Where the mask tools are now
In Premiere 26 (the first version named Adobe Premiere), the mask tools moved out of each effect and into the toolbar. Find the mask tool group and press and hold it to see all four: Object Mask, Ellipse, Rectangle and Pen.
In older versions of Premiere Pro, the same three shapes are small icons under each effect in the Effect Controls panel. The ideas in this tutorial work in both.
- How to draw
- Click and drag. Hold Shift to scale it evenly from the center.
- Best for
- Spotlights and vignettes, faces, round signs and logos.
- How to draw
- Click and drag. Double-click inside to scale or rotate it.
- Best for
- Screens, slides, windows, license plates and house numbers.
- How to draw
- Click to place each point, then click the first point to close it. Drag to curve.
- Best for
- Any shape: a sky over a roofline, a building, a product.
Step 1: Choose what the mask will control
A mask on its own does nothing. It tells one effect where to work. So start with the effect: drag Gaussian Blur, Lumetri Color or any other effect onto your clip first.
- 1Select the clip
Click it in the timeline.
- 2Select the effect
In the Effect Controls panel, click the effect's name, for example Lumetri Color. To cut out part of the picture itself, select Opacity.
- 3Draw the mask
The new mask appears inside that effect, and the effect now only works inside the shape.
- 4Forgot to select an effect?
The mask goes to Unassigned Masks at the top of Effect Controls. Drag it onto the effect you want, or right-click it to assign it to Opacity.
Step 2: Draw the shape
With the Ellipse or Rectangle tool, click and drag in the Program Monitor. With the Pen tool, click to place each point around your shape, then click the first point again to close it. Click and drag instead of clicking to make a curved point.
Try the pen below. Click around the sky, following the roofline, and close the shape on the first point. Then switch the effect on.
Step 3: Adjust the shape
Drag inside the mask to move it. Double-click inside it to turn the bounding box on or off: with it on, you can scale and rotate the whole shape; with it off, you can move single points. These keys make the work faster:
- ShiftScale evenly from the center, keep curve handles at 45°, or nudge 10 pixels with the arrow keys.
- Option / AltTurn a point into a curve and back, or adjust one side of a curve handle.
- Cmd / Ctrl + clickDelete a point.
- Click a lineAdd a point. Click and drag to add a curved one.
- Arrow keysNudge the mask or the selected points by 1 pixel.
- Double-click insideTurn the bounding box on or off.
Step 4: Feather, expansion and invert
Every mask has a few settings in Effect Controls. Feather softens the edge so the effect blends in, and it's the setting I touch on almost every mask. Expansion grows or shrinks the shape, and Opacity sets how strong the effect is inside it.
Inverted flips the mask, so the effect works everywhere outside the shape instead. That's how you make a spotlight: draw around the speaker, invert, and darken the rest of the frame.
Step 5: Track the mask through the shot
If the subject or the camera moves, the mask needs to move too. Select the mask in Effect Controls and use the track forward and track backward buttons. Adobe rebuilt shape-mask tracking for Premiere 26: it's much faster, and you can watch it work as it goes.
Start on a frame where your subject is clear, track forward, then go back to that frame and track backward. If the mask slips on a few frames, go to the first bad frame, adjust the shape, and track again from there.
Combine masks: Add, Subtract and Intersect
Some shapes are easier to build from two simple ones. Premiere can combine masks, including Object Masks, with three modes. Switch between them below:
Both shapes together. Useful for two people, or a face and a name badge.
The first shape, minus the second. Keep a blur off one part of the frame.
Only where the shapes overlap. Limit an Object Mask to one area.
Four things I use shape masks for
Draws the eye to one person without a hard edge.
- Add Lumetri Color to the clip and select it in Effect Controls.
- Choose the Ellipse mask tool and drag around the speaker.
- Turn on Inverted, so the effect works outside the ellipse.
- Lower Exposure in Lumetri until the rest of the frame is gently darker.
- Raise Feather a lot. A spotlight should never show its edge.
- Track the mask if the speaker moves.
For private details on a screen, a slide that can't be shown, or a document.
- Add Gaussian Blur and select it in Effect Controls.
- Choose the Rectangle mask tool and drag over the screen.
- If the screen is at an angle, use the Pen tool and click its four corners instead.
- Raise Blurriness until nothing can be read.
- Track the mask forward and backward, and check every frame.
Real estate favourite: a gray sky made richer, without touching the house.
- Add Lumetri Color and select it in Effect Controls.
- Choose the Pen mask tool and click around the sky, following the roofline and trees.
- Close the shape on the first point and add a little Feather.
- In Lumetri, lower the highlights and cool the color until the sky looks natural.
- If the camera moves, track the mask, and check the edges around trees.
For privacy in property tours and street shots.
- Add the Mosaic effect and select it in Effect Controls.
- Draw a Rectangle mask over the number or license plate.
- Raise the mosaic blocks until it can't be read.
- Track the mask so it stays on the number as the camera passes.
Before you export
Common questions
Where are the mask tools in Premiere Pro 2026?
In Premiere 26 (Adobe Premiere) they're in the toolbar. Press and hold the mask tool group to choose Object Mask, Ellipse, Rectangle or Pen. In older versions, they're icons under each effect in Effect Controls.
Why isn't my mask doing anything in Premiere?
It's probably unassigned. A mask only works inside an effect. Drag it from Unassigned Masks onto an effect in Effect Controls, or select the effect before you draw.
How do I make a mask's edge softer in Premiere Pro?
Raise Feather in the mask's settings in Effect Controls. Small values are often enough.
How do I track a shape mask in Premiere Pro?
Select the mask in Effect Controls and use the track forward and track backward buttons. If it slips, adjust the shape on that frame and track again from there.
