and fine-tune it for stronger or softer results. These adjustments build atmosphere without heavy retouching or plugins, giving your edits a polished, cinematic touch. The approach shows how small, targeted changes can reshape the overall mood of an image.

Later in the lesson, Nace flips the process to focus on the background. By inverting the selection, you can leave your subject untouched while building new color gradients and light behind them. A radial gradient in warm tones gives the impression of glow and depth, turning a flat background into something more dynamic. This is where the power of Select Subject shows its versatility: it isn’t just about clean cutouts, but about using those selections as creative masks for more complex edits. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Nace.