Apply Masking for local adjustments

Starting with Adobe Camera Raw 14.0 (October 2021 release), Masking offers a variety of local adjustment tools in an organized panel. These tools help you make precise color or luminance range adjustments and edit specific areas in a photo with maximum creative control.

You can also access AI-powered features like Select Subject and Select Sky which help you automatically select a subject or sky in a photo so that you can make adjustments to just that part, quickly.

The Masking workspace

Select Masking in the right-hand toolbar to access the Masking tools. Create a mask to edit specific parts of a photo such as the main subject, the sky, a car, a tree, etc.

The Masking tools

The following tools are available in the Masking panel:

Brush

Select and drag the Brush tool over the areas you want to edit. You can specify the following: 

• Size Specifies the diameter of the brush tip in pixels.
• Feather Creates a soft-edged transition between the brushed area and surrounding pixels. The distance between the inner and outer circle is the Feather amount in the Brush cursor.
• Flow Controls the rate of application of the adjustment.
• Density Controls the amount of transparency in the stroke.

You can also select Auto Mask to confine the Brush strokes to areas of similar color. Additionally, you can preview and change the brush size on-screen and make adjustments if desired. 

Linear Gradient

Select and drag the tool into the area you want to edit. This is useful for adjusting a large portion of the photo with a gradually fading pattern that creates soft transitions.

Radial Gradient

Select and drag the tool into the area you want to edit. This tool helps you make local adjustments inside or outside an oval shape. Use the Feather slider to determine how soft you want the adjustments.

Color Range

Use this tool to accurately select a color in your photo that you want to edit:

• Click+drag an area around the colors in the photo that you want to adjust.
• Shift+click to add multiple color samples. You can add up to five color samples by holding Shift while clicking on the image. To remove a color sample, press Option (macOS)/Alt (Windows) and click the sample.
• Adjust the Refine slider to narrow or broaden the range of selected colors.

Luminance Range

Use this tool to accurately select a brightness range in your photo that you want to edit. To select a luminance range, do any of the following: 

• Click the photo to select the brightness value of that part of the photo.
• Click + drag an area in the photo to select a range of brightness values.
• Adjust the Select Luminance slider for precise control of the selected brightness range.

Select Show Luminance Map to view the luminance information of the photo in a black and white representation. The part in red color (this is a default color that you can change using Mask overlay color) shows the area that is selected by the chosen luminance range.

Depth Range

Use this tool to select areas based on their distance from the camera. This tool is enabled only for photos containing depth information. To select a depth range to adjust, do any of the following:

• Adjust the Select Depth slider.
• Click + drag an area in the photo.
  

Select Show Depth Map to view the depth of the image in a black and white representation. The part of the photo in white represents the foreground, while the part of the photo in black represents the background. The red color shows the area that is selected by the chosen depth range.

To know about Select Subject and Select Sky, see:

• Automatically select a subject in your photo
• Automatically select a sky in your photo
• Automatically select a background in your photo
• Select Objects in your photo
• Select People in your photo

Create a mask

Automatically select the main subject in a photo

Automatically select a sky

Automatically select a background

Select Objects in your photo

Select people in your photo

Add to a mask

Once you have created a mask, you can add masking tools to further refine it.

Subtract from a mask

Once you have created a mask, you can remove areas in the mask using the masking tools.

Rename a mask or mask component

Invert a mask

Change the overlay color

You can easily change the default red overlay color to a custom color or choose from a range of preset options:

More overlay settings

Access these options, when you click the three-dot icon next to Show overlay:

• Automatically Toggle Overlay It will automatically turn the overlay on or off based on whether the selected mask has any adjustments applied.
  
• Show Unselected Mask Pins Select this option to show pins for masks that are not selected on the photo.
  
• Show Pins and Tools Deselect to not show pins and tool icons on the photo.
  

Masking keyboard shortcuts

Local adjustment sliders

Use the following sliders to make the desired local adjustments to your mask:

Sets the overall image brightness. Applying an Exposure local correction can achieve results similar to traditional dodging and burning.

Adjusts image contrast, mainly affecting midtones

Recovers detail in overexposed highlight areas of an image

Recovers detail in underexposed shadow areas of an image

Adjusts the white points in a photo

Adjusts the black points in a photo

Curves give greater control over tonal range and contrast in a photo. 

Adjusts the color temperature of an area of the image, making it warmer or cooler. A graduated filter temperature effect can improve images captured in mixed-lighting conditions.

Compensates for a green or magenta color cast

Adjusts the hue in a photo. Select Use Fine Adjustment for precise adjustments.

Adjusts the vividness of the color

Applies a tint to the area. Select the hue by using the Color swatch. The effect is preserved if you convert the photo to black and white.

Smoothens or accentuates textured details in your photo. Move the slider to the left to smoothen details; move it to the right to accentuate details. When you adjust the Texture slider, the color or tonality does not change.

Adds depth to an image by increasing local contrast

Reduces or increases existing haze in a photo

Removes noise from images and adds more texture.

Enhances edge definition to bring out details in the photo. A negative value blurs details.

Reduces luminance noise, which can become apparent when shadow areas are opened.

Removes moiré artifacts, or color aliasing

Removes fringe colors along edges