Develop
Local Adjustments & Masking
Apply targeted edits with brushes, gradients, and AI-generated masks.
Local Adjustments & Masking
Local Adjustments let you edit specific areas of your image without affecting the rest. Fovea supports four types of masks, including an AI-powered option.
Mask Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Radial Gradient | An elliptical mask — click and drag on the canvas to draw it. Ideal for vignettes and spotlighting. |
| Linear Gradient | A straight-line gradient mask — click and drag to set direction. Perfect for skies and horizon adjustments. |
| Brush | Paint a freehand mask directly onto the image. Full control over which areas are affected. |
| AI Subject | Fovea’s AI automatically detects and isolates the main subject. One click, no manual painting required. |
Adding a Mask
- Click the + button in the Local Adjustments panel header.
- Choose your mask type from the dropdown menu.
- For gradients and brushes, click and drag on the image to define the mask area.
- For AI Subject, Fovea generates the mask automatically (a loading indicator appears during processing).
Editing a Mask Layer
Once a mask is created, it appears as a layer in the panel. Select a layer to reveal its adjustment controls — these are the same sliders available in the global Develop panel (exposure, contrast, temperature, etc.), but they only affect the masked area.
Viewing the Mask
Toggle the mask overlay using the eye icon in the panel header (or press M). When active, the mask is visualized as a colored overlay on your image — white areas are fully affected, black areas are unaffected.
Managing Layers
- Click a layer to select it and edit its adjustments.
- Each layer has an independent mask and independent adjustments.
- Layers stack from top to bottom, applying in order.