OMATOOLS/OmaRAW guide

Guide / Masks and local adjustments

Combine, refine and copy masks

Build a selection from shapes and ranges, then control its edge.

Read the full reference ↓ · All tools

On this page · full reference

Film recorded with an earlier version; the written reference is current.

Where it is

Develop → Masks → Shapes & overlay · Edge refinement

Quick overview

  • Add, Intersect, Subtract and Exclude combine shapes in list order. Shape inversion differs from inverting the entire mask.
  • Luminance, Hue and Colour bands narrow selection by pixel values. Falloff softens those limits.
  • Finished-mask edge controls refine coverage. Copy a complete local with Ctrl+Shift+C and paste with Ctrl+Shift+V.

In this film

Read the transcript · Download captions

  1. Start with a broad radial selectionSeveral shapes can share one local correction.
  2. Show coverage before combiningYou need to see the selection, not just the outlines.
  3. Open Shapes & overlayThe shape icons here add to the active local.
  4. Add a second radialAdd includes areas covered by either shape.
  5. Place the second shapeHere the two ellipses overlap.
  6. Intersect keeps only the overlapShape order matters when you build a selection.
  7. Subtract protects the second shapeIt removes that shape from the earlier coverage.
  8. Exclude removes the shared areaOnly the non-overlapping parts remain selected.
  9. Return to AddChoose the operator that matches the correction you need.
  10. Ranges can narrow this geometryA range tests pixel values inside the shapes.
  11. Reveal the individual bandsLuminance, Hue and Colour each have limits and falloff.
  12. Restrict the mask to brighter pixelsSoft falloff avoids a hard tonal cut-off.
  13. Inspect the finished edge controlsBlur softens; Refine edge follows nearby image detail.
  14. A small blur softens the finished maskMask contrast and brightness change coverage, not image tone.
  15. Apply a restrained correctionCheck coverage, then judge the photograph.
  16. Copy the complete localCopy includes shapes, ranges and correction values.
  17. Use the mask copy buttonPaste on another photo with Ctrl+Shift+V; check its placement.
  18. Hide the mask displayThe correction stays active while you review it.

Build the selection in layers

A local can contain several shapes, followed by pixel-value limits and edge refinement. All of them determine the coverage for that local's one set of adjustments. Use Preview selection after each change so you can see why an area is included or protected.

Shape combination modes

The first shape starts the selection. Each later shape has an operator that combines it with what came before. The order matters, particularly for Subtract and Intersect. For soft masks the transitions blend; the descriptions below explain fully selected areas.

Mode Result Example
Add Keeps areas covered by either selection Two ellipses covering two faces
Intersect Keeps only the overlap Limit a gradient to a traced window
Subtract Removes the new shape from the earlier coverage Protect a face from a background correction
Exclude Keeps areas in either shape but removes their overlap Make a ring or deliberately leave a shared area unselected

Invert this shape swaps its selected and protected areas before combination. Invert the whole mask reverses the finished mask selection; it is a different operation. For example, inverting a single ellipse can make an outside vignette, while subtracting a small ellipse from a larger one makes a ring.

Use Move up / Move down to reorder shapes, Duplicate for a similar shape, and the shape eye to compare with that shape bypassed. Removing a shape is different from bypassing it. Removing the final shape can leave a range-only mask when a range is active.

A practical combination: protect the face

  1. Create a broad gradient over the bright side of a portrait and lower Exposure slightly.
  2. Add a pen outline around the face to that same local, rather than creating another local.
  3. Set the pen's combination mode to Subtract. Preview coverage: the gradient should remain around the face while the face is protected.
  4. Feather the pen enough to blend the lighting transition. Keep the correction moderate to avoid an outline around the subject.
  5. Hide the overlay and bypass the entire local to compare. If too much of the face still changes, fix the selection instead of applying an opposite correction over it.

Luminance, Hue and Colour ranges

Open Colour range → Refine individual ranges. These controls select by pixel values and can limit any shape, or act without a shape. Luminance tests brightness, Hue tests colour direction and Colour tests the amount of colour. The Colour band is useful for excluding near-neutral areas; it is not the same control as Saturation in the adjustment section.

Control What it does
Range switch Enables or bypasses that pixel-value test
Pipette Samples a band from a spot in the photo
From / To Set the lower and upper limits of the selected band
Falloff Softens the transition outside the main band
Band inversion Selects outside that band instead

The numerical range sliders use normalised values. Use their visual strips and pipettes to locate a region before refining numbers. Hue wraps around the colour circle, so reds can span its ends. Check the overlay rather than treating a hue range like a simple dark-to-light interval.

For a sky, combine a broad gradient with a luminance range to reduce its effect on darker foreground objects. For skin, start with the Colour Range sampler and use luminance limits only if necessary. Tight limits can create holes in shadowed skin; a little falloff usually gives a smoother transition. Sampling colour in an existing mask preserves its shapes and luminance limits.

Finished-mask edge refinement

Shape Feather softens one shape. Edge refinement operates on the finished mask. Refine edges in the AI draft is a separate action before conversion. Do not assume these three controls are interchangeable.

Control What it changes Typical reason to use it
Blur Softens the completed coverage spatially Smooth a rough boundary or blend a lighting correction
Refine edge Guides the boundary using image detail Help a nearby object edge hold the mask more closely
Follow Chooses the image guide used for refinement Compare the available guide choices when one follows the wrong detail
Mask contrast Makes the selection transition firmer or gentler Adjust the separation between selected and partly selected areas
Mask brightness Raises or lowers mask coverage Expand or reduce the influence of partly selected areas

These change coverage, not the photograph's contrast or brightness directly. Use small values and compare at 100%. Blur cannot recover a detailed hair matte from a coarse outline. Strong edge refinement can follow texture you did not intend to select; inspect both sides of the boundary.

Copy a complete local

Use Copy this local under Shapes & overlay, or Ctrl+Shift+C, then open the destination photo and Ctrl+Shift+V. Paste creates a new local with the source's shapes, ranges, switches and adjustment values. It does not track a subject across photographs.

Coordinates are fractions of the frame. A change in orientation, pose, crop or aspect ratio can require repositioning. Inspect the copied mask before exporting. These shortcuts copy one local; Ctrl+Alt+C / V copy and paste chosen photo adjustment groups through the batch settings workflow.

Common problems

Everything disappears after Intersect: the shapes may not overlap, or a tight range may reject the overlap. Bypass one restriction at a time and preview coverage.

Subtract removes the wrong thing: check shape order and shape inversion. A subtraction later in the list removes its area from the earlier result.

The correction has a halo: check the correction strength, the mask's feather and any Blur or Refine edge settings separately. A broad transition is not always appropriate for a sharp object edge.