AI Masking in Lightroom

A mask limits an adjustment to part of a photo. Lightroom’s current AI masking tools can analyze an image and select a subject, sky, background, object, person, or landscape element. The editor can then make a local change, such as adjusting brightness or color in that area without applying the same change to the entire frame. Tool names and options may differ across Lightroom versions and surfaces. Start with a clear goal: for example, make a bright sky less dominant or lift a face that is too dark. Create the AI selection and inspect the overlay at both fit-to-screen and magnified views. Look for missed hair, halos, spill onto clothing, transparent edges, reflections, and overlapping objects. A mask that looks good at thumbnail size can still show an edge when the photo is enlarged. Use add or subtract controls to correct the selection. Lightroom’s web guide also describes Feather and Edge controls: feather softens the transition, while edge adjusts how closely the mask follows the subject boundary. Make small adjustments and compare the edited photo with the original so the local correction does not look pasted on. For people masks, choose only the features needed for the intended edit, and review the result on every subject in a group photo. A selection does not establish permission to alter someone’s appearance or to represent them inaccurately. Keep edits faithful to the image’s purpose, and use a manual brush or another selection method when automated masking cannot isolate the region cleanly.