Select Subject & Select Sky
The biggest additions introduced with the new Masking tools, are ‘Select Subject’ and ‘Select Sky’. These are content-aware algorithms that determine and select the subject or sky in an image. In my experience, these selection algorithms work incredibly well, but they can still be adjusted using other tools if refinement is needed.
The huge pro of these options is the ability to quickly target a subject (think wildlife) or a sky. The selection can then be adjusted, for instance, you can bring up the shadows of a bird filling the frame or add more magenta to that fiery sunrise sky.
And the best part is, they take zero work. I have started using the ‘Select Sky’ option routinely while processing in Lightroom, and Lightroom does an amazing job of selecting the sky. It’s so useful for landscape photography, as I can make a one-click ‘smart’ selection, make some adjustments, and then actually invert the selection to target the landscape.
These two options allow for very precise adjustments, adjustments we may have turned to Photoshop for in the past. The power of Photoshop still looms over Lightroom, but these recent additions undoubtedly close the gap some.
Photoshop Updates
Photoshop updates weren’t nearly substantial as the Lightroom Classic ones, but there were improvements.
The biggest Photoshop addition was most likely the improvement of Neural Filters. Neural Filters have become quite controversial, because of their ability to completely change an image. Adobe has done a great job with the engine, and I’m sure it is useful for graphic designers, but it’s another jab at the integrity of photography.
With the right image, it’s almost too easy to add snow and transform a summer landscape into a winter one or to add mountains in the desert, etc.
Photoshop did get some nice performance boosts though. The ‘Export as’ interface was refreshed and streamlined, selection tools are more robust now, and color management options were improved.
Summary
The October 2021 update brought massive changes to Lightroom Classic and some general updates to Photoshop. Lightroom received a new ‘Masking’ interface with new tools and features. The new features are powerful and useful. However, it is a major revamp and will require current Lightroom users to learn the new system. Lightroom continues to innovate.
Photoshop got some nice performance boosts and optimizations, but current users most likely won’t notice a change after the update.