AI Masking in Photo Editing: Which Tool Should Photographers Use?

Sometimes you line up the perfect shot but the subject and the background just don’t work together. Maybe the subject’s backlit, so increasing the brightness ends up overexposing the photo. Or maybe you struggle to find the right balance, making the shoot more challenging than it needs to be.

At times like these, trying to force a certain effect during a shoot isn’t just time-taking – but also often impossible. The best photographers know when to give up and handle it in post production. And this is why image masking exists! However, manual masking techniques can be tedious, repetitive, and frustrating even for the most experienced editors. Thankfully, modern tech advancements now mean you can use AI to simplify this aspect of your photo editing process.

In this post, we’ll go in-depth into what is AI masking and how you can use AI for masking subjects and elements in your photos to help you gain control over one of the most time-consuming yet critical parts of a photographer’s post-production process.

Types of Masking in Photo Editing

Before we tell you exactly how to use AI for masking and the various tools available, let’s briefly touch on some of the traditional masking techniques:

Manual masking: Using tools like the lasso, pen, or brush to create selections. This offers high precision but is incredibly time-consuming.

Luminosity masking: Creating masks based on the brightness values in an image. Useful for adjusting highlights or shadows.

Color range masking: Selecting areas based on color similarity.

Layer masking: Creating layers over elements and subjects in your images to apply selective edits.

AI image masking offers a significant leap in efficiency and ease of use based on these methods.

But with so many photo editing tools with AI capabilities available, how do you choose the right one? Below, we’ll compare popular options like Lightroom, Capture One, Photoshop, and Aftershoot to help you understand which one would work best for your editing process.

AI masking in Lightroom

Lightroom has integrated AI masking features, including manual methods like manual, luminosity, and color range masking as well as AI methods, allowing users to select subjects and skies with relative ease. While convenient, Lightroom’s AI masking can sometimes lack the precision needed for complex scenes. Users often find themselves needing to refine masks manually, which defeats the purpose of automation.

Lightroom AI Masking Strengths:

• Integrated with Adobe ecosystem
• Offers subject, sky, and background masking
• Real-time preview of mask adjustments
• Supports multiple mask refinement options

Lightroom AI Masking Limitations:

• Requires Creative Cloud subscription
• Performance can be slower on older hardware
• Less specialized compared to dedicated AI tools

AI masking in Capture One

Capture One offers comprehensive AI masking capabilities, including Subject Masking, Background Masking, People Masking, AI Select, and AI Eraser, focusing on precise selections. While it provides robust tools, some users find its interface less intuitive than other options.

Capture One AI Masking Strengths:

• Precise masking capabilities
• Robust performance for complex images
• Targeted skin tone adjustments and color grading tools

Capture One AI Masking Limitations:

• Steep learning curve
• Higher price point
• Less intuitive AI masking compared to newer platforms

AI Masking in Photoshop

Besides its comprehensive set of manual masking tools, Photoshop’s AI masking is powerful, offering advanced features like “Select Subject” and “Sky Replacement.” However, Photoshop’s complexity can be overwhelming, especially for photographers who primarily need quick and efficient edits. Additionally, access to Photoshop can be expensive, especially if it’s only for masking and other features that are easily available on other apps.

Photoshop AI Masking Strengths:

• Comprehensive editing capabilities
• Advanced neural filters
• Supports complex, layered masking
• Ideal for intricate, multi-step editing processes

Photoshop AI Masking Limitations:

• Overwhelming for photographers seeking simplicity and efficiency
• Expensive
• Requires significant technical knowledge

AI Masking in Aftershoot: the AI-Native Approach

Aftershoot is purpose-built to streamline the professional photographer’s workflow and takes AI masking and editing to the next level. This feature allows photographers to apply targeted adjustments to the human subjects of photos. It provides greater creative flexibility, enabling nuanced edits that enhance overall image quality without complex manual masking.

How to use Aftershoot for AI subject masking

Step 1: Import your images into Aftershoot

Start with importing your images into the application in either RAW/JPEG format or a Lightroom/Capture One catalog.

Step 2: Cull images for AI masking or head straight to the “Edits” tab

Next, you can cull your images with our AI culling service to narrow down your selections from the shoot, or you can proceed directly to the “Edit” tab in the bar at the top.

