Recent advancements in photo editing technology have introduced an innovative tool called **AI masking**, which allows users to efficiently separate subjects from backgrounds, skies, and landscapes in Adobe Photoshop. This technique simplifies the editing process, enabling photographers to focus on controlled lighting and precise subject emphasis without the complexities of manual selections.
In a comprehensive tutorial, **Alex Cooke**, a Cleveland-based photographer and meteorologist, demonstrates the power of AI masking using the Camera Raw filter. The video highlights a non-destructive workflow that enhances the editing experience. Cooke begins by converting the background layer into a **smart object**, allowing users to apply the Camera Raw filter and create intricate masks while retaining the ability to adjust settings later.
Once inside the Camera Raw environment, Cooke illustrates how the masking panel can automatically detect backgrounds and generate masks. This functionality enables users to darken backgrounds with simple exposure adjustments, making the subject stand out more prominently. By subtracting a radial gradient from the background mask, he creates a soft halo of light around the subject, enhancing visual appeal with minimal effort.
Cooke emphasizes that a single mask can effectively guide the viewer’s eye without the need for multiple cumbersome adjustment layers. He further expands the application of AI masking by targeting landscapes, darkening the ground slightly to enhance the subject’s separation from its environment. Additionally, he meticulously adjusts the subject’s features by lifting shadows, improving texture and clarity, and even refining clothing details using the people masking options. The final touches include a radial gradient over the face to subtly increase exposure, ensuring focus remains where it is needed.
In the second part of the tutorial, Cooke showcases the landscape masking preset, which identifies different elements such as sky, mountains, and water, each with its own mask. This allows users to adjust specific aspects, like reducing sky highlights, cooling the water temperature, and enhancing mountain greens without altering the entire scene.
The tutorial emphasizes the importance of controlled adjustments over dramatic transformations. Viewers see how AI builds an initial mask, which can then be refined with a brush and other tools. This approach fosters a more natural integration of effects, avoiding jarring contrasts that often accompany heavy edits.
One of the standout features of this method is that all edits remain accessible through the smart object format. Users can easily revisit and modify masks long after the original adjustments. Cooke notes that this AI masking workflow is equally effective on non-raw files, enabling edits on **JPEG** or layered **PSD** images as needed.
Throughout the video, Cooke touches on useful keyboard shortcuts, overlay controls, and mask organization tips. However, he hints that the full potential of AI masking encompasses even more complexities and combinations, encouraging viewers to explore the complete tutorial for a deeper understanding.
For those interested in mastering modern photo editing techniques, Cooke’s video offers valuable insights into harnessing AI to enhance visual storytelling.