Subject Mask & Refine

Autopilot will automatically analyze your image to mask the subject. This mask is used primarily to selectively sharpen the image.


Subject Selection

Hover over the "Subject" text in Autopilot to view the current mask. Click Refine to open the masking menu and change the mask.

View Mask & Refine

The masking menu includes AI models for automatic subject detection, mask feathering and color settings, and two brushes for manually changing the mask.

Masking Menu

The subject detection comes with three models and a None option to turn off automatic detection.

  • Default: identifies and selects an object in focus
  • Portrait: identifies and selects people in focus
  • Landscape: identifies land or water in focus and deselects sky
  • None: no mask is created automatically

The feathering slider increases the mask softness at the edges. Less sharpening is applied at the edges. Comparison below is feathering at 0 (left) and 100 (right).

Feathering Comparison

The overlay color and opacity will change the mask visibility. This does not affect the sharpening.


Brushes

Topaz Photo AI comes with two brushes of varying sizes. Swap between them with this toggle.

Brush Toggle

AI Brush

This brush creates and selects groups of pixels. Patch size can be increased with the menu below.

AI Brush Controls

Basic Brush

A circular brush. Brush size can be increased with the menu below.

Basic Brush Controls

AI brush (left) vs basic brush (right).

Brush Comparison

Brush the image by selecting Add or Subtract. Click and drag on the image to brush. Right click to use the unselected option.

  • if Add is selected, right click Subtracts
  • if Subtract is selected, right click Adds

Clear Strokes removes all user changes to the mask. Switch between the brushes with this toggle.


Configure Autopilot For Subject Selection

Change the default subject type in the Autopilot settings. Navigate to the Preferences > Autopilot menu. Default Subject Type will let you pick the subject detection model used for every image.

Default Subject Type

Sharpen

Recover Faces & Select Faces