When applying localized corrections in Lightroom 2, it can be sometimes difficult to see the bounds of the mask you are working with. This is especially true if you are using a very subtle correction, such as just a bit of desaturation in an area or if you are applying a touch of localized clarity. At first it may be tempting just to temporarily crank up the effect of a correction to see its effect, but there is a better way.

Here's a photo in my library that I’ve made a subtle localized correction to. You can see the pin for the correction, but that's about it.

To see the mask, all you need to do is make sure that the pin for the localized correction is selected and then hit the ‘O’ key. The mask will immediately light up in bright red.

If you are working on a red image, or otherwise don’t like the color red, you can toggle the color of the mask using ‘Shift-O’. This cycles between red, green, grey, and then clear.

To go back to not seeing the mask, just hit the ‘O’ key again. I’ve been using this simple and painless tip a lot lately and find that it helps me exercise just the right amount of control over my masks, especially when I've gone just a tad too far and need to erase a bit.

The photo is of a window at the new Caffè Umbria location in Portland’s Pearl District. You can see a larger version of it on Flickr. Exposure: 1/50@f/1.4 ISO 3200 Lens: 24mm Camera: Canon EOS-1D Mark III