3 Easy Steps to Remove a Person in Lightroom Classic Using Masks

Masking is a powerful tool in Lightroom Classic that allows you to selectively edit different parts of your image. However, there may be times when you need to remove a person or object from your mask. This can be done in a few simple steps.

First, select the mask that you want to edit. Then, click on the “Edit Mask” button in the Mask panel. This will open the Mask Editor, where you can make changes to your mask. To remove a person or object from your mask, simply paint over them with the “Erase” brush. You can adjust the size and opacity of the brush to get the desired effect. Once you are finished, click on the “Done” button to save your changes.

Removing a person or object from a mask can be a tricky process, but it is possible with a little patience. By following these steps, you can easily remove unwanted people or objects from your images.

Understanding Layer Masks in Lightroom Classic

What Are Layer Masks?

Layer masks are a powerful editing tool in Lightroom Classic that allow you to selectively apply adjustments to specific areas of your photo. They work by creating a grayscale image that corresponds to your photo. White areas in the mask indicate areas where the adjustment will be fully applied, black areas indicate areas where it will not be applied, and shades of gray indicate partial application.

How Layer Masks Work

To create a layer mask, you first need to select the adjustment you want to apply. Then, click the “Add Mask” button in the Adjustment Panel. This will create a new mask with a white fill that covers the entire photo. You can then use the Brush Tool to paint on the mask and create areas of white, black, or gray, selectively targeting the regions where you want the adjustment to be visible.

Types of Layer Masks

Lightroom Classic supports two types of layer masks:

Mask Type	Description
Luminosity Mask	Lets you apply adjustments based on the brightness of your photo.
Color Range Mask	Lets you apply adjustments based on the color range of your photo.

Selecting the Subject for Removal

Identifying the subject you wish to remove is crucial. Lightroom Classic offers multiple selection tools:

Quick Selection Brush: Intuitively paints over the subject, automatically detecting edges.
Object Selection Tool: Analyzes the image and suggests potential objects for selection.
Lasso Tool: Allows for precise freehand selection.
Polygonal Lasso Tool: Creates straight-edge selections by connecting points.

Refining the Selection:

After selecting the subject, refine the mask to ensure a clean removal:

Tool	Function
Add	Expands the mask, adding adjacent pixels.
Subtract	Remove areas from the mask, refining the subject’s boundaries.
Brush	Manually paints over areas to include or exclude from the selection.
Inverse	Inverts the mask, selecting the area outside the subject.

Feathering the Edges:

To blend the mask seamlessly with the surrounding image, adjust the feathering. This softens the edges of the mask, creating a more natural transition.

Creating a Layer Mask

A layer mask is a grayscale image that controls the visibility of the pixels in a layer. Black areas of the mask make the corresponding pixels in the layer invisible, while white areas make them fully visible. Gray areas create a partial transparency effect.

To create a layer mask:

Right-click on the layer in the Layers panel and select “Add Layer Mask.”
A white layer mask will be added to the layer.
Use the Brush Tool (B) or the Gradient Tool (G) to paint on the layer mask. Black strokes will make the corresponding pixels in the layer invisible, white strokes will make them fully visible, and gray strokes will create a partial transparency effect.

Advanced Layer Masking Techniques

Here are some advanced layer masking techniques that you can use to further refine your masks:

Technique	Description
Using a soft brush	Soft brushes create gradual transitions between black and white areas, resulting in a more natural-looking mask.
Using the Gradient Tool	The Gradient Tool can be used to create smooth transitions between different shades of gray, allowing you to create masks with a wide range of transparency levels.
Using a layer mask with multiple layers	You can create complex masks by using a layer mask with multiple layers. For example, you could use one layer mask to control the visibility of the subject in the image and another layer mask to control the visibility of the background.

With practice, you can master layer masking techniques to create precise and sophisticated masks that will help you achieve your desired results.