Step 3: Choose your AI profile, apply AI editing filters, and select your masking preference

You can now start editing your photos using AI. Make sure to switch the toggle for “AI Masking” on.

There are two ways within Aftershoot for masking your photos.
Subject Masking only: Applies a mask with zero values over subjects, allowing for later adjustments.

Subject Masking with Edits: Applies both the AI profile edits and additional adjustments to the subject mask. This feature enables targeted edits to enhance overall image quality without complex manual masking.

Step 4: Export your edited photos

Once the AI’s done with your edits, you can now export it into a folder or an app like Lightroom or Photoshop to preview your images and adjust the masks as needed.

For more detailed instructions, refer to our support article on making subject masking edits with AI on Aftershoot.

Why Choose Aftershoot over other AI Masking Tools?

Photographers have been using tools like Photoshop and Lightroom for years for manually creating image masks. However, these methods are time-consuming, repetitive, and require a huge learning curve.

Thankfully, AI tools like Aftershoot are paving the way so that both beginners and experienced photographers can now easily edit their images and create image masks without the time and money investment previously required.

Why Choose Aftershoot?

	Aftershoot	Photoshop	Lightroom	Capture One
Speed and Batch Processing Capabilities	Unlimited AI edits, with superior batch processing of 1000s of photos in minutes.	Allows you to manually create presets for different types of AI masks, then use the batch processing tool to apply.	Helps you automatically create subject, sky, and background masks that you can then manually edit.	Batch processing available once presets have been created.
AI Masking Capabilities and Precision	Advanced AI masking. Create subject masks with a single click of the button. AI Retouching available in beta.	Powerful AI masking features once properly set up, especially for applying presets on single images. Bulk editing may require trial and error.	AI masking is powerful, but users need to go in and make edits individually unless they integrate it with Photoshop or another tool.	Advanced AI masking abilities, though there can be a significant learning curve.
Manual Refinement	Manual edits outside Aftershoot required for some advanced, precise edits.	Some manual refinement is often needed as AI masking is not perfect.	Manual refinement required.	Manual refinement often required for advanced edits.
Skill Level	Beginner	Advanced	Advanced	Intermediate
Pricing	Unlimited AI culling and editing starting at just $20 a month.	$22.99/mo for Photoshop, $59.99/mo for Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps subscription. Limited gen AI credits per month.	$11.99/mo for Lightroom, $59.99/mo for Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps subscription.	Starts at $15.75/mo, $317 for license.

“Now that I've built up my profile, I can cull and edit a wedding in just over 2 days, down from 10 days pre-Aftershoot. At around 36 weddings a year, this has completely changed my working life as a full time wedding photographer. I've just started to experiment with the latest masking upgrade and already know this is going to save time on my edits.”

— Scott Somerside, Aftershoot User

Seamless integration

Aftershoot integrates seamlessly into your existing workflow, working with your RAW files and providing an intuitive, user-friendly interface.

Precision and speed

Aftershoot’s AI masking is trained on vast datasets, ensuring incredibly accurate selections. Whether you need to isolate a complex subject or refine a detailed background, Aftershoot delivers.

Efficiency at scale

Aftershoot excels in batch processing, allowing you to apply AI masking to hundreds of images in minutes. This is crucial for photographers dealing with large volumes of photos.

Which AI Image Masking Tool is Right for You?

When selecting an AI masking or photo editing tool, consider:

• Your primary editing requirements
• Technical comfort level
• Budget constraints
• Integration with existing workflow
• Types of photography you specialize in

For photographers seeking an integrated workflow and don’t mind the learning curve: Lightroom or Capture One might suffice for basic masking needs.

For photographers needing advanced, customizable edits: Photoshop offers powerful tools, though the learning curve is steep but ultimately rewarding once one masters the tool.

For professional photographers requiring speed, precision, and efficiency at scale, immediately: Aftershoot can get you set up with powerful AI culling and editing from day one, so you can save time on boring, manual tasks.

The Future of Intelligent Photo Editing

AI masking has revolutionized photo editing, allowing photographers to achieve stunning results in a fraction of the time. While various tools offer AI masking features, Aftershoot stands out as the ultimate AI editing solution for professional photographers. Its precision, speed, and seamless integration make it an indispensable tool for streamlining your workflow and enhancing your creative potential.

Ready to experience the power of AI masking? Claim your free trial of Aftershoot today and transform your post-production workflow.