Automatic masking
James Paterson explains how the clever new face masking tools in Camera Raw and Lightroom make it easy to improve your shots
Part 25 of a series
LIGHTROOM
THE MISSION
Explore Adobe’s new AI-powered masking tools to improve portraits
Time needed One hour
Skill level Intermediate
Kit needed Lightroom or Camera Raw
I ntroduced in 2021, the Masking panel is one of the best improvements to Lightroom and Camera Raw in recent years. Now, in the latest major release of Photoshop and Lightroom, the Masking panel is even better. Intelligent AI-powered tools enable us to isolate intricate objects or backgrounds with a couple of clicks, without any need to spend time painstakingly masking out areas by hand. In particular, portrait lovers have been treated to an array of masking features that let us target parts of a face or body with ease.