Creating a mask from a color selection

You can create a mask by a color range using any of the three selection modes available to the Color Editor tool. This option works well for a broad range of selection tasks from subjects with difficult to brush edges to those with blocks of color with clearly defined borders. However, while that helps to target the selection for the creation of the mask, its success also depends on what kind of adjustment is to be applied. For example, a negative clarity adjustment used to smooth skin tones does not require a precise mask, whereas an exposure adjustment typically requires a much more targeted selection. As any mask in Capture One, it can be tidied up using the Erase brush or the keyboard shortcut E.

1. Go to the Color Editor tool and select the color or the area intended for local adjustment on the image using the Color Editor tool’s color picker (pipette icon).
   
   
2. When greater precision is required, use the color picker from selection options or cursor group. To display the selected color range in the Viewer, click on View selected color range options.
   
   
   
   
3. With the color selection highlighted in the Color Editor, click on the Color Editor tool’s Action menu, the (…) icon, and select Create Masked Layer from Selection. A dialog opens showing the progress of the creation of the mask.
   
   
   
   
4. A new separate adjustment layer is created in the Layers tool, complete with a corresponding mask for that color selection.
   
   
   
   
5. Tidy up the areas that are not needed by using the Erase brush or the keyboard shortcut E.
   
   
6. This mask can now be used to apply adjustments to.

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