onOne Perfect Mask 5 Review

I recently had an opportunity to try onOne Software's Perfect Mask 5, the latest version of Mask Pro 4 for replacing backgrounds. Although this application can be used from within Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Apple Aperture, Perfect Mask may also be used as a standalone application. One feature that impressed me was the library of backgrounds available from within the application. Some of these background images include inside and outside areas, skies, studio backdrops and walls. Simply select the background desired and place it as layer below the active layer/image you want to mask.

To begin, I used the Drop Brush Tool to draw away general areas of the background I wanted to remove. Perfect Mask analyzes my selection based on the colors contained within my stroke and then expands the stroke to all the similarly colored areas of the image. Once I've removed broad areas of the background, I switch to the Refine Brush Tool to remove more of the background from tighter areas of the image. The Refine Brush Tool closely analyzes areas of the background based on color from the selections I made earlier from the Drop Brush Tool. Using colors to determine what areas to drop works great with tough subjects like hair.

Another handy feature is Automatic Solid Background Removal. A solid background is removed automatically which is a handy feature for those shooting with a green-screen background. While working on a mask, the multiple preview options allow me to see the mask separately next to the image I'm working on. This real-time view of the mask makes it easier to check your work as you go.

To try Perfect Mask, I chose to use it as a standalone application, however I was able to save my work as a layered Photoshop PSD file which I then opened in Photoshop to adjust colors, contrast and saturation, prior to flattening and saving the final work product as a TIFF.

I found Perfect Mask to be an easy application to use, however it does take a little playing around to get used to it. I recommend experimenting with the various tools to get used to how they work. After a half hour or so, you'll become more comfortable with how the application uses colors to determine masking areas. Perfect Mask 5 does make the process of masking much easier and you'll soon be applying masking to images you might have otherwise avoided.

Reviewed by IMA Member JohnLobban — December 2011

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