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Known Participant
April 13, 2022
Question

How to invert a multi-component Subject mask in LR Classic

  • April 13, 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 676 views

I would like to know how to invert a subject mask that has various adjustment masks (say, plus and minus brushes) attached to it. I don't see how to to this in Lightroom classic. Granted, the new masking properties are great, but if you need to adjust your Subject mask because LR didn't create a perfect one, and you then want to consolidate all of the adjustments into a new, updated Subject -- LR does not provide a way to do this. I see this as a huge omission because you can't apply new adjustments to this new consolidated subject mask. Nor can you invert this new consolidated mask. If you try -- and I did -- LR defaults back to the original faulty subject mask. It doesn't read or recognize the new mask it itself just created. 

 

Unless I'm missing something or doing something wrong!

 

So, please, if anyone knows a way to do this, kindly share your knowledge here.

 

If there is no way to do this, I hope Adobe will address this omission in an update to the program, hopefully, soon. 

 

Thank you!

 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.

2 replies

JohanElzenga
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 13, 2022

There is a long thread about this in the ideas section, with the request to make it simpler by having an "Invert" option at the level of the total mask. I believe the status is "planned". In the meantime you can already do this as follows: invert the base mask, then right-click on each submask and toggle add/subtract.

 

-- Johan W. Elzenga
eye=artAuthor
Known Participant
April 13, 2022

Thanks. Your explanation makes sense to me only now, after having seen the 2 videos mentioned above. 

johnrellis
Legend
April 14, 2022

You could also use the Invert Mask command of the Copy Settings plugin.

Legend
April 13, 2022
eye=artAuthor
Known Participant
April 13, 2022

Thank you! These videos are much appreciated!

Even though it's still not possible to invert a multi-component mask in one shot, these videos explain how to do it in a piecemeal way. It's more complicated Han it needs to be. So I hope Adobe will introduce this capability soon.