Skip to main content
J
justinfromtoronto
Participating Frequently
October 10, 2018
Question

Automask won't let me select area - cannot use at all

  • October 10, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 1193 views

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post to the forums, so first I'd like to thank everyone for the help they've given me when I simply lurked looking for answers. This forum has been a great resource for me, since I just started using Lightroom in February.

I'm posting now because I could not find an answer to my question or find anyone who has had this problem. I'm really frustrated and hope someone can help me.

I just learned about the automask tool today, believe it or not, and wanted to use it in a shot of a cemetary to selectively brighten certain areas. In the past, I would take my time carefully painting along the edges or sometimes use the range mask, but the automask tool was like a gift from heaven!

However, after watching a couple of tutorials, I tried to use the automask feature and found that it did not work at all. What I mean is that it would not allow me to select an area that would be my reference for the mask. I noticed in the tutorials that when you first set automask and use your paintbrush to select an area, the cursor looks a little different than the normal + or - of the brush. Instead of a + of -, the brush has a little pin until you make your selection. From what I understand, when you first select automask, you use your paintbrush to select the area that most closely resembles the area that will be your mask. However, for some reason, when I select automask, the paintbrush does not give me the ability to select an area. No matter how many times I've tried, I simply get the regular paintbrush, cannot select an area, and the result is that I cannot use the automask feature. I get the normal paintbrush and it paints everything because I am not able to select an area.

I am going to try and embed a one-minute video I made and posted to Youtube that shows the problem better than I can explain it. I hope it works and you can see exactly what I'm dealing with and offer suggestions on how I can get the automask to work.

Thank-you to everyone in advance and for all the advice and help I've received reading the forums over the last few months.

Regards,

Justin From Toronto

*Unfortunately, it looks like the video I made of my problem was embedded right on top of the text. This is a one-minute video I made to show you exactly what is happening when I try to use the Automask feature in Lightroom. I hope the video helps to demonstrate the problem in a way that makes it clearer than my written description. Thanks again!

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    1 reply

    JohanElzenga
    JohanElzenga
    Community Expert
    October 10, 2018

    You misunderstand how Auto Mask works. Auto Mask will keep the brush within the color range determined by the centre (the cross) of the brush. So if you brush over a bright area, it will only select that bright area, providing that the centre of the brush does not cross the boundary between the bright area and the dark surroundings. What you were doing was brushing way beyond the bright area, so then Lightroom assumes you want to brush that part as well.

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
    J
    justinfromtorontoAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    October 10, 2018

    Thank-you for your reply,

    I do understand how the automask feature works. I've read several articles and watched numerous tutorials on how it works. My problem is that it will not allow me to select an area - light, dark, whatever. In the video, I initially selected a light area. But it did not select the area. It just left a red mark from the brush. The pin that I have seen in every tutorial that appears before you select an area does not appear for me. Only the brush. So an area was not selected, which meant that no mask was created, allowing me to paint in light, dark, medium areas. In my video, when I drag the brush all over the place, this is to demonstrate that a mask area has not been selected and my brush is painting in everything.  

    In the video, I used a small brush, slected a bright area, and then demonstrated that the automask was not working because it was allowing me to paint everything - dark, light, etc. The center of the brush did not cross a boundary into a dark area. I clicked once with the small brush on the light area of the tombstone. Then I used the brush to demonstrate that the automask was allowing me to paint in every area, regardless of color or brightness.

    My problem is not misuderstanding the way automask works. I've tried it on multiple photos, with different brush sizes, on dark areas and light areas of varying color. It doesn't matter. I cannot choose an area, no matter how small my brush is, which means that I cannot use the automask. I'm not sure why you think I brushed way beyond the bright area. I clicked once on the bright area at the middle of the tombstone, and then brushed all over the place to show that the mask had not been set. I think this might be where the misunderstanding is.

    Thank-you for your reply,

    Justin from Toronto

    JohanElzenga
    JohanElzenga
    Community Expert
    October 10, 2018

    I'm sorry but I can only repeat what I just said. You do not 'choose an area' with auto mask. You just start painting normally, as you would also do without auto mask. The only difference is that your brush will not paint 'over the edges' when auto mask is on, as long as you stay 'inside the edges' with the centre of the brush. In your video you are clearly not doing that, and that is why it does not seem to work.

    -- Johan W. Elzenga
    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices