The Lightroom Mask Trick That Changed How I Handle Sky Selections

There is a problem every photo editor runs into eventually. You select a sky, you darken it, and the result looks exactly like what it is: a selection that was darkened. The horizon feels wrong. The transition is too abrupt. The bottom of the sky is the same density as the top, and the whole thing reads as edited rather than felt. For me, working on composites where every layer has to hold up to scrutiny, that kind of flat correction isn’t just aesthetically weak.