Today’s Question: What’s your take on the new Feather and Edge sliders in Lightroom Classic in terms of how helpful they are and how they should be used?
Tim’s Quick Answer: I consider the new Feather and Edge sliders to represent one of the most important updates to Lightroom Classic (and Camera Raw) in the context of the Masking adjustments. While they aren’t needed for all masks, they can be incredibly helpful in improving the quality of many masks.
More Detail: The Feather and Edge sliders for refining masks for targeted adjustments are features that have been at the top of my wish list since the Masking adjustments were first added to the Develop module in Lightroom Classic. These two sliders provide relatively simple and yet very helpful options for refining the shape of the edge of masks used for targeted adjustments.
There has long been a Feather control for refining masks in Photoshop, along with a Shift Edge control that is effectively the same as the new Edge slider in Lightroom Classic. The Feather control enables you to blur the mask edge, helping to smooth out the transition between areas being affected by the adjustment versus not being affected.
The Edge slider enables you to shift the mask edge outward (with a positive value) or inward (with a negative value) relative to the area that was originally selected for the mask. For example, if you have a Sky mask then increasing the value for the Edge slider will expand the adjustment into the landscape beyond the sky, while decreasing the value will pull the adjustment away from the landscape.
While the effect of the Feather and Edge sliders is relatively simple, their impact can be significant. Together they enable you to fine-tune the overall shape of the mask edge, so it better aligns with the transition within the image from the area you want to adjust versus not adjust with the targeted adjustment.
In general, I recommend applying an exaggerated adjustment when you want to refine the Feather and Edge controls, so you can better evaluate when you have the transition size (Feather) and position (Edge) for the mask edge fine-tuned to best match the area you’re adjusting. You can then reduce the strength of the adjustment based on the intended impact on the image.
