P: Combine / Move Selections and Masks

Objectives:

• Speed up LrC operation on files containing complex Masks with multiple selection types, ie prevent issues such as blurred images, failure to Show Overlay, endless beachballs, crashes. (See screen grabs).
• Reduce confusion and ease navigation when a single mask consists of numerous selections and selection types, or image requires a large number of Masks (eg family portraits / group shots).

Description:

1. Allow various selections that constitute a single mask to be combined (merged) into a single selection, similar to merging Layers in Photoshop, eg:
   • Cmd + click to pick what to combine > picks are highlighted > R-Click > Merge [either pick selection type from list or LrC to recognise what type has been picked] ie all Object selections become one Object, all Brushes / Linear / Radial selections become a single Brush / Linear / Radial etc.
   • Include option for Combine ALL. 
   • The app needs to prevent users combining 'add' with 'subtract' selections to retain ability to add/subtract to/from the mask, and also to ensure they don't cancel each other out. When Combine ALL selected, the selection is no longer editable, and add / subtract would require the addition of a new Object / Brush / Radial / Linear / Color / Luminance selection).
2. Allow top level Masks to be combined in the same way. This would then effectively activate Combine ALL for each mask, then combine the selected masks and request a new name.
3. Add option to group Masks into Folders, the way Layers can be in Photoshop.
4. Allow Masks to be moved up and down the list, the way individual selections can be moved within a single mask.

Use case / value (pro photographer, commercial interiors, portraits, lifestyle)

1. Complex image element (tree of gold baubles) that needs to be seperated from another complex element behind it (artwork).  They're similar tones and colours (hence the need for visual separation), so Brush (with Auto-Mask) and Select Object failed, and I've had to mask it via numerous Add/Subtract refinements. The result is a mask containing 42 add/subtract Objects, 10 add/subtract Brushes, a Linear Gradient and a Color Range selection. There is also the reverse (via Duplicate and Inverse Mask), plus 5 other Masks.
   
   Needless to say, Lightroom hates it; it throws the beach ball every time I try to edit / zoom or edit externally, blurs the image, takes over a minute to change display such as Show Overlay - and keeps crashing.

The obvious solution would be to reduce the number of selections (as I would with complex layers in Photoshop) by combining the multiple Objects and Brushes that make up the mask into one 'add' Object, one 'subtract' Object, and one 'add' Brush, one 'subtract' Brush before Duplicating and Inversing. This is the most complex case I've had where I wish it were possible to combine masks, but commercial interiors with multiple objects (paintings, glassware, furniture, display cabinets) often present this problem.  The feature would also speed up workflow for images with fewer masking selections; it can still get confusing trying to work out which 'add / subtract' selection relates to which part of the image element. Naming individual items (e.g. blue vase, green couch, gold painting) is OK with such discrete objects, but when there are dozens of similar objects (e.g. baubles on a Christmas tree) naming them individually is impossible.

Although I found several requests and comments suporting the idea of merging masks (for other reasons), I have not yet found a way to do this.

2. and 3: I have a series of family portraits to edit, each containing 5 people. Whether AI or manual masking, I can end up with 10 eye masks (5 x sclera and 5 x Iris); 10 sets of skin (5 x faces, 5 x body); 5 sets of clothing (which swiftly becomes 10 if tops and bottoms need different treatments);  5 x hair; 5 x lips; 5 x brows...etc. That's 45 masks + Sky + background + other elements that may need to enhanced or reduced. When shot with controlled lighting, the various elements can often use the same image edits, so combining masks would save time.

With 45-50 masks, it would be really helpful to be able to group all masks for one person into a named folder rather than having to rename 45-50 masks (aaaagh!!). It would also vastly reduce the tedium of navigating up and down with multiple masks.

4. Sometimes a mask relating to a specific person or other element in the image is added after the others, and is then separated from them and cannot be repositioned. The ability to move top level masks around would resolve this and reduce scrolling.