Captured - Weekly Newsletter

​

The Hidden Layer That Changed My Editing

↓

Hey Reader,

I’ve been editing in Lightroom for years.

And at this point, the process feels the same every time.

But over the last few weeks, working alongside some other creatives, I’ve been realising that there is a tool I’ve been underusing in my process.

That tool is masking.

Let’s dive in.

The Bit I Had Been Missing

For the longest time, I thought masking was mainly for portraits.

Lift the eyes, soften the skin, clean up the highlights.

But recently I’ve started seeing masking everywhere.

In architecture shots, travel moments, food photos, and random everyday scenes.

Not in an obvious or edited way, but more in a subtle way that had me thinking...

"Is there a mask here?".

It made me realise there’s another level to editing I hadn’t been paying attention to.

Not new tools, not new techniques, just small adjustments that enhance the feeling of the moment.

Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Using Gradients to Bring Back Light

Here’s a simple example.

I took this photo above of a building at sunset.

The light was hitting the wall beautifully.

First, I edited it how I normally would (below).

But this time, I took it a step further.

I added two soft linear gradients.

One lifted the bright side.

One deepened the shadows.

Nothing crazy or over the top.

Just reinforcing the light that was already there.

It added that cinematic look I was chasing.

And that’s what I’m realising.

Gradients aren’t about changing the photo; they’re about enhancing the light so the image feels like the moment you remember.

Shaping Small Moments

Another example is this shot from last weekend in the Andalucian countryside, chestnuts roasting over a fire.

A small moment, nothing fancy.

But the raw image lost a bit of the warmth.

A light linear gradient on the top left corner helped darken the shadow.

A tiny radial mask gave the chestnuts a bit more warmth and sharpness without being obvious.

It didn’t turn the image into something new.

It just enhanced the scene and what I was seeing on the day.

And it has got me realising how masking has this way of making you slow down and notice the small things you would normally skim past.

And honestly, that has been a nice shift.

Letting Lightroom Handle the Hard Part

The Landscape mask has surprised me the most.

I ignored it for ages, thinking I didn’t need it.

But now that I’m editing more architecture, it has been genuinely useful.

Here’s an example.

I shot this hillside town called Ojén at an afternoon lunch.

The buildings looked washed out against the darker mountain behind them.

Instead of brushing around every rooftop, I used the Architecture option.

Lightroom picked out the entire town in one go.

Clean selection, zero stress.

From there, it took a tiny adjustment to bring back the depth.

Letting Lightroom handle the boring part frees you up to focus on the creative part.

And that’s what I care about most.

Overall

Masking hasn’t made my editing more complicated.

It has made me more intentional.

It’s funny how something so small can change the way you approach your work.

Not by adding more steps, but by paying attention to the ones that matter.

So this week, slow down with one photo.

Give it a bit of care and let me know how you go.

Sometimes that’s all an image needs.

Catch you next week,

Matty 📷 🚀