Adapting the new masking tools to my previous workflow (Same brush across many images)

[Annakyi]

I am so upset! My retouching workflow was all in lightroom brushes so I would select my skin brush and do each image, then select my hair brush and do each image.. so on and so forth.. NOW with this new update, it makes you select the brush through a multiple step process on each image individually and it is taking my time and KILLING MY VIBE. Can anyone help? Is there a solution or a way to revert back to the old lighroom? 

Thank you in advance 

[Rob_Cullen]

Two comments-

1) Make the keyboard shortcut [K] your friend (for Brush). You can start and finish a Brush with the [K] key.

2) Also un-check this option under the Tool sliders-

When unchecked the Brush (or Gradient) will retain the 'Effect preset' settings when you move from one photo to the next. or even start a 'new' brush on the one image.

[richardplondon]

Yes, agreed, the K key helps a lot. I would just comment that a particular working method tends to arise in use, naturally, out of how the tools work now. So how the OP is seeking to add first one kind of adjustment onto all the images, and then another kind of adjustment onto all the images, is of that sort - efficient under the tools as they were. But not the only efficient way to work. When the tools change, new ways to work will naturally arise from those and may even be more efficient. For example, syncing a whole set of pre-made adjustment masks, each named "skin" or "hair" or whatever and pre-loaded with the preset adjustment, across the images. Then within each image, you can activate these pre-made masks in turn, by name, and brush onto the image where appropriate: but you can do this freely and not in any 'forced' working sequence. 

But assuming the OP's preferred way of working - the sequence in which you choose settings is relevant.

So: say you press K, choose "skin" adjustments to make those the current default, then paint onto the image. Go to the next image. Press K, you can immediately paint the same "skin" adjustments here: they are now the current default. 

But: press K, start painting, this will begin with whatever adjustments were the prior default. Change to "skin" adjustments, those are now seen instead (but just for for this particular mask). Go to the next image, you are back to those older adjustments -  since they remain the default.

It is this persistence which makes it efficient to run through all the images in that particular systematic way. But by the same token it's a bit of a working straitjacket IMO.

[inspirep81834253]

It has been a couple of years now since Adobe made this change and I still yearn for this 'Better way' to be reverted back to its old functionality (without the need to press K on every image). 

For those wondering, we have gone from (in develop/masking area)  ...

Use brush > go to next image > use brush > go to next image > use brush > go to next image > use brush > go to next image etc . . 

to

Use brush > press K> wait for brush to load > use brush > go to next image > press K> wait for brush to load > use brush > go to next image > press K> wait for brush to load > use brush > go to next image > press K> wait for brush to load > use brush > go to next image > etc.

Definateley doubled my time working through thousands of school portraits each week.

[richardplondon]

As a broader comment really, whatever were found to be the best workflow opportunities for how the software used to work, will always be denied us once the software changes how it works. 

So we need to find the workflow opportunities that deliver the most efficiency how the software works now.

It's just a matter of identifying what those new opportunities are. They are bound to involve different workflow steps, and/or in a different working order, possibly differently conceived. Such is change. 

As an example, say this brushing that would have been done on each image in turn, was so as to apply [some adjustment] to the background areas of the portrait. Perhaps one can now as a bulk task tell LrC go and find the background areas within each portrait all by itself, and apply [some adjustment] to all of those in a smart manner. Perhaps a number of standard masks (pre-loaded with their respecitive adjustments and named for ease of reference), may be bulk-applied together so that then only tweaks would be needed within each image, which would then make use of standardised named masks which were all already in place.