2023 improved Lightroom AI masks and how they compare to Capture One.

Adobe has posted another big LR update as we enter 2023 and AI masks are even more amazing, especially for portraits. I’m going to show you what you can do in today’s video.

Ai masks are not new. Cheap phone apps on our phones were doing them long before Lightroom or Photoshop. But Lightroom implementation has become really good and just got better.

But what about Lightroom vs Capture One?

I won’t ignore Capture One and in this video, we’re also going to compare C1 layers vs LR Ai masks and see how it stacks in a side-by-side test on the same photo.

I also just sent a free update to my Elegance 4 Speed-Mask presets so make sure you grab them I as it makes what I’m going to show you even easier.

Here are the new improved Lightroom Ai masks + how they stack up editing the same photo in Capture One.

It’s no surprise that Lightroom Masks vs Capture One layers are really no contest at this point. The real question is what is Capture One doing to catch up with Lightroom in 2023?

Also, Capture One 23 is about to be announced this week. It looks like we will finally be able to save layers into styles (awesome). But so far no sign of Ai masking. I do plan to do a 2023 Capture one VS Lightroom Comparison like last year in a few months once everything drops.

Lightroom does the complex selection in seconds. C1 can auto-select by the results are far less detailed meaning I can’t be as deep with the edit since it affects well outside the intended selection range.

I want my Capture One friends to contact Phase One.

Regardless of what software you favor, we need competition, and Capture One needs to step it up. They are historically terrible and listening to customers and basic features sometimes take many years to get implemented. Not that Adobe is much better, but they are innovating more right now.

I finally found the contact form here for Capture One. It’s at the very bottom of this page. Send a message and tell them what you think and ask them to get Capture one up to speed in terms of AI masking.

What other apps will be driving your editing in 2023 so I can take a closer look? Are Lightroom and Capture One still the best options? Let me know in the comments what you think and we’ll see you next time.

Gavin Seim

You don’t have to use it a lot. A simple preset like Portra 400 from Filmist here and the separate mask mix from the latest version of Lightroom are applied with the Elegance 4 preset. I can then adjust as I like with the amount slider.
Too much? Yes. But in this extreme example, you can see how detailed these auto AI masks have come. Allowing even lip and eye retouching without even blinking.

Related Posts...

Inspire your photography using modern pictorialism instead of high-tech!

Inspire your photography using modern pictorialism instead of high-tech!

Why you should Stop using White Balance Grey Cards. Here’s what they don’t tell you.

Why you should Stop using White Balance Grey Cards. Here’s what they don’t tell you.

Make your camera an Xpan digital panoramic and change how you see the world.

Make your camera an Xpan digital panoramic and change how you see the world.

Speed Masking just got upgraded and even works in Capture One!

Speed Masking just got upgraded and even works in Capture One!

Tell me your thoughts....

Leave a Reply


Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

About the Author

Glad you're here.

I'm from WA State USA and started studying photography in 97. I started work as a pro (using that word loosely because I sucked) using film at age 16. I learned fast but was not as easy to find training then. Sometimes I beat my head against the wall until I figured stuff out.

As digital dawned I went all in and got to study with masters like Ken Whitmire. In 09 I founded the Pro Photo Show podcast. I started promoting tone-focused editing. When Lightroom arrived, I started developing tools to make editing and workflow better.

20 years of study and photography around the country earned me a Master of Photography (M.Photog) from PPA. I got to see my workshops and tools featured in publications across the industry. Once I even won the prestigious HotOne award for my "EXposed" light and tone workshop.

Wanting something calmer, I moved to Mexico in 2017. It's a land of magical light. I'm here now exploring light and trying to master my weak areas. I make videos of that for my Youtube channel, sharing what I learn. I hope you'll stick around and be part of Light Hunters Tribe... Gavin

Gavin Seim

>