Select Subject Got a Major Upgrade in the Latest Lightroom Update

Lightroom Classic and Lightroom just got an update, and two of the headline features are ones people have been requesting for years. If you use either version regularly, this update is worth understanding before you open it.

Coming to you from Matt Kloskowski, this practical video walks through the biggest changes in both Lightroom Classic and Lightroom. The first major update is an improvement to Select Subject masking, and Kloskowski makes the case that it's not a minor tweak. He pulls up side-by-side comparisons from before and after the update, showing edge detection around bird wings, gaps between legs, reflections, and background elements. The difference is significant enough that he calls some of the results nearly flawless, which is a word he doesn't throw around casually when talking about automated selections.

The second headliner is the duplicate finder in Lightroom Classic, something users have wanted since the software launched. It lives in the Library module and goes beyond simple filename matching to compare images more deeply. When duplicates are found, they're stacked together, and you can remove them with a right-click. Kloskowski also covers the assisted culling feature, which has graduated out of early access and picked up some improvements, but he's direct about who it actually serves: portrait and event shooters. If you're shooting wildlife, landscapes, or nature, he says it's not ready for that kind of work.

On the Lightroom side (the non-Classic version), you get the Select Subject upgrade and the assisted culling updates, but the duplicate finder doesn't carry over. What you do get is the ability to customize color labels, an interactive histogram, and two AI-powered features: video generation and AI sharpening. The video generation pulls from Adobe Firefly technology and lets you create a slow pan or motion effect from a still image. The AI sharpening uses Topaz under the hood and costs Adobe credits to run. Kloskowski doesn't hide his frustration with the credit-based model for both of these, pointing out that you get no preview, no settings worth mentioning, and no way to undo if you burn through credits and don't like what you get. His advice is blunt: if you want Topaz-quality sharpening, just buy Topaz Photo AI directly and skip the in-app version entirely.

The breakdown covers a lot of ