ImageBrowserProBeta user guide

Lighten a shaded area with Quick Mask

Quick Mask applies local Shadows/Exposure adjustments to a selected area, such as a face shaded by a cap. It is one non-destructive mask per photograph, not a layered retouching system. Start with a local image and an editing profile that exposes the tool.

Paint and refine

  1. Open the image in the carousel and choose Mask, or press M when not typing in a text field.
  2. Choose Oval for a quick region, or Brush to paint the affected area. Use Erase to remove spill onto a helmet, uniform, or background.
  3. Set Size and Feather. A softer boundary blends the adjustment; an overly broad feather can affect more surrounding area than intended.
  4. Turn Show Mask on to see the red affected-area overlay. Here red means selected pixels that receive the adjustment.
  5. Raise Masked Shadows to open dark areas or use Masked Exposure for local lightening/darkening. An empty mask changes no pixels.
  6. Hide the red overlay and judge the photograph. Use Undo stroke to remove the latest mark, Clear selection to remove geometry while retaining adjustment values, or Reset to clear both.
  7. Choose Done. Move to another image; each photograph retains its own mask.

Use the same mask in Tone and Draw

In Tone, open Quick Mask · Shadow Rescue to refine the same mask. Global tonal/effect controls are disabled while a painting tool is active; Done returns to normal global editing. In Draw, choose Quick Mask from the toolbar and Done to resume drawing. Drag the vertical palette by its title, or focus its title and use arrow keys. The palette stays inside the window when resized.

Save and check

The mask and local values are stored as an IBP edit recipe. An explicit derivative export renders their effect; the original photo is not rewritten by painting. Open the exported copy and inspect both the corrected area and surrounding unselected pixels. Do not assume the red overlay belongs in the output.

Problems and limits

A selection supports 200 strokes; the controls report the limit. Erased areas can be painted again. If the correction reaches too far, reduce spill/feather and compare without the tint. For skin retouching, object removal, or multiple independent layers, use a dedicated external editor. See Tone, Draw, and Export.