Adobe is improving masking and selection tools in Photoshop and Lightroom

Image: Adobe Adobe Max London is underway, and with it comes announcements from Adobe for its editing platforms. Some of the changes were previously revealed in a blog post from the company. The rest are mostly subtle, but, as usual, aim to streamline and simplify the editing process. First, a new Select Landscape feature is coming to Adobe Lightroom. This tool will automatically detect and create masks for common landscape elements like plants, sky, water and more. Such automatic masking tools in Lightroom (and Photoshop) were previously limited to obvious subjects like people, so selective edits on landscapes still required more time-consuming manual edits. This should speed up the editing process for landscape photographers. The Select Details actions can save you some tedious manual work. Image: Adobe For Photoshop users, Select Details will make it easier to select finer details like hair, facial features and clothes. Masking out hair is a tedious task that can be difficult to get right. Portrait photographers will appreciate anything that eases that process, so if this works as well as Adobe promises, it will be a welcome update. Adobe says the Select Background tool will provide even more precise results, even with complex images. Image: Adobe Adobe says it updated the Remove Background tool in Photoshop, promising much more precise results and sharing an impressive demo of it cutting out a fish in a net. It should allow for much more accurate selections when dealing with complex images or colors that blend into each other, like a subject wearing a black shirt against a dark background. You can now control colors from the Contextual Taskbar. Image: Adobe Adobe also updated the Contextual Taskbar with an Adjust Colors option. When clicked, it automatically samples the colors for you and creates an adjustment layer. That way, you don't need to create multiple adjustment layers or manipulate individual color changes when adjusting colors in your images or designs.

Apr 24, 2025 - 10:20
 0
Adobe is improving masking and selection tools in Photoshop and Lightroom
max-marquee-home-desktop
Image: Adobe

Adobe Max London is underway, and with it comes announcements from Adobe for its editing platforms. Some of the changes were previously revealed in a blog post from the company. The rest are mostly subtle, but, as usual, aim to streamline and simplify the editing process.

First, a new Select Landscape feature is coming to Adobe Lightroom. This tool will automatically detect and create masks for common landscape elements like plants, sky, water and more. Such automatic masking tools in Lightroom (and Photoshop) were previously limited to obvious subjects like people, so selective edits on landscapes still required more time-consuming manual edits. This should speed up the editing process for landscape photographers.

Adobe Photoshop Select Details Actions

The Select Details actions can save you some tedious manual work.

Image: Adobe

For Photoshop users, Select Details will make it easier to select finer details like hair, facial features and clothes. Masking out hair is a tedious task that can be difficult to get right. Portrait photographers will appreciate anything that eases that process, so if this works as well as Adobe promises, it will be a welcome update.

adobe-select-background

Adobe says the Select Background tool will provide even more precise results, even with complex images.

Image: Adobe

Adobe says it updated the Remove Background tool in Photoshop, promising much more precise results and sharing an impressive demo of it cutting out a fish in a net. It should allow for much more accurate selections when dealing with complex images or colors that blend into each other, like a subject wearing a black shirt against a dark background.

adobe-color-adjustment-tool

You can now control colors from the Contextual Taskbar.

Image: Adobe

Adobe also updated the Contextual Taskbar with an Adjust Colors option. When clicked, it automatically samples the colors for you and creates an adjustment layer. That way, you don't need to create multiple adjustment layers or manipulate individual color changes when adjusting colors in your images or designs.