P:(Masking) Make the mask available in Photoshop?

[vitos62906937]

The AI for masking is brilliant. What would be nicer is if when I send an image to edit in Photoshop, it sends the mask too. After all, it's already created.

Alternatley, If I open an image in Photoshop's ACR, and I create a mask, why can't it open with the mask as a layer. It seems, again, since the mask is already created, it should be no problem, barely an inconvience.

Thank you for your consideration,

Vito S.

[johnrellis]

Since I wrote the post linked to by Rob, I released the Copy Settings plugin which provides a command for exporting LR masks as TIFFs suitable for use in Photoshop:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/p-masking-how-do-i-make-the-mask-available-in... 

[Ciccillotto]

And my first post on this forum, I wanted to know if there is a script to bring the masks created in camera raw into photoshop It would be very useful for my projects I thank those who want to help me.

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

AFAIK ACR for the most part isn't scriptable, however there are some exceptions.

You aren't the first person who has wanted to bring in masks created in ACR for use in Photoshop as masks.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/export-adjustment-brush-mask-in-camer...

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/import-save-lr-cr-mask-into-ps/m-p/12...

Currently I believe that the only way is to make extreme adjustments to the masked content and subtract or difference mask from two versions in Photoshop.

For what it is worth, I'd add my vote to an idea/feature request post!

[Ciccillotto]

I understood that it cannot be done Thanks for your help

[dw24154351]

I'll vote for an Adobe feature request to export masks from Lightroom to Photoshop. We've done all the work in Lightroom so there's no point having to do the same work again in Photoshop.

One might also consider whether full round trip is supported, so if you do some fine tuning in Photoshop, you can have those mask updates available in the version available back in Lightroom.

Edit in Adobe Photoshop should be enhanced to export the various masks created in Lightroom. Should have the option to have masks and submasks so you can continue working on specific submasks. 

Seems that the interim menu optioin asking whether you are editing the original / copy etc has gone away in LRC 12. This could have been an opportunity for you to decide which masks you wanted in a PSD.

[rodrigounda]

well I think there is a special forum for development suggestions.
I'd love to use those AI masks as a layer mask's in photoshop

🙂

[Chuck Uebele]

It would be nice to be able to export the masks and some other things from ACR.

Moved to the Camera Raw forum, from the Photoshop forum.

[nico5EDE]

any update on this??

[Chuck Uebele]

Not yet.

[johnrellis]

The Copy Settings plugin extracts a photo’s masks as grayscale images suitable for use as layer masks in Photoshop:

https://johnrellis.com/lightroom/copysettings.htm#extract

[Abhishek2883109416yf]

Add This One Advance Feature in Camera RAW and Photoshop Camera RAW Mask Transfer To Photoshop Main Layer or Create New Layer with Mask...

[SMJustice]

Works perfectly. Why Adobe hasn't just got on and implemented this is beyond me. Thanks John.

[Abhishek2883109416yf]

Plz Add A Feature in Camera RAW and Photoshop- Mask Transfer Camera RAW to Photoshop... it Helf Seprate Mask For Skin, Boddy Skin, Facial Hair, Cloth and other in Photoshop Edit More Accurate With Help of Camera RAW mask Transfer in Photoshop Layer..

[Abhishek2883109416yf]

Plz Add A Feature in Camera RAW/Lightroom and Photoshop- Mask Transfer Camera RAW/LightRoom to Photoshop... it Helf Seprate Mask For Skin, Boddy Skin, Facial Hair, Cloth and other in Photoshop Edit More Accurate With Help of Lightroom mask Transfer in Photoshop Layer..

[johnrellis]

While waiting for Adobe to implement this, consider the Copy Settings plugin's Extract Masks command.

[Frank_B]

Feature request:

When exporting a photo from Lrc to Ps please export the applied masks as well.

This could be optional (with a checkbox).

They could be exported as:

a) black and white layers

b) original photo layers with alpha masks

Reason:

Additional editing in Photoshop often is based on masks / layers. Instead of re-creating the masks from Lightroom you could utilize them again.

It would speed up editing workflow in many cases.

Example:

You're editing a portrait photo in Lightrom. You're correcting with precision the AI-based masks (eyes, face, apparel, detail). You need to do a bit of painting over the image (subject and the background) so you switch to Photoshop. Now you have only one flat photo without all the masks you've created in Lightroom so you need to paint the masks again. If you had the Lightroom masks exported as well in the same file you could easily and fast do additional photo editing / painting on selected / masked areas of the photo.

Thanks!

[Frank_B]

@RikkFlohrdo you know by any chance if there's a plan to implement this feature? It's been 2 years now 🙂

[richardplondon]

yes indeed ACR and LrC are very close to each other functionally - you cannot convert ACR masks into PS layer masks either, when you do Raw conversion that way. Neither ACR nor LrC is equipped to output a layered image, which is what would effectively be needed AFAICT and that would be fundamental change, not just a tweak.

That's not to deny something on those lines may be workable - or perhaps, if one could choose to export the extent of a chosen mask as image transparency (of a TIFF), to serve e.g. in a background extraction workflow.

[Frank_B]

What if Lrc would export separately Lrc masks as separate bw files to a specified folder then Ps would import these files as layers on top of the main RAW/TIF file? Then before bringing the edited TIF file back to Lrc it would need to be merged in Ps. Wouldn't it be a circumvention of RAW conversion limitation?
Right now the manual and timely workaround is to turn on one mask and turn off al the others in Lrc then remove colours and tweak photography levels to end up with bw high contrast photo. Export that photo as a mask 1. Then turn off the mask in Lrc and turn on the 2nd one. Repeat the steps. The result is a collection of masks as separate bw files ready to import to Ps as layers (masks) for the main photo.

[richardplondon]

The main usage of Lr masking is so as to apply a visual adjustment, and unless that same adjustment can itself be repeated in PS, the availability of an associated mask will be more or less moot AFAICT. LrC masking in my experience is a lot "looser" in character than is the case in PS, but still works suitably for ACR style adjustments which tend to themselves be selective and image adaptive.

Furthermore, AI Masking is not generated to match the full pixel resolution of the original underlying image, as would be the expectation and the requirement inside PS. So even if made available to PS, I think many LrC masks might prove disappointing there.

There are cases where this could be an efficient option even so. Something like choosing a particular mask to be used as basis for a layer (transparency) mask, for an exported / external edited bitmap. This would not involve translating any LrC local adjustments in themselves. The effect of those could still be hard rendered into the pixels as usual. If possible, it would be good if something similar could happen on the import side too. E.g., if for images with partial transparency already, LrC or ACR could understand that and respect it during editing and then pass on that transparency to export - rather than turning transparency into white pixels. I am suggesting LrC could maybe store this transparency info, and allow change to that, OR have that made new from scratch, in the form of a chosen named Mask (the associated adjustment might or might not do anything visually). Then LrC could become useful to (say) preparing extracted images for compositing together in PS. If the layer mask was not found perfect for the job, it could then be refined as needed using PS's much more advanced mask editing toolset.

[еленав8549439]

I would like to see an option to save or export the currently selected mask for later use in Photoshop.

Thank you in advance.

[bnmwiley]

I would love it if the subject selection mask generated in Lightroom Classic would move with the image into Photoshop to be used there.

In Photoshop I would use this Lightroom Classic generated mask when applying an image texture to the backgroud the model was photographed against.  This would save the need to generate another subject selection mask again in Photoshop.