Using Healing and Masking In Lightroom

Healing and Masking tools assist in creating edits to specific points, areas and subjects in our images.  The Heal tools are used to remove items that are distracting in our photos and Masking tools make it easier to selective edit and even add content to our pictures.  

The new AI based Masking capabilities make it possible to select the subject and event sub-elements of people in our pictures so that the reflect the Natural Radiance which best communicates the message and emotion we've captured in the raw image.  In addition, we can selectively edit the image sky and background to ensure that complements and brings attention to the subject.  When our images are landscapes, we can apply these same tools to creating the lighting, tone and contrast across the scene.

Healing Tools

There are three distinct healing tools to assist in the removal of unwanted features in our images.  The most simple tool is the clone removal tool.  I believe this is the first healing tool that became available in the very early days of Lightroom.  Likely the most common early useage as to remove dust spots either film or prints that were scanned and digitized.  Today this same use is found when it is necessary to remove spots created by dust on a camera sensor (most commonly found when shooting at higher f-stop and in the skies).

Using the Clone removal tool is quite simple, one clicks on the spot, or holds the mouse key down and draws over an area.  Once the mouse button is released, Lightroom will automatically finds a similar area in the image and clones this new area over the area we selected. If we are not satisfied with the clone area the Lightroom selected, we can drag the selected area to a new position in the image.

The next tool is similar to the Clone removal, but includes a more intelligent blending function.

The third healing tool is the Content-Aware removal too.  It is even more capable, and using artificial intelligence, it creates new contend to replace the area that we initially selected.  

While these Healing tools are all very helpful, they are also not perfect.  If generally find that for anything beyond removing relatively small isolated features, I need to lay down multiple removals.  One trick to make it easier to stack additional removal operations is to press the "h" key to hide previous remove tool applications, so that they are to selected when trying to add new removals.  Pressing the "h" key again makes these previous edits visible.

When the features we are trying to remove are too substantial, then I use the "Edit in Photoshop" capability (specifically specifying the new 25.0 beta version) which has "generative fill".  This is the most advance fill tool.  You can even use it to intelligently add content to extent the width and heights of images beyond the original.

There are many good YouTube "how-to" videos available that serve as excellent tutorials in using Lightroom Healing tools.

Masking Tools

Historically, when we wanted to edit selected features in our images, we transferred the editing from Lightroom to Photoshop.  Then in Photoshop you  would create mask for the specific area you wanted to edit.  As of October 2021, Adobe added AI based Masking capabilities to Lightroom in version 11.0 and has continued to enhance masking capabilities since this time.

There are several ways which you can create a mask.  This include automated selection (Subject, Sky or Background) or you can select Object and highlight a specific area and Lightroom will automatically work to select the subject(s) found in this selection.  Or, you can manually create selections in the form of Linear or Radial Gradients.  

Extended selection capabilities are found in the combination of the above by creating duplicate masks, inverted duplicate masks and most importantly modifying masks through selecting the intersection of one masking element with another.  The combination of these tools allow you to select almost feature in your image.  

The boundaries of a Mask can also be edited (refined) with the Add and Subtract function which is often made with the brush tool, which is also AI assisted which all but eliminates the need to try to trace a specific outline.  One can also increase the specificity of the mask by specifying a color or luminance range.  And if the image originated from an iPhone, then I believe the selection can be edited base on a depth range.

After a specific mask has been created (and multiple masks can be generated and even overlaid within each image) then a wide range of editing functions become available that can be applied to this specific mask.  Included are all the tools that largely reflect those found in the Basic, Tone Curve and  Details tabs.  This allows for substantial editing capability. 

After making basic edits to my image (see My Lightroom Workflow page) then I often move to the use of Masking Tools and create selective masks for my subject, background and when present also the sky so that I can independently bring each aspect of the image to a desired point.  I generally begin with the subject and ensure that I have excellent Natural Radiance.  Sometimes this included the removal of green color casts from light that filters through trees or is reflected from lawns.  This can be particularly noticeable in individual with fair skin and light colored (blonde) hair.  I then move to the background to ensure temperature and tone agreement and ensure that the foliage and grass is natural in color.  I also refine exposure, hightlights, shadows and contrast and saturation as needed.  If there is a sky present, I work to see what can be achieved with clouds, enhance and correct color as desired.

The use of radial and linear brushes to create addition (or removal) of lighting effects can be very powerful.  With a radial brush, a mask can be created to enhance the sunlight that moves across a scene.  Using a linear gradient the reseeding sky can be darkened and and the saturation increased.  The possibilities are almost endless.

There are many good YouTube tutorials to assist.