Nicolas Diolez has released Mask Bridge, a paid Lightroom Classic plugin that exports AI masks and Lightroom selections as image files with matching filenames.
Diolez's earlier desktop app, 360 Extractor, used YOLOv8 to detect people such as camera operators in 360 footage and write RealityScan mask files. Mask Bridge moves masking into Lightroom Classic, processing photos already selected in the Library as one batch.
Mask Bridge offers two routes. The AI route detects supported objects with RF-DETR, in a Standard mode that produces binary masks and an HD Fine Detail mode aimed at hair and fur. The Matte route estimates binary silhouettes from Lightroom renders, using an existing native mask, a new AI selection, or all masks on a photo. Gradients, partly transparent brush strokes and soft native opacity are not preserved.
Each view exports as the rendered photograph, a grayscale PNG mask in which white is selected and black is excluded, and an optional RGBA PNG whose alpha matches the binary mask pixel for pixel. Masks are written outside Lightroom and are not imported back as editable native masks. Diolez lists photogrammetry and gaussian splatting among the workflows that accept image masks, advises checking the downstream tool's mask format and polarity, and names no specific reconstruction application.
The main sample is eight views exported through Subject and Matte at 2048 px, drawn from a 432 photo capture, and Diolez states that the complete capture was not batch tested. A second set from a 154 photo museum capture shows silhouettes varying by angle.
Image processing runs locally. Activation and periodic license validation require internet access, after which Mask Bridge works offline for up to seven days. Mask Bridge requires Lightroom Classic 14 or later on macOS 14 or later with Apple Silicon, or on 64 bit Windows 10 or 11. Intel Macs and cloud Lightroom are not supported.
Licenses are perpetual with 12 months of updates, priced at €29.99 for one computer, €49.99 for up to three and €129.99 for unlimited computers within one organization. Mask Bridge is available now through Lemon Squeezy.
