Participant

Answered

masks option gone in the latest 2026 premiere update?

Forum|Forum|3 months ago
February 11, 2026
18 replies
5637 views

where did the masks functions move in the latest update? I need to create custom shape masks, not just cropping - - and that option seems to have disappeared.

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Ann Bens

Masking has been revamped.

Use object masking in Premiere Pro

R

real_5081

Known Participant

No they just made them absolutely suck because they apparently doesn't test anything before releasing

CBC Highlands

Participant

Command click the AI Object mask tool. It’s a simple thing that they've chosen to make very difficult! I am making the switch to DaVinci to save the constant headache.

R Neil Haugen

Legend

I understand the frustrations when a long-used tool gets major changes. I have to get through that myself ... but I’m always amused when someone says that because of needing to take 10-15 minutes to learn a different process, and be back to speed ... they’re going to switch to a totally different software that will take months to get fully up to speed in.

Intersting choice ... and understand, I work daily in both Premiere and Resolve. Which also updates and changes tools from time to time ... with a similar user reaction ‘over there’.

Everyone's mileage always varies ...

F

fleetaj

Participating Frequently

Yeah, but why change it? It’s not like it was broken?! Updates are supposed to make things better, and Adobe have a tendency to go backwards in their ‘progressions’. Releasing software for no reason other than to stay on their ‘upgrade path’ that has been determined by marketers rather than users.

aungm16683484

Participant

Look like developer design that with AI or something and they don’t even care about editor day to day process. it take more time to do the simple masking now. Waste of time, have to find tutorial. It make 2 or 3 more step to do the masking, how is that an update? I hope they stop playing with fancy new feature to get more stock value and be a real developer. I think Adobe is billion dollor company and I hope they all have common sense.

daeditor1990

Participant

I recently left a distasteful comment in regards to this update. This update put a hault to my workflow, leaving me stranded. Someone respectfully deleted my rude comment, appreciate it as it wouldn’t let me. It’s a tough update 100%, new layout/tools…. Is it terrible? Maybe not. After NOT being in the middle of a work project, I was able to sit down and learn the new tools. Neat. But, I definitely had a nightmare when I launched my new computer at work to find the masking tools gone with no option, hence my frustration. I can see this benefiting more intricate masks, especially with the automask feature - but I feel as if making a simple red circle won’t be as sweet as it once was, but the new pros save HOURS, outweighing that con of simple masking. - Daeditor

R Neil Haugen

Legend

Hey totally understood!

It is drastically different. And for so many, we get to work, and we need to just bang the stuff out as DEADLINES are so often not at all negotiable. So a massive change like this is brutal.

With some experience with it, most users will be able to be as fast at ‘general’ simple masks as before, and you are correct, it allows for doing most of the rotoscoping we used to do in AfterEffects … but a ton faster and without needing to go to Ae.

But in your circumstance, I think most of us do understand your frustration especially on first running into this.

Everyone's mileage always varies ...

oovee

Participant

You can found it in tools panel and there is more new options to work with masks.
-cheers

MayaAyam

Participant

I completely agree that this is a terrible change.

[edited by moderator]

Curtis Redden

Participant

Adobe once again removing a simple feature for no reason. I had an entire online course project full of 120 lessons that had manual masks added on an adjustment layer for a background effect. All these are lost now. Seriously WTF.

Edit in the night play in the day.

Ann Bens

Community Expert

When doing tutorials you might want to keep an eye on the beta to see what is coming in the future.

TomAustria

Participant

Actually the way adobe „intoduced“ new buggy features is wrong on so many levels, it reminds me of the disaster of Final Cuts „update“ from 9 to X, lost me as a user then. Now I’m really thinking about davinci, because in my opinion, a good video editing tool provides fast workflows for the 3 absolute basics which are cutting, masking and color correction. Masking is now an absolute nightmare in premiere…don’t get me wrong, I really love the new magical object selection tool, if it works, but it just doesn’t in 90% of the time

R Neil Haugen

Legend

First ... if you haven’t read the full documentation on the new masking system, it’s gonna be painful. No questions there!

Second, if you have, it shouldn’t be any more difficult or longer to use ... there can be one more tap on the keyboard, but the masking itself tracks vastly better and faster.

I’ve no need to go to Ae for roto work anymore, it’s a huge improvement. But it was plain weird to start with!

Everyone's mileage always varies ...

Stargazer on ARM

Known Participant

EDIT:

I finally had some time to look for the mask tools in AP 2026 , they are hidden under the new default Object Tool icon in the Tool Bar (see my screenshot). The newly created mask is by default sorted under “Unassigend Masks” in the Effect Controls panel and may/must be reassigned to an effect to work.

Just had time to skim through but it seems to be a few new and very useful features, for one thing you are able to scale the clip/image without the size of the mask changing (I have been nagging Adobe for that feature for ages!)

So I’m going to give it a good spin when I have the time for it. At this point it actually doesn’t seem to be all that bad and I might have to revise my original statement a bit 😊

/Stargazer

ORIGINAL MESSAGE

I don't have time to go back to school at this point and painfully plow through the full documentation, and no one in their right mind would pay me good money to do so. I have planes to catch, dead lines to meet, promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.

Quoting Private Vasquez Aliens/Alien II: " I only have to know one thing: Where - they - are!"

Heres my brilliant solution to everyone who actually do this for a living and expect to get paid for deliver on time and being at risk for not getting paid, or sued, or fired, or held economically liable or everything at once if you don't make your dead lines : go back to the 2025 version, the one right before this upgrade.

The 2025 version still works like a charm with everything in the right place. I'm also keeping a copy of the 20226 version, so I might get through the full and painful documentation one day. But hey; that's what vacations are for, right? 😂

Have good one!
Stargazer

TomAustria

Participant

It’s just horrible, my new „workflow“ takes 2-3 times longer

S

ScottSimmons

Community Expert

If you take time to learn the new masking tools, how they work, and their nuances you’ll save 2-3 times in the future. The biggest thing I learned was how to assign masks, since they are no longer part of every effect. Once I got there, time saved overall.