The Consistent Underwater Edit #6: Masking Fixes Local Problems
There comes a stage in underwater editing when most of the photograph is already working, but one area still needs attention.
Perhaps the subject is slightly too dark. Maybe the water looks right, but the foreground needs more definition. A diver’s face may need a small correction, or one coral, fish, or section of a wreck may need something different from the rest of the image.
This is where Masking becomes useful.
But there is an important distinction:
Masking should isolate a problem, not rescue an unfinished photograph.
That is why Masking comes fifth in The Consistent Underwater Editing System:
White Balance → Exposure → Presence → Color → Masking → Final Adjustments
By the time we reach Masking, the global foundation of the photograph should already be working.
If it is not, we need to go back and correct the earlier decision first.
Before You Create a Mask, Ask One Question
Is the problem affecting the entire photograph or only one specific area?
This may be the most important question to ask before opening the Masking panel.
If the entire photograph looks too blue, Masking is probably not the answer. Go back to White Balance.
If the entire photograph is too dark or too bright, revisit Exposure.
If the whole photograph still feels flat or lacks depth, evaluate Presence.
If the colors throughout the image feel too intense or unnatural, return to Color.
But if most of the photograph is working and only one specific area still needs attention, you may have found a good reason to create a mask.
That distinction keeps the workflow simple:
Global problem? Go back to the appropriate global step.
Local problem? Consider Masking.
Scope First. Tool Second.
Lightroom Classic gives us increasingly powerful ways to create masks.
We can isolate a subject, background, person, object, or specific area of a photograph. We can also refine those selections when Lightroom does not identify exactly what we need.
But I do not want you to begin by asking:
Which masking tool should I use?
Start by asking:
What part of this photograph actually needs to change?
That is a very different way to approach editing.
The decision comes first. The tool comes second.
Scope first. Tool second.
Once you know exactly what needs attention, choosing the appropriate masking method becomes much easier.
This is another example of why I teach process rather than presets or individual Lightroom tricks.
Knowing what a tool can do is useful.
Knowing when to use it is far more important.
Masking Protects What Is Already Working
Imagine you have finished your global adjustments.
The water has the color and depth you want.
The overall exposure feels balanced.
The subject has good presence.
The colors look natural.
But one area still needs attention.
If you make another global adjustment, you may improve that area while changing the water, background, or other parts of the photograph that are already working.
That is where a local adjustment makes sense.
A mask lets you isolate the area that still needs work while protecting everything else.
That is one of the most useful ways to think about Masking:
Don't change the entire photograph to fix one part of it.
Underwater Photographs Often Contain Different Problems in Different Areas
Underwater photographs are especially suited to local adjustments because different parts of the scene may be affected by very different conditions.
A foreground lit by strobes can behave differently from the blue water behind it.
A diver’s face may need different treatment from the surrounding water.
A fish may be correctly exposed while part of the reef behind it is distracting.
A wreck may contain areas of light and shadow that should not be treated the same way.
The question is not whether you can create a mask.
The question is:
Does this area need something different from the rest of the photograph?
If the answer is yes, Masking may be the right step.
A Few Situations Where Masking Makes Sense
Here are a few examples of where a local adjustment may make sense during an underwater edit.
The Subject Needs Attention, but the Background Does Not
The overall photograph may be working, but the turtle, fish, or diver still needs a little more separation or refinement.
Rather than changing the entire photograph, isolate the subject and adjust only what needs attention.
The Water and Foreground Need Different Treatment
This is common in wide-angle underwater photography.
The foreground may be lit by strobes while the water behind it is influenced mostly by ambient light.
Once the global edit is balanced, one of those areas may still need a local correction without affecting the other.
A Diver’s Face or Skin Needs a Local Correction
Skin tones can be difficult underwater because artificial light, ambient light, depth, and water color are all interacting.
If the overall color is working but the diver’s face still looks wrong, changing the global White Balance could damage everything else.
That is a strong sign the problem may now be local.
One Part of a Reef, Wreck, or Background Needs Attention
Sometimes one small area pulls your eye away from the subject.
