Quick Mask Plugin For Photoshop

The Quick Masks Plugin in ADP LumiFlow is an alternate method for mask creation in. Using calculations, we create 16-bit luminosity selections to target all tonal ranges in your images. This is a very responsive and visual method of mask creation. Although this method of creating luminosity masks has some limitations in comparison to creating your masks with layers, it does have some advantages. The dodging and burning tools in quick mask have more power and you have 19 tonal zones, with slightly smoother transitions.

Quick Masks Plugin

The Quick Masks Plugin gives you a powerful alternative to creating your masks with layers. With masks created through 16-bit calculations, including19 restricted masks and great adjustment capability.

Creating a Quick Mask

The top section of the panel is where you make your mask selection. Options through all the tonal ranges, colour masks, and a zone picker to select a targeted zone.

Adjust Your Mask

You have many adjustment options including some button adjustments to simplify your use of masks.

Choose How to Use

From dodging and burning, to all your adjustments layers, load selections or even create a black and white image.

Making Selections With the Quick Masks Plugin

During mask creation, there are no layers created, instead 16-bit masks are created in your channels. These masks are seamlessly accessed throughout mask creation and all you see is a red overlay on your layer stack. You’ll see all quick masks in real time on your screen.

Darks & Lights

When making selections in your darks and lights you have 5 preset masks in each. With a Lights or Darks 1 selection your selecting a tonal range from your midtones through to your pure black or whites. With each successive selection, you are restricting your selection by 50% each time.

You can also use your adjustments in the section below to modify your mask. You don’t have to rely on finding the perfect preset mask.

Midtone Masks

There are 4 Midtone masks available from 1 to 4. Midtones 1 is a very restrictive selection in the middle tones of your image. With each successive midtone mask the selection the tonal zone increases. They are very powerful masks for making contrast adjustments in your image.

Restricted Zone Masks

Here you have 19 restricted tonal zones. This allows you to target smaller tonal areas for adjustment. It works very similar to midtone selections, but throughout the entire tonal range of your image. You can either cycle through the 19 tonal zones manually or use the tone picker. Using the tone picker you can make a selection directly from your image, the panel will make a perfect selection for you. The restricted masks are heavily feathered, resulting in very smooth transitions for smoother adjustments.

Expanded Zone Masks

There are 5 expanded zones built into quick mask. These masks make selections in 5 separate tonal zones in your image, allowing for broader adjustments. These are great masks for lightening or darkening tonal zones, creating higher or lower key images.

Colour Masks

When creating luminosity masks you can choose your starting point, by choosing the colour channel your masks are created from. Normal luminosity selections are created across all the reds, green and blues combined. By starting with a colour mask you are limiting it to working in just one. This will often give you a better starting point to target the area you are interested in selecting. This works slightly differently than the Luminosity With Layer Plugin. Instead of being able to modify your mask, then see how the colour masks effect it, you need to select your colour mask first.

Adjust Your Quick Mask Luminosity Selection

You have incredible control over your final mask through the powerful adjustment tools built into the Adjust Your Mask section. From manual adjustments to some automated tools that can simplify your workflow, any mask can be created.

Restrict Your Tonal Zone 5 or 10%

The restrict your mask buttons will restrict the tonal range selected by 5 or 10%. This gives you find control at the press of a button.

Expand Your Tonal Zone 5 or 10%

The expand your mask buttons will expand the tonal range selected by 5 or 10%.

Darken the Blacks by 5 or 10%

These buttons will darken the black areas of your mask by either 5 or 10%.

Lighten the Whites by 5 or 10%

These buttons will lighten the white areas of your mask by either 5 or 10%. By combining the Darken Blacks and Lighten Whites you can focus your mask into a tighter selection.

Dodge and Burn the Mask

These will allow you to use the Dodge and Burn tools built directly into Photoshop to adjust your mask. Dodge in the highlights to clean or strengthen your selection, the shadows won’t be affected. Burn in the shadows to darken your blacks and eliminate those areas you don’t want affected. Your highlights will not be affected by this.

White & Black Brushes

Choose a white or black brush to paint on your masks.

Step Forward or Backward

Step forward or backward through your history. Each button press on the panel equates to only 1 history state. If you are doing multiple brush strokes or adjustments, these will record each step.

Viewing Options

You can zoom to full screen, zoom to 100% or zoom in and out.

Choose How To Use Your Mask

Almost all options for how you can use a mask are built into the Quick Masks Plugin.

Dodge & Burn

Dodging and burning with luminosity selections is one of the most powerful uses for them. Select the type of Dodge & Burn layer you want to use then choose to Dodge or Burn:

Transparent Layer: Working with a transparent layer means that you can use colour while dodging or burning to enhance colour. Note though that colour is effected in your image when dodging and burning on a transparent layer.
Middle Grey Layer: This is also a transparent layer filled with 50% grey. This works in the same way as the transparent layer. When you paint with a colour darker then 50% grey it will darken and when you paint with a colour lighter then middle grey it will lighten. Colour is affected in your image when using a middle grey layer.
Curves: This will lighten or darken your image based on your chosen method. The blending mode of the curves layer is changed to luminosity so colour is not impacted. The curves layer is than placed into a group with a black mask, you then reveal the dodging or burning by painting with a white brush.

Adjustment Layers

There are 10 adjustment layer options including:

Brightness & Contrast, Levels, Curves, Exposure, Vibrance, Hue & Saturation, Selective Color, Solid Color, Photo Filter & Color Balance.

The luminosity mask you have created will automatically be applied to any adjustment layer you create.

B&W Image

You also have the ability to use your mask as an actual black & white image. Often when we create masks we see great looking black and white images.