Combine effected area of multiple masks to create a new mask so I can set the effects as one?

[Dave Rye]

Any way to copy shapes only from multiple masks and have them combined into a new one? Would let me use AI to select subject, sky, etc. then add small corrections, and then combine the area affected. If it created a new mask I could delete the prior ones and only alter the effects for one. And I could invert the new combined mask to make life much easier at times.

[Admirable_fan157F]

The new (version 11) masking method does allow you to combine multiple kinds of selection, by addition or subtraction, and to associate the whole lot with a single set of "effects".

Only when you want to apply different "effects" do you need to maintain separate masks. 

As an example, you might select Subject, invert that so you select only whatever is not subject, then select Sky as a subtraction from that, to produce a complex selection of "all the background around the subject, but excluding sky areas", and apply some adjustment to all those parts of the photo. Then you might make a second mask within which there is only a Sky selection, and apply some different adjustment to just those parts of the photo.

Equally, you might use non-AI selections: say, a gradient mask and then adding onto this, some brushing and then subtracting from this, some other brushing. So the gradient, the additive brushing and the subtractive brushing can each be further edited in its own right, but their combination will then update and the adjustments being applied onto the photo will update correspondingly.

Or, of course non-AI kinds of selection and AI kinds of selection can be combined together as needed.

The fact that this consists of multiple "layers" of selection all combining by Add or Subtract logic, does mean that if you then wanted to invert the whole lot, that will involve not only inverting individual parts, but also switching the logic of how these are combining together - by changing from Add to Subtract, or from Subtract to Add. But you won't want to make both kinds of change to the same "layer". Taking the first example above: "Subject (inverted) minus Sky" would fully reverse as "Subject plus Sky". The Subject part getting 'switched' in its effect by no longer inverting it, and the combining Sky part getting 'switched' in its effect by Adding that rather than Subtracting that.

[rickburress]

I agree.

There seems to be no way (incredible, and sad) to combine (add, subtract, or intersect) ANY two masks.

Subtract Mask 1 from Mask 2.

Ought to be simple.

What am I missing? And, yes, I know I can always subtract a Sky, or a Subject. That's not what I asking. ANY two Masks. That's the deal.

[Admirable_fan157F]

Each Mask's selection reflects the extent of a specific (independent) adjustment, that the photo was deemed to require. 

So how should, or could, two such items be combined? ...say for example, one Mask is applying a WB correction while the other is leaving WB alone. So what is the combined Mask to do, so far as adjusting WB?

And / or, say that one Mask is applying positive Exposure (among other things), and a selection of areas to be lightened is made accordingly, while the other Mask is applying negative Exposure and areas to be darkened have been selected. How can those two be sensibly resolved into one?

[rickburress]

I'm not asking to combine the effects of masks.

I'm asking to combine the selections represented by multiple masks to create a new mask.

This is standard fare in Photoshop for example.

Masks are not effects.

Mask are used to generate effects.

My request is simple: Combine selections (represented by these masks), not effects.

[Admirable_fan157F]

The term "Mask" in Lightroom Classic means, in practice, both a selection and a set of related adjustments. Your followup post has nicely clarified what you are looking to combine, though.

A Mask's selection is achieved via one or more selection 'components', which are themselves combined in various ways, or inverted, within that overall Mask. As you have found, there is no command offered to (in one operation) combine all of the selection 'components' from one Mask, with all of the selection 'components' from another Mask.

But what you CAN do is to more selectively,. Copy and Paste any given selection 'component' (as distinct from the adjustment being applied) from one Mask, into a different Mask. It will then be necessary to control how this is being combined with the other 'components', and with what stacking order, inside this second Mask.

It's necessary to un-collapse these Masks in the panel. Then next to each sub- 'component'  a context menu shows (three dots icon). This menu includes "Copy". Then in the context menu for a sub-component in the other Mask, you can select "Paste". The transferred sub-component appears stacked above this. As needed, the same context menu lets you convert the action of that component between Add, and Subtract, towards what is below it in the stack. This stack can be re-ordered just by dragging items up and down.

All this is IMO considerably more flexible after the fact, than how layer masks operate in PS.

[rickburress]

There is no “Copy” available under the ellipses by any mask (collapsed or otherwise) in my mask panel.

[Admirable_fan157F]

The ellipses menu for the mask remains the same whether its components are collapsed or not. But there is another ellipses menu for each individual mask sub-component (the nested parts within the prent mask): that is what I was referring to. 

[rickburress]

Wow. There is some big disconnect here. 

I see no such thing in Adobe Camera RAW v14.2.

It appears to be a choice ONLY in the LR Classic Develop Module Mask Panel.

Thanks for trying. 

I appreciate this.

r.

[Bob Somrak]

You don't have to use COPY.  You can use OPTION Hold-Click and Drag to copy the mask components from one mask to another or create a new mask.

[rickburress]

Not so, in Adobe Camera Raw.

Are you doing this in LightRoom?

[Bob Somrak]

I am using Lightroom Classic.  I see the functionallity is not in ACR.  If you want to know about ACR you should be posting in the Camera Raw Forum.

[MiaLen]

That is exactly what I did because I couldn't find any other way. The problem is that I needed to combine two custom masks with about 20-30 elements each. It is a pretty hideous task! I wish there were more flexibility with the LRc masks, including rearranging them.