Make subject selection quick and easy with the Latest Lightroom Feature: Adobe Lightroom Tutorial

This step-by-step Adobe Lightroom Tutorial will teach you how to use the Select a Subject tool in Adobe Lightroom.

I think you will agree with me when I say it’s hard to quickly make subject selections.

Well, it turns out you can select Subject Precisely and quickly using the latest Lightroom tools.

Let us dive right in –

Subject Selection tool in Lightroom 

• Under the Lightroom develop module, select the masking option. 

• Click on the Select Subject icon under Masking > Add New Mask. 

•  Mask Panel will appear. You can see the Subject. A subject that is in focus is selected. Check the Show Overlay checkbox to see which area is selected. 

• You have made the initial subject selection. This type of subject selection is a good starting point for most images. 

• Apply the targeted adjustments for a selected Subject. 

Optional steps to refine your subject selections 

• Once you make the initial subject selection, click on the selected Mask under the Mask panel. 

• Below the Mask, there are 2 options- Add and Subtract 

• For adding more areas to the subject selection, click on Add. 

• There are multiple options to Add to the current selection. 

• The brush option helps extend the selections. Select the brush option and paint over the area you want to select. 

• To subtract from the selection, select the Subtract option. Select the brush and paint over the area you don’t want in the selection. 

• I find the Brush option to help add or subtract the subject selection out of multiple options. 

• If your subject selection demands additional selection options, feel free to give it a try. 

Visualizing the overlay 

• You can visualize the selected Subject using various overlay modes. 

• To visualize the selection, check the Show overlay box under the Mask. 

• You can see a default overlay as Color Overlay. Now you can choose a different color for overlay. Click on the color palette and select the color of the overlay. 

• Also, there are other overlay modes available. I Chose color overlay or Color Overlay on B & W as I find those overlay’s easy to refine the subject selections. You can choose which you find helpful for your images. 

Bonus tip to quickly stand out your Subject in the image

• Select the Subject as mentioned in the above steps. Use Select for selecting the Subject. 

• Make Targeted adjustments to the Main Subject. I recommend specifically targeted adjustments: Black and White point, Highlight/ Shadows, Vibrance and Saturation, and Sharpness. Every image is different; hence you can apply targeted adjustments per the image requirement. 

• Under the Mask panel, Click on Mask, which you have created using the Select Subject option. 

• Right Click on the Mask and Duplicate it. Another Mask is created, the same as the Initial Mask associated with Subject Selection. 

• Right-click on the Duplicate Mask you created. Select the option as Invert. ( Note – Now you have selected everything other than your main Subject) 

• Apply the Targeted adjustments on the area other than Main Subject. Typically I would Use Black point, Noise reduction, Sharpness, and Clarity reduction. However, every image is different, and it requires different processing. 

• The Key Idea here is, emphasize the main Subject by applying the targeted adjustments.

• And apply targeted adjustments on the area other than Subject. Gently push the Subject’s surroundings down by reducing the exposure, clarity, sharpness, and colors. 

• This may help your Main Subject will pop up beautifully in terms of Light, Colors, and Sharpness.

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