Using the new Masking Filters in ACR/Lightroom

[bulldurham]

This is an example of how much can be done using nothing but the new filters and one preset. I only used Photoshop for sharpening, cropping and output to a jpeg.

Original .nef

With New Masking Filters

 

[terri]

That's a very pretty scene. Where were you?

 

[ntz]

Hello,

I've just used here a bit tone mapping + curves + few local adjustments (to imitate your look) and it's almost same .. so I don't know what "new" does photoshop with that but my old opensource (and for free) Rawtherapee and Gimp can do it same if you know what you wanna do ..

cheers, ~d

ps. nice scene
pps. please ignore bit halo on my image .. I was editing screenshot and couldn't fight halo effectively ...

 

[bulldurham]

Did you do yours in 10 minutes or less? And is yours as sharp as mine? I find Gimp to be a clumsy and awkward program to use...and $10 a month for PS...99% of all the people in this country spend more than that on a fast food snack, or Starbucks coffee.

 

[bulldurham]

That's a very pretty scene. Where were you?

Badlands NP, SD

 

[terri]

I figured it had to be someplace like that! Very rough terrain. Love all the texture your processing has brought out.

Very nice image!

 

[ntz]

Did you do yours in 10 minutes or less?

yes, in max 5 minutes .. looked on the differences between your images, realized straight away by looking on it that it's basically tone mapping what does 90% of look so applied tone mapping (30 seconds) and then shuffled a bit with curves (to emulate your original look better) and exported image (remaining 4:30) ...

And is yours as sharp as mine?

yes, it is .. and I was working with small JPG, not with RAW or with tiff before downscaling ...

I find Gimp to be a clumsy and awkward program to use...and $10 a month for PS...99% of all the people in this country spend more than that on a fast food snack, or Starbucks coffee.

I have photoshop too ... (rawtherapee +) gimp is my deliberate choice because I like it ... Also imnho it helps really good with understanding to the theory how it all works under the hood (masks, colors theory, layer modes, etc ...) because it doesn't apply some automated optimization and some additional scripted actions ..

 

[jeffashman]

Very nicely done! I like how #2 came out with the detail in the rock.

 

[stapo49]

I am finding the "select sky", "select subject" functions in Lightroom work really well. Sometimes with an image of bird perched on a branch it will include the branch as the "subject" but I just "brush" it out. Some of the suggested preset options are a bit out there but they do give you some interesting variations that you may have not considered.

 

[Lez325]

Original image

2 mins edit - Photoshop 2020

Les

 

[Braineack]

only used Photoshop for sharpening, cropping and output to a jpeg.

Then why PS at all?

 

[K9Kirk]

I like the sharpness/detail but those clouds and light really grab me the most.

 

[bulldurham]

Then why PS at all?

Well, because there are still a lot of things ACR won't quite do quite as good as in PS. I do a lot of luminosity masking and there are some selections that are best done with quick select and masking. This post was just to show how easy it is to facilitate the new masking tools, not as an end all process.

 

[smoke665]

I do a lot of luminosity masking

Then you should try out the new Luminosity Mask in LR. With its "fuzziness " slider it's pretty slick.

 

[bulldurham]

Then you should try out the new Luminosity Mask in LR. With its "fuzziness " slider it's pretty slick.

ACR has the same option but I find Tony Kuyper's Luminosity masks far superior.