Masks / Opacity masks not working anymore in Premiere Pro after new PC build

Hello everyone,

I recently started working with Adobe Premiere Pro again and I’m having an issue with my old masking workflow that no longer works.

Background:

I recently rebuilt my PC (new CPU, motherboard, GPU, clean Windows install). Since then, I can’t recreate a workflow that used to work perfectly before.

My old workflow:

• Static image on V1
• Video overlay (e.g. rain, fog, light effects) on V2
• Blend mode (e.g. Multiply / Screen / Overlay)
• Then I used Opacity Masks to draw a custom mask directly on the overlay, so the effect was only visible in specific areas of the image

The problem:

• The mask tools (Pen / Ellipse / Rectangle) either don’t appear or don’t work as expected
• Masks don’t affect the overlay anymore
• Even when a mask is created, it doesn’t clip or limit the effect like it used to
• This happens with simple image + overlay projects as well

What I already tried:

• Reset Premiere Pro preferences
• New project and new sequence
• GPU acceleration ON (Mercury Playback Engine GPU)
• Different blend modes
• Different clips and formats

System info:

• Windows 11
• AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
• AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT
• 32 GB RAM
• Premiere Pro (latest version)

Question:

Has the masking workflow changed in recent Premiere versions, or is there a setting I’m missing?

Is there a new recommended way to draw masks on overlays for ambience / VFX work?

Any help would be highly appreciated, as this workflow is essential for my projects.

Thank you!