Luminosity mask

A luminosity mask selects parts of your photo based on their brightness, like only the highlights or only the shadows. That way you adjust exactly where it's light or dark, without having to trace a shape. It's one of the most refined ways to mask.

Want to warm up just the bright sky without touching the dark foreground? A luminosity mask picks that up automatically based on tone. In Lightroom you do this with the luminance range inside a mask, in Photoshop you build them via channels or Blend If. Combine a luminosity mask with a color range mask for surgical precision, like only the bright parts of green leaves.

Read also the in-depth explanation: Luminosity mask explained.

Related terms

Masking Color range mask Gradient mask Radial mask Brush mask

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