How to · 7 min
Work with Radial and Linear masks
Shape one part of the photograph without moving everything else.
A mask limits where a local adjustment acts. Radial masks are useful around a subject; Linear masks are useful for transitions across a frame. Start with one clear purpose, such as slightly lifting a car or holding back a sky.
The method
Step by step.
- Open Masks, click +, and choose Radial or Linear. Select the layer you want to edit in the layer list.
- Position its on-image guide. Use the shape and direction to match the subject or transition, not merely the center of the photograph.
- Set local Brightness, Contrast, or Texture. Use a gentle correction first.
- Adjust Feather to make the transition natural. Use Layer Opacity to reduce the whole layer’s contribution.
- Toggle the overlay to inspect coverage and then judge the photograph without the guide. Duplicate, reorder, or delete layers deliberately; the source supports up to 10 layers.
Keep this close
Control reference.
- Radial
- A shaped region around a subject.
- Linear
- A graduated transition across the frame.
- Feather
- The softness of the transition.
- Layer Opacity
- Overall strength of that layer.
Closer to the controls
See the settings, not a reconstruction.
This detail is cropped from the real application capture above. Click to enlarge, then choose actual pixels to inspect the labels and sliders.
At your own pace
Try it.
On a meadow, use a gentle Linear mask to reduce the bright sky. Check trees crossing the transition for an obvious seam.
Watch for
An overlay is a guide to coverage, not the final image. Always switch it off before deciding whether the adjustment works.
Monochrome Lab Pro workflow guide. Interface details may evolve. Example settings are creative starting points, not automatic corrections.