Four New Masking Tools Coming To Lightroom Classic Soon

Adobe recently added several new masking tools to Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) that haven’t yet appeared in Lightroom. They’re worth looking at here because Adobe will add them to Lightroom Classic and Lightroom desktop in due course, possibly in the forthcoming October update (which is always a major one). 

Today I’ll give you an overview of the new masking tools, so you know what to expect. I’ll go into full details when Adobe adds these features to Lightroom Classic.

Note: I’ll update this article when Adobe adds the tools to Lightroom. 

Why ACR and not Lightroom?

These features appear in ACR first because it’s easier for Adobe’s software engineers. Lightroom Classic uses the ACR engine, with the added complexity of a Catalog, syncing and other workflow tools. So the way Adobe does it at the moment is to add new tools to ACR first, then to Lightroom when they’re ready.

How to send your photos to ACR from Lightroom Classic

If you have Photoshop you can experiment with the new tools in ACR for yourself. Here’s how to send your Raw photos to ACR from Lightroom Classic. 

1. Go to Grid View, right-click the Raw file, go to the Edit In menu and select Open As Smart Object in Photoshop.

2. In Photoshop, go to Layers and double-click the photo thumbnail to open it in ACR, with all the developing work that you’ve done in Lightroom intact.

03. When you’re finished in ACR, click the OK button. Then, when you’re finished in Photoshop, go to File > Save to save your photo as a PSD file. Every time you save the photo it updates in Lightroom Classic. The new version appears stacked next to the original in Grid View.

New masking tool #1: Bidirectional Linear Gradient

A Linear Gradient has a hard edge on one side (locked to one side of the frame) and a soft edge on the other. The new bidirectional Linear Gradient has soft edges on both sides.

These screenshots show the difference. This is the current style Linear Gradient in Lightroom Classic.

And this is the bi-directional Linear Gradient in ACR.

Note: In both cases I set the overlay mode to Color Overlay on B&W so you can see the mask clearly.

To use it, create a new Linear Gradient mask as usual, then check the Bidirectional box.

I used it to warm and brighten the colors on the horizon of this landscape photo. This before/after screenshot shows the difference. The new version (created in Photoshop) is on the right:

New masking tool #2: Edge feather with AI powered masks

Note: Adobe has already added this feature to Lightroom Classic!

In Lightroom Classic you can feather a Brush, Radial Gradient or Linear Gradient. Now you’ll soon be able to do it with Lightroom Classic’s AI powered masking tools, like Select Subject, Select Object and Select Sky.

Here’s how it works. One of my favorite techniques is to make a Subject mask and a Background mask, so I can adjust the brightness, contrast and color of each separately. Here’s what those masks look like in Lightroom Classic:

In ACR, you can feather the edges, giving masks that look like these:

It gives you a smoother and more realistic transition between subject and background when you make adjustments to both. 

The controls are simple. There are two sliders to adjust – Feather and Edge. Feather sets the edge softness, and Edge lets you move the mask’s border in or out.

New masking tool #3: Color Grading

In Lightroom Classic you can color grade the entire photo, but not a selection (i.e. the area covered by a mask). In ACR you can color grade a selection, which opens up new possibilities for adjusting color.

One use is to color grade the photo’s background without affecting the photo’s subject. In the photo below I color graded the background of the photo (using the feathered mask created in the previous tool) and left the subject untouched. Here are the before (left) and after (right) versions:

New masking tool #4: Depth masking

In Lightroom Classic you can only apply a depth mask to photos made with compatible iPhones. In ACR you can apply a depth mask to any Raw file. It lets you make masks based on subject to camera distance. Here’s an example of how it works: 

The interface is similar to that for the Color Range and Luminance Range tools. Start by clicking on the image to select a depth. Then use the depth range scale to adjust the range of the depth mask.

You’ll be interested in this if you’re into photographing landscapes, gardens or architecture – any type of photo where it would be useful to create a mask based on depth rather than the photo’s contents. It complements the Landscape masking tool, giving you another way of creating selections in your outdoor photos.

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Further reading: Mastering Masks

I hope you’re excited about the new masking tools coming soon to Lightroom Classic. When they arrive they’ll open up even more possibilities for developing your photos. In the meantime, you can check out my book Mastering Masks to learn how to use masks in Lightroom Classic, Lightroom desktop, Lightroom mobile, ACR and even Lightroom web. 

Note that I haven’t added the new masking tools (ACR only) yet. I’m hoping Adobe adds them to Lightroom in October, so I can do the update in one go. Either way, the book gets updated in October (or early November, depending on the timing of Adobe’s update). If you buy the book today, that update (and all future updates) are free.

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