Unable to show masked region with 'O' after adding Graduated Filter in Lr 5.7.1 (Mac)

[ranggie4]

I was trying to replicate the shallow DOF processing as shown on this video Getting a Shallow Depth of Field Effect in Lightroom - YouTube  (which uses Lr CC) on my Lr 5.7.1 on Mac but I'm stumped.

After adding the Graduated Filter (Sharpness -100, Clarity -100) to the top part of my image (which contains most of the background), I can't seem to be able to toggle on or off the mask overlay using the 'O' key. I get an error sound when I try. That selected portion incidentally also covers certain areas I do not want it to i.e. parts of my subject in the foreground which overlaps the background, which I'm hoping to erase out of the selection by way of the Adjustment Brush. Am I doing something wrong or is that not a feature that's available to me?

[kentdesign]

(sorry my versions are newer however the keystroke should be the same)

Hello, On LR 6 and newer, the keystroke to hide and show the O so you can rollover it with the mouse to see the area affect is " H"

Try it and let us know if that works

[ranggie4]

Thank you for your answer kentdesign. The 'H' key toggles the hide/show of the peg for the adjustment. I tried to hover over the area by toggling on and off but don't see any changes. I also tried the 'O' key again but still getting the same error sound and nothing happens.

[kentdesign]

If you see the Peg for the adjustment, try just putting the cursor over the peg. In the newer applications, I know the affected area appears with a red overlay. There should also be a tool bar below the image window. In there there should be a checkbox to show selected overlay mask. Click in the check box and the overlay mask appears in red. Also at least on the newer apps, there is a  drop down menu that says : Show edit pins. And you can select, Auto, Always, Selected, or Never. If you do have that menu on your version or LR, it is possible that it is set to Never??? that would explain the noise and lack of showing the overlay.

I sincerely hope that helps!

I know many people do not like subscribing however  the Photography bundle at $10 a month has really been worth it for me to be able to get all the latest improvements in LR and PS.  AT the end of the year, I am not paying any more than I was when I was purchasing the two pieces of software the old way and upgrading them each 12 to 18 months. I wrote the book for Lightroom Version 2, and I cannot imagine working with that rudimentary version today in light of all the improvements. If you really do not want a subscription, you might consider getting the last "perpetual" version of LR, version 6. You will have to hunt on Adobe's website to see how to pay for an upgrade, however v6 really is good.

[ranggie4]

Prior to looking for help here, I was able to figure out the option to hide and show the pegs. I've had set it to Auto so that's no problem. The problem is, the checkbox for "Show Selected Mask Overlay" only comes out when I activate 'Adjustment Brush'. The option is simply not there when I have either 'Graduated Filter' or 'Radial Filter' activated. Maybe it's just not available in those instances for my version.

Thank you also for the suggestion to upgrade but CC would simply be a waste for me. The reason is simply because I'm just a hobbyist who uses Lr probably about once a month. If I was working in the US or EU and was paid in those currencies, 10 US Dollars or 12 Euros a month would be a great bargain. But in Malaysia, that goes up to MYR 42–50, which is like paying 42 dollars a month. Imagine paying that amount on a monthly basis, for a software that you use about once a month, and for something that is never truly yours to begin with. I'd rather wait and use that kind of money to either purchase Luminar 2018 or Affinity Photo when they come out with their own Digital Asset Managers.

On another note, I tried to check for an upgrade path to Lr 6 on Adobe's site but that has been a frustrating affair so far. I see the standalone Lightroom 6 option when I look under All Products but as soon as I click on the "Buy Now" button, it just takes me back to a subscription model. Maybe the standalone option has been removed for my location.

[kentdesign]

HI again,

I understand your situation. The upgrade path to LR 6 is there but difficult to find. The best information I have found is from one of two excellent sources: Laura Shoe, Lightroom and Photoshop Tutorials, Tips and Training by Laura Shoe, and the other is from Victoria Brampton https://www.lightroomqueen.com/ ,

Both of these educators run websites for training and they are excellent resources for keeping up to date and finding the links you might need. It is worth subscribing to their blogs or newsletters.

Hope this helps.

[dj_paige · Accepted solution]

You can purchase LR 6 at Adobe Checkout

[kentdesign]

I believe rangie needs to UPGRADE not purchase v6.

Kentdesign

[kentdesign]

And it was the upgrade link that is difficult to find.

[dj_paige]

The same link provides you the ability to select UPGRADE from the dropdown menu.

[dj_paige]

Have you actually select a brushed area by clicking on the pin (or you are in the middle of a new brushing)?

If you have selected the brushed area, and you still get the error sound, it is possible that the letter O has been assigned to some task in your operating system, and this overrides the Lightroom use of the letter O.

I doubt upgrading is the answer, if the above explanation is correct (I don't know that it is correct, but it might be). But certainly you should be able to get it to work without upgrading.

[kentdesign]

True it is possible that the O key had been previously set to some other function .

Still, I was not saying the upgrading would solve this problem. Just commenting that there are many more new features in 6 and CC Classic and because I am using those, I cannot really diagnose why you cannot see the overlay.