Masking Options in Luminar

The use of masks allow you to hide or obscure parts of an image. Masks are useful so you can combine the contents or results of one layer with your primary image. Layer Masks allow you to use powerful painting tools to control their results. The more you work on combining multiple images, the more you’ll use masks. 

Luminar offers 4 types of masks:

• Brush. The Brush is one of the easiest ways to mask an image.  You can use brush strokes to add or subtract from the mask.
• Radial Mask. The use of a Radial Gradient Mask is a quick, easy way to highlight an area of your photo with an elliptical shape.
• Gradient Mask. The Gradient Mask Tool is useful for creating a gradual blend between two states or layers.
• Luminosity. A Luminosity Mask is a fast and easy way to create a new mask based on the brightness of image pixels.

Creating a Layer Mask

If you’d like to use a mask on a layer, the first step is to add one.   This approach is most useful when you want to globally mask parts of an image layer or to blend several filters at once. This mask can be edited using the Brush, Radial Mask, or Gradient Mask tools.

To add a mask:

1. Open a photo within Luminar 2108.
2. Select the desired layer. By default, layers and adjustment layers have no mask.
3. Click the Edit Mask button.
4. Choose one of the four mask types

• Brush
• Radial Mask
• Gradient Mask
• Luminosity

These tools offer several controls, we’ll explore them next.

Painting a Mask

Once you’ve added a mask, you can now add or subtract using a variety of tools. You can freely switch between the Brush, Radial Mask, and Gradient Mask tools while working.  Once you’ve chosen one of these tools, a new toolbar appears.  Let’s explore the essential controls.

Global Mask Controls

Once you start to edit a mask, you’ll see global mask controls.  These make it easier to visualize a mask or edit its contents. These controls are found in the toolbar.

• Fill. This option attaches a mask filled with white that reveals all details of the filter.  Use the Brush tool to paint with black and subtract from the mask.
• Invert. Inverts any mask that you’ve created so that its opacity and transparency values are reversed.
• Clear. This option hides the results of the filter entirely. Use the paint brush or gradient tools to add details back to the image.
• Copy. Copies the current mask to the clipboard. To use this, create a new layer and paste it into the new layer.
• Paste. Pastes the current mask stored on the clipboard for use on another layer.
• Show Mask/Hide Mask. This controls the visibility of the mask. It makes it easy to view the mask as a rubylith (red) overlay. You may also continue drawing while the layer mask is shown, for even more precision. Just click the eyeball icon.
• Density (Only for Brush Tool). Controls the transparency of pixels outside of a mask so the overall the mask fades into the background better.
• Feather (Only for Brush Tool). Blurs the edges of a mask to more naturally fade the mask adjustments into the image.

Mask Tool Controls

The next controls affect how you can add or subtract from your mask.  Luminar 2018 offers three tools that you can use to paint a mask.

• Brush. Use a paintbrush to add or subtract from your mask.
• Radial Mask. Creates an elliptical shape to blend between affected and unaffected areas.
• Gradient Mask. Creates a linear blend between affected and unaffected areas.

Using a Brush Mask

The Brush can be used in either Paint mode or Erase mode to add to or subtract from areas of the mask. Clicking on the Paint option will add white areas to the mask.  These areas will be preserve the current layer.  Brushing with Erase mode is handy for “trimming” overspray of the mask and making your selection more accurate.

To control a brush, click the Brush Settings dropdown menu (it’s next to the Erase option). In this window, you can configure all the paint brush settings such as Size, Opacity and Softness. In the center of the grid there are various presets for quick selection. If you have a pen tablet attached, you can also configure Pen Pressure, Radius and Opacity levels.

Here’s how to use the Masking Brush tool.

1. Open an image in Luminar 2018.

2. Click the Add Layer button (+ symbol) or choose Layers > Add New Adjustment Layer. Let’s add an obvious effect so its easy to view. 

3. With the adjustment layer selected, click the Add Filters button.

4. Apply the Dramatic effect and increase the sliders to a high setting.

5. Create a Layer mask on the adjustment layer by clicking the Edit Mask button. 

6. Choose Brush from the pop-up list. You now have two options to decide how the initial mask is created.

7. Paint. Clicking with the Paint tool fills the mask with black (hiding all of its results).  As you paint and add strokes they are added in white.  This method allows you to brush and add the results of the Adjustment layer selectively.

8. Erase. Clicking with the Erase tool fills the mask with white (showing all of its results).  As you paint and add strokes they are added in black.  This method allows you to brush and subtract the results of the Adjustment layer selectively.  The erased areas will show through to the image below.

9. Click the Visibility icon (eyeball) to view the Mask.

9. When satisfied with the mask, click the Done button.  

10. If using an Adjustment Layer, adjust the Filter controls as needed.  The mask will control how its results are applied.

3. Click the Edit Mask button on the layer.

4. Select the Gradient Mask option from the dropdown.

5. Click and drag to create a linear gradient.  

6. Click the Visibility button in the top toolbar to make it easier to visualize the gradient.

7. The tool offers simple controls to refine the gradient.

• Drag the top bar or bottom bar to expand or contract the gradient.
  
• Drag the middle dot to position the gradient.
• Drag the bottom bar to move the end of the gradient
• Click and drag just outside the center point to rotate the gradient mask.
• Drag a handle on the outside circle to adjust the aspect ratio to create an ellipse shape.
• Drag the inside handle to rotate the gradient mask.