Using the Brush Tool for Precise Selection

The Brush Tool provides delicate control over your selection, allowing you to paint in areas that you want to mask or reveal. Follow these steps to refine your selection using the Brush Tool:

Select the Brush Tool from the Tools Panel.
Set the Brush Size and Hardness according to your desired precision. A smaller brush size offers greater precision for fine details, while a larger brush size covers larger areas more quickly.
Choose the Add or Subtract brush mode. Add mode paints in the selected area, while Subtract mode removes from it.
Adjust the Feather setting to control the smoothness of the transition between the masked and unmasked areas. A higher Feather value creates a gradual transition, while a lower Feather value gives a sharper edge.
Begin painting over the areas you want to include or remove from the selection. Use steady, overlapping strokes to ensure a smooth transition.
Zoom in and out as needed to precisely select the desired areas.

Brush Tool Settings

Setting	Description
Brush Size	Determines the width of the brush strokes.
Hardness	Controls the sharpness of the brush edges.
Mode	Add or Subtract from the selection.
Feather	Smooths the transition between masked and unmasked areas.

By adjusting these settings and carefully painting over the areas you want, you can achieve precise and detailed selections using the Brush Tool.

Refining the Mask with the Refine Edge Brush

The Refine Edge Brush allows you to manually refine the mask by painting in or out the areas you want to include or exclude, respectively. This tool is particularly useful for precise adjustments and for areas with complex edges:

Select the Refine Edge Brush tool from the Mask panel.
Set the brush size and edge hardness to suit the scale and detail of your image.
Select the “Paint” or “Erase” option depending on whether you want to add or remove areas from the mask.
Carefully paint over the edges of the subject to refine the mask. Hold the Shift key to constrain the brush strokes to straight lines.

Adjust the Refine Edge Options

Fine-tune the mask further using the Refine Edge options:

Option	Function
Radius	Adjusts the width of the area around the brush stroke that is affected.
Feather	Softens the transition between the mask and the background.
Contrast	Enhances the contrast along the mask edges, improving the accuracy of edge detection.
Shift Edge	Slightly adjusts the position of the edge toward the inside or outside of the mask.

Removing the Person from the Image

1. Selecting the Object Removal Tool

Click on the “Object Removal” tool from the left-hand panel.

2. Selecting the Person

Use the brush or selection tools to trace around the person you want to remove. Make sure to be precise for optimal results.

3. Filling the Area

Lightroom Classic will automatically analyze the surrounding area and fill in the gap with similar colors and textures.

4. Adjusting Fill Settings

Fine-tune the fill by adjusting the Feather, Transparency, and Color Decontamination sliders.

5. Refining the Mask

If necessary, use the refine brush to paint over the edges of the person and improve the mask accuracy.

6. Advanced Masking Techniques

Using Multiple Masks: Create multiple masks for complex objects.
Expanding and Contracting Masks: Adjust the mask size with the “Expand” and “Contract” sliders.
Feathering and Opacity: Control the blend between the fill and the original image with feathering and opacity adjustments.
Inverting Masks: Exclude specific areas from the fill by inverting the mask.
Brush Settings: Customize brush size, hardness, and flow for precise masking.
Clone Stamp: Manually copy pixels from one area to another to fill in missing details.

Adjusting the Mask Edges

Once you’ve applied a mask to a person in Lightroom Classic, you can fine-tune its edges to achieve a precise and natural-looking selection.

Under the “Settings” panel, you’ll find several sliders that influence the mask’s behavior:

Feather: Adjusts the softness of the mask’s edges.

Density: Controls the opacity of the mask, allowing you to reveal more or less of the underlying image.

Flow: Determines how quickly the brush strokes accumulate. Higher flow values result in more rapid mask expansion.

Edge Detection: Controls how Lightroom Classic identifies edges for automatic masking. “Hard” edges are detected precisely, while “Soft” edges provide more gradual transitions.

Radius: Sets the size of the brush tip. Smaller radii allow for more precise editing, while larger radii can cover wider areas.

Brush Type: Lightroom Classic offers different brush types, including “Soft Brush” for smooth transitions and “Hard Brush” for sharp edges.

