This One Trick Redefined How I Use Lightroom's Masking Tools

If there's one feature in Adobe Lightroom that I can't stop raving about, it's the Masking Panel. In my opinion, it’s the most powerful tool in the entire app. The ability to make selective edits to specific parts of an image is fundamental to elevating your photo editing game. But what really sets Lightroom’s masking tools apart is the ability to combine multiple masks in creative ways, achieving effects that simply aren’t possible with global adjustments.

Why Masking is a Game-Changer

The true power of Lightroom’s masking tools lies not just in combining different masks but in how you can subtract and intersect masks to refine your edits. This opens up endless possibilities for enhancing your photos in subtle yet impactful ways.

One of my favorite techniques is using masking to make a subject stand out from a dark or busy background. This is particularly useful in low-light situations where your subject might otherwise blend in with the surroundings. Below, I’ll walk you through a practical example of how I used this technique to bring a church building out of the shadows, followed by a similar approach for portrait photography.

Creating a Glow Effect Behind a Building

Let’s start with a photo I took of a church in Slovenia. It was just before sunrise, and I had only one chance to capture the image before the lights turned off. The result was a beautiful shot, but the church blended into the dark background, making it less striking than I wanted. Here’s how I used Lightroom’s masking tools to add a subtle yet effective glow behind the building.

1. Apply a Radial Gradient:

   • Start by creating a new mask using the Radial Gradient tool. Drag to create a circular selection around the area where you want the glow.
   • Adjust the feather to soften the edges. I recommend starting with a feather value around 50, then fine-tuning as needed.

2. Add a Negative Dehaze:

   • Instead of increasing exposure, which can look unnatural, use the Dehaze slider in the negative direction. This creates a soft, glowing effect, almost like mist or fog.

3. Subtract the Church from the Mask:

   • Since the glow shouldn’t affect the church itself, subtract it from the radial gradient using the Subtract option and select the church as an object.
   • This ensures the glow only appears behind the building, making it pop from the background.
   • Remove additional areas from the glow selection, such as the hill that the church is on, by using a Subtract Brush.

4. Fine-Tune the Glow:

   • You can refine the glow further by adjusting its position and size, as well as modifying its color temperature for a warm or cool effect.
   • Adjust the overall strength of the glow effect by adjusting the Amount slider.

The result is a subtle, natural-looking glow that separates the church from the dark background, enhancing the overall composition of the photo.

Applying the Same Technique to Portraits

Next, let’s apply a similar approach to a portrait. The goal is to add a soft glow behind the subject to make them stand out against a dark or busy background.

1. Create a Radial Gradient Behind the Subject:

   • Just like before, start with a radial gradient. Position it over the subject, covering the area where you want the glow.

2. Subtract the Subject from the Mask:

   • Use the Subtract option to remove the subject from the radial gradient. You can use Lightroom’s People selection tool to do this with precision.

3. Adjust the Dehaze and Temperature:

   • Apply a negative dehaze to create the glow, then adjust the temperature to complement the image. For example, a cool blue glow can add contrast to a warm foreground, making the subject stand out even more.

4. Fine-Tune for a Subtle Effect:

   • Use the Amount slider to control the intensity of the effect, ensuring it enhances rather than overwhelms the photo.

Wrapping It Up

These examples just scratch the surface of what’s possible with Lightroom’s masking tools. By learning to combine, subtract, and refine masks, you can achieve a level of control and creativity in your photo editing that sets your work apart. Whether you’re working with landscapes, architecture, or portraits, mastering these tools will allow you to enhance your photos in ways that are both subtle and impactful.

If you’re eager to dive deeper into these techniques, I’ve just released a comprehensive course called Lightroom Masking Essentials. This course breaks down every tool in the masking panel, with over three and a half hours of lessons designed to help you master these powerful features across all versions of Lightroom. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your skills, I'm confident you'll learn something new as you master these powerful tools.