P: Local Adjustment Brush: Paint, Blur, or Pixel Mosaic to markup or censor images

[sk9000]

Idea:  Within Lightroom, Brushes with simple effects built in, such as a strong blur, pixellation, or solid color.  It would be similar to how adjustment brushes work.

This would allow users to use LR to markup images quickly (such as circling an important object, adding a signature, etc) as well as make it easier to blur out details such as faces or body parts.   Having these tools in LR would improve the workflow because users wouldn't need to also open each image individually in Photoshop.

Right now, if one needed to blur out something like a face or other body part, the only options within Lightroom are to use an adjustment brush to lower texture and sharpening, and apply the effect multiple times over with diminishing results.  

The only practical solution to blur or pixellate an object is to open the image into adobe photoshop, do the effect there, and save a copy.  This slows the workflow by requiring more steps, and loses the ability to non-destructively edit photographs.

For example, if one were to do the blur effect after making exposure adjustments and making a copy, undoing those exposure adjustments would require making another copy from the original image.  Likewise, making separate versions of images, such as color and black & white, would require opening up each image and its duplicate in Photoshop, whereas this task could be accomplished quickly in LR by utilizing virtual copies feature.

All this also applies to marking up images.  For example, if I had an image of a strangely dressed man in a large crowd, and I wanted to draw an opaque yellow circle around him, I'd need to open the image in photoshop.  

Thank you for reading, I think this would make it easier for many creators to mark up images, maintain privacy, and abide by content guidelines.

[johnrellis]

I've wanted this occasionally too -- easier than going into Photoshop.

[Sean McCormack]

I'm on board with this too. 

[JohanElzenga]

For things like blurring faces Lightroom would not need a separate tool. The only thing that is needed is that the sliders you can currently set to +100 or -100 maximum could be extended (maybe only by typing a number, or by using a modifier key) to something like +500 and -500.

I'm not in favor of having markup tools in Lightroom however. Sure, it would be easier than going to Photoshop. But at a price. Photoshop has many shapes, like an oval or a circle, a rectangle, all kinds of different arrows, just to name a few options. Lightroom would become bloatware if all the things that Photoshop can do would be added to Lightroom too, just because it saves a bit of time for a relatively small number of Lightroom users. If Lightroom could get some tools that only Photoshop currently has, then I can think of a large list of tools that I think would serve a lot more people than markup tools.

[richardplondon]

Indeed redacting / obscuring areas inside LrC, by mask, would avoid a trip into PS, however the specific "drawing" tools needed to e.g. draw precise areas and lines on the image could be quite a big departure. I strongly prefer a clarity of assigning Lr(C) to adjusting picture appearance, and PS to altering picture content. 

Still the addition of Tone Curve (RGB point curves not just the parametric zone-based adjustments) to the options applicable by mask, could offer a good means to show a solid yellow colour or whatever. I do agree, a much stronger blurring effect would be good to have available without having to duplicate masks atop each other. Either a bigger range of action for the current slider, or perhaps a separate "obscuring blur" adjustment.

So more of an evolution, than a revolution. Next steps: parametric box grad to join the ellipse grad, adding parametric inner (hole) feather as well as outer (margin) feather, a bit of inventiveness and we're there! 

[Tobinor]

I´ve been wanting this for a long time. Don´t need advanced features like in photoshop, but a brush with the ability to have a mosaic mask with adjustable pixel size or the blur tool to go further than -/+100.

[richardplondon]

Have you taken a look at the 'Lens Blur' feature yet? It is an entirely separate adjustments panel of its own. You can quite easily blur out chosen areas completely.