Slider	Description
Feather	Softens mask edges for a more gradual transition.
Density	Opacity of the mask that allows revealing more or less of the image beneath.
Flow	Accumulation rate of brush strokes for faster or slower mask expansion.
Edge Detection	Precision of edge detection for automatic masking, ranging from “Hard” to “Soft”.
Radius	Size of the brush tip for precise or broad editing.
Brush Type	Brush options such as “Soft Brush” for smooth transitions or “Hard Brush” for sharp edges.

Creating a Feather Mask

To create a feather mask, follow these steps:

Select the mask that you want to feather.
Click on the “Feather” button in the Mask panel.
Enter a value for the feather radius. The feather radius is the distance in pixels that the mask will be feathered.
Click on the “OK” button.

The feather mask will be applied to the selected mask.

Feather Radius

The feather radius is the distance in pixels that the mask will be feathered.

Feather Radius	Effect
0	No feathering
5	Slight feathering
10	Moderate feathering
15	Heavy feathering

The feather radius is a matter of personal preference. Experiment with different feather radii to find the effect that you want.

Refining the Mask with the Color Range Tool

The Color Range tool is a powerful tool that allows you to select areas of an image based on their color. This can be useful for refining the mask created by the Quick Selection tool, especially in areas where the colors are similar.

To use the Color Range tool, click on the “Select” menu and choose “Color Range.” A dialog box will appear with the following options:

Option	Description
Sample size	The size of the area sampled to determine the color range.
Fuzziness	The tolerance for how far away a color can be from the selected color and still be included in the selection.
Range	The range of colors to be included in the selection.
Invert	Inverts the selection, so that the areas that are not selected are instead selected, and vice versa.
Eyedropper	Allows you to click on a specific color in the image to select it as the base color for the selection.

To refine the mask using the Color Range tool, follow these steps:

Click on the “Select” menu and choose “Color Range.”
Use the eyedropper to click on the color that you want to select.
Adjust the “Fuzziness” and “Range” sliders to control how tightly the selection conforms to the color that you selected.
Click on the “OK” button to apply the color range to the mask.

Saving the Masked Image as a New Layer

Once you’re satisfied with your mask, you can save the masked image as a new layer. This will allow you to further edit the masked area independently from the rest of the image.

To save the masked image as a new layer:

Select the mask layer in the Layers panel.

Click on the “Add Layer Mask” icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.

A new layer with a black mask will be added to the Layers panel.

Select the new layer.

Click on the “Edit” menu and select “Fill.”

In the Fill dialog box, set the “Contents” to “White.”

Click “OK.”

The masked area will be filled with white.

Click on the “Lock Transparency” icon in the Layers panel to prevent accidental edits to the masked area.

10.

You can now edit the masked area independently from the rest of the image. To do this, select the new layer and make your desired edits. The edits will only be applied to the masked area.

Tips

You can use the “Refine Mask” option to further adjust the mask and refine the edges.

If you want to remove the mask from the new layer, select the new layer and click on the “Delete Layer Mask” icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.

How to Remove a Person in Lightroom Classic Mask

Removing unwanted people from a photograph can be done in Adobe Lightroom Classic using the Mask tool. This tool allows you to select a specific area of the image and apply adjustments to it without affecting the rest of the image. Here’s how to remove a person using the Mask tool:

Import the photo into Lightroom Classic.
Select the Mask tool.
Create a mask.
Apply adjustments to the mask.
Export the photo.

Follow these steps to create a mask:

Click on the Mask tool.
Select Brush Tool.
Adjust the size and hardness of the brush.
Paint over the person you want to remove.
Click on the Invert button.

Once the mask is created, you can apply adjustments to it. To do this, select the mask and then adjust the sliders in the Adjustment panel. For example, you can decrease the exposure or saturation of the mask to make the person less visible.

Once you are satisfied with the adjustments, you can export the photo. To do this, click on the File menu and select Export.