Other times, an important part of the photograph needs a little more separation or definition.
If the rest of the image is already working, a targeted adjustment may be more appropriate than another global change.
Don't Use Masks to Avoid an Earlier Decision
This is where Masking can become a trap.
Modern masking tools make it easy to create increasingly complex selections.
That does not mean the photograph needs them.
If you find yourself building mask after mask just to make the photograph work, stop and ask:
Am I trying to correct a global problem locally?
If most of the photograph is too blue, return to White Balance.
If the entire image is too dark or too bright, revisit Exposure.
If the whole photograph still feels flat, reconsider Presence.
If color throughout the image looks unrealistic or overdone, go back to Color.
A complicated masking structure can sometimes be a sign that an earlier decision in the workflow needs another look.
Masking should make the edit more precise, not compensate for a weak foundation.
Diagnose → Decide → Move On
Masking fits directly into the decision-making framework we have used throughout this series:
Diagnose → Decide → Move On
Diagnose
What still looks wrong?
More importantly:
Where is the problem?
Is it affecting the entire photograph, or only one specific area?
Decide
If the problem is global, return to the appropriate earlier step.
If the problem is local, decide what needs to be isolated and use the simplest mask that solves that problem.
Move On
Once the local problem is solved, stop.
You do not need to create another mask simply because Lightroom lets you.
Make the correction, then move to the next step.
That discipline is one of the ways we keep editing faster, simpler, and more consistent.
The Goal Is Not More Masks
A successful underwater edit is not measured by how many masks you create.
Sometimes a photograph may need several.
Sometimes it may need one.
Sometimes it may not need Masking at all.
The goal is to identify what the photograph actually needs and make only the adjustments that help you get there.
After more than 9,700 dives, one thing I have learned is that underwater photography constantly gives us changing light, color, distance, visibility, subjects, and backgrounds.
There is rarely one adjustment or preset that works for everything.
But that does not mean the editing process needs to become complicated.
A clear sequence helps us determine where the problem belongs before we decide how to fix it.
That is what makes Masking valuable at this stage of the workflow.
The global photograph is already working.
Now we are simply refining the areas that need individual attention.
Remember: Masking Should Isolate, Not Rescue
As you work through your next underwater photograph, resist the temptation to jump into Masking too early.
First build the global foundation:
White Balance → Exposure → Presence → Color
Then stop and ask:
What still needs attention?
And then:
Does the entire photograph need the change, or only one part of it?
If the problem is global, go back to the appropriate earlier step.
If the problem is local, Masking may be exactly the right tool.
Scope first. Tool second.
That simple decision can help you avoid unnecessary masks, protect the parts of the photograph that are already working, and keep your editing process moving forward.
Underwater Lightroom Mastery Begins Today
Today, August 19, 2026, the first Underwater Lightroom Mastery cohort begins.
This six-week small-group program is designed to help underwater photographers apply The Consistent Underwater Editing System to their own photographs through guided practice, feedback, and repetition.
The goal is not to memorize more Lightroom tools or collect more presets.
It is to build a repeatable editing process that helps you make better decisions, produce more consistent photographs, and spend less time wondering what to adjust next.
If you would like to learn more about Underwater Lightroom Mastery, visit:
https://info.robertherb.com/underwater-lightroom-mastery
Want a Simple Lightroom Reference You Can Use Right Away?
Download my free guide:
10 Lightroom Fixes Every Underwater Photographer Should Know
It covers ten common problems underwater photographers encounter and helps you think more clearly about what needs correcting, where the problem belongs, and which part of your workflow should address it.
https://info.robertherb.com/lm-3
Coming Next
Masking is the fifth step in The Consistent Underwater Editing System.
Once the global foundation is working and the remaining local problems have been handled, there is only one step left:
Final Adjustments.
In the next lesson, we will look at how Final Adjustments should polish an already successful edit, not restart it.
Until next time, dive smart, shoot with purpose, and edit with intention.
Bob Herb
Robert Herb Photography
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