How to Use AI Masking in Lightroom.

A Beginner Guide with Aurelia Lightfall™

Looking for the best Lightroom presets? Start here.

Why AI Masking changes everything

How to Use AI Masking in Lightroom. AI Masking lets Lightroom find parts of your photo for you. No manual brushing for tiny edges. You click a button. Lightroom selects the subject, sky, background, people, or objects. You edit only that area. It is fast, clean, and non destructive.

Where to find it

Open your photo in Lightroom Classic or Lightroom desktop.
Go to Develop.
Click Masking at the top right. Red overlays show what is selected.

Compatibility. Works on Lightroom Classic and Adobe Camera Raw on desktop. Not built for the free mobile app.

The AI masks you will use most

Select Subject. Finds the main person or object. Great for skin finesse and subject pop.
Select Sky. Grabs the sky. Perfect for golden hour warmth or mood.
Select Background. Selects everything except your subject. Smooths clutter and builds glow.
People. Targets face, skin, lips, brows, and more. Precise portrait work.
Object. Paint a rough outline. Lightroom finds that item. Good for dresses, bouquets, details.
Color Range and Luminance Range. Select by color or brightness. Useful for greens and highlights.

Tip. Every mask supports Add, Subtract, and Invert. Add to include more. Subtract to clean edges. Invert to flip the selection.

How Aurelia Lightfall fits in

AURELIA Lightfall™ – Golden Hour Ai Masterset™ is my golden hour toolkit built around AI Masking. You get two things:

Signature global presets that set the base look. Think clean skin, warm light, gentle contrast. You can use them individually, use them in conjunction with the masking tools, use them before or use them after and adjust the preset amount.
Adaptive tools that target specific areas with one click. Sky. Background. Greens and grass. Subject pop. Utility fixes.

Use the global look first. Then stack adaptive tools to shape light where it matters. Or do it the other way around.

Quick start. The 7 minute Lightfall workflow

Choose your hero image. Backlit portraits and outdoor scenes shine with Lightfall.
Apply a Lightfall global preset. Set the overall color and tone. ( Or apply this at the end or not at all )
Open Masking. Click Select Subject. Gently lift Exposure 0.15 to 0.30. Add a touch of Clarity and Texture if needed.
Sky magic. Click Select Sky. Warm Temp a little. Lower Highlights to recover detail. Add Dehaze lightly to shape clouds.
Build background glow. Use Select Background. Add Exposure 0.10 and Warmth. Slight Vignette via Post-Crop if you like.
Tame the greens. Use Color Range on grass and foliage. Reduce Saturation a touch. Shift Hue to a softer olive.
Subject pop. Use a Lightfall subject enhancer. Subtle contrast, micro sharpness, and a gentle lift.
Refine edges. In each mask, hit Subtract with a small brush to clean halos along hairlines and shoulders.
Final balance. Nudge White Balance, Exposure, and Crop. Done.

What to use each AI mask for. With Lightfall examples

Subject

Goal: Make your subject read first.
Use: Select Subject. Lift exposure a touch. Add micro contrast. Keep color neutral so skin looks natural.
Lightfall tip: After global preset, stack a Lightfall Subject Pop tool for clean, crisp attention without harshness.

Sky

Goal: Golden sky without orange skin.
Use: Select Sky. Warm temp. Lower highlights. Slight dehaze.
Lightfall tip: Apply a Lightfall Sky glow tool. It targets the sky only, so faces stay true.

Background

Goal: Depth and separation.
Use: Select Background. Add subtle warmth and exposure. Drop clarity for a soft falloff.
Lightfall tip: One click background glow gives that late afternoon wrap without touching the subject.

Greens and Grass

Goal: Natural greens that do not steal the scene.
Use: Color Range on foliage. Lower saturation a little. Shift hue toward olive.
Lightfall tip: Lightfall greens tools calm neon grass and add cinematic depth.

People

Goal: Quick portrait finesse.
Use: People mask. Choose Face Skin, Body Skin, Lips, Eyes. Small movements only.
Lightfall tip: Keep skin tone true. Let the golden hour live in the background and sky.

Object

Goal: Target a dress, bouquet, or prop.
Use: Object mask. Paint the item. Add detail or lift shadows.

embrace presets lightroom presets masking edit after

Step by step project. From flat to golden

Base look. Apply a Lightfall global preset.
Recover highlights. Reduce Highlights globally until skin and clouds hold detail.
Subject first. Mask Subject. Lift Exposure 0.20. Add Contrast 5 to 10.
Sky glow. Mask Sky. Add Temp +500 to +1200. Dehaze 5 to 10. Saturation 3 to 8.
Background wrap. Mask Background. Exposure +0.10. Warmth +200. Clarity -5 to soften.
Greens control. Color Range on greens. Saturation -10. Hue +5 toward olive. Luminance -5 for depth.
Subject polish. Lightfall Subject Pop. Tiny Texture 5. Sharpness 10.
Final color balance. If skin turned too warm, cool the Subject mask Temp a little. Keep warmth in the sky and background.
Export. Resize for your platform. Sharpen for screen.

Troubleshooting

Skin looks orange. Cool the Subject mask or reduce sky warmth. Separate warmth between masks.
Halos around hair. In the Subject mask, click Subtract and brush along hair edges with a soft brush. Lower Clarity a bit.
Greens look muddy. Reset the greens mask. Reduce luminance changes. Aim for small hue moves.
Mask missed a spot. Use Add with the Brush tool. Feather 80 to 100 for soft transitions.
Everything looks heavy. Lower the amount slider on the preset if available. Or reduce each mask exposure by half.

Best practices for clean edits

Edit global first. Local second or edit local first, there are no rules.
Keep mask moves small. Stack masks instead of pushing one too far.
Recompute masks if you crop. Click Update if Lightroom prompts you.
Compare with and without local masks. Your subject should pop, not scream.

FAQ

What is AI Masking in Lightroom
Lightroom uses machine learning to find parts of your image like subject, sky, or background. You can then edit only that area.

Do I need RAW files
RAW gives you more range, but AI Masking works on JPEGs too. Results are better with RAW.

Does this work on mobile
Aurelia Lightfall is built for desktop Lightroom Classic and Adobe Camera Raw. It is not built for the free mobile app.

Will AI masks change my original
No. Lightroom edits are non destructive. You can tweak or remove or stack masks any time.

Ready to try it

Start with a Lightfall global look. Add Sky. Add Background. Calm the greens. Pop the subject. Small moves. Big difference. If you want that warm, cinematic glow without wrecking skin tones, Aurelia Lightfall was made for you.