Mask color overlay (brush) disappearing in Lightroom Classic 11.4

[RadamBrown]

Hi, I've never had this happen before and can't find anything online to help, so figured I'd see if any other's might be able to help. I'm just doing a light white color overlay brush mask, and then using the negative/minus brush to clean up a few areas I over brushed. The problem is that when I click done, the mask is not even showing up...I'm hoping it's just something dumb I'm overlooking from lack of sleep...ha, ha...thanks!

[Theresa J]

The mask automatically disappears when you exit the masking tool panel. This is by design. You should see the effects of the edit though. While you have the masking panel open you should see the mask when you hover over it. Does that work for you? Or, am I misunderstanding your question?

[RadamBrown]

So I finally figured it out...I liked the way the white overlay looked after I brushed it on, but wasn't making any adjustments...so to the app, it didn't realize that there was even a mask so to speak since no changes. All I had to do was make a couple tiny adjustments in the toolbar like increase exposure a little and then it saved it. I'll keep this here since someone else may come across the same issue...probably a rookie move on my part. Thanks for the input.

[GoldingD]

You conflated the Mask Overlay with Mask edits.

[Theresa J]

Think of a mask as a container for a selective edit. It isn't the same as painting on an image.

[Alain34839322w4ji]

I still don't get it.  I did a mask for the background (blue) which shows up until I close the window.  Goes back to the original white.  How do I apply the mask before moving on?  Thanks!

[GoldingD]

I still don't get it.  I did a mask for the background (blue) which shows up until I close the window.  Goes back to the original white.  How do I apply the mask before moving on?  Thanks!

By @Alain34839322w4ji

Ok, an example of masking and how I suspect you are conflating a mask overlay with a mask edit

Image prior to masking, ugly sky

Image during masking with Overlay shown. In this case Red.

 Image with mask overlay closed

Here is a different example set

Before mask:

Created a mask (brush) applied that to the shades, used Blue this time for overlay color.

Is that what you are doing. Is that the Blue you want?

Well, moving awa from the mask and you get

Point being, do not conflate the overlay with the edits. This is the issue the OP apparently had.

Now, a differnt concept, not what I think you were trying, is to alter color in a screen, in this case withing a mask. Consider the folowing ugly photo, washed out sky

Now following is not the way I would go, the sky was not all that bad, I could recover it. But say I did want to color it blue. So considerr a mask (this time with a red overlay as to not conflate red vs blue vs overlay, etc)

And I selected the color effect box in Color, selected blue

 A bit of edits, Exposure, Temp

And when I close the mask

[Alain34839322w4ji]

Thanks so much with all these examples.  I thought I was changing the background color, but it was the overlay color.  Looked great with the overlay!! 🙂

[richardplondon]

A "mask" in physical terms would be for example a sheet of card or plastic - what colour that sheet is, makes zero difference to the result. The colour of paint you then spray (and what holes are cut in this mask), that is what achieves the result. And then this mask is always 'taken away'.

However things might look temporarily while the mask's held up against the surface - based on whatever colour of sheet material has been used to make it, and what holes are cut - that is not an end result. An actual, visible end result needs some spray paint. In LrC terms: moving some sliders in the lower part of the mask panel.

The normal globally-applying sliders continue to be available lower down the interface. One can think of those as altering the appearance of the entire underlying surface, onto which this 'spray paint' is getting overlaid selectively, as the mask dictates.

[Alain34839322w4ji]

Richard,

Thanks for your help.  I was confused between the overlay color and background color.  Got it now 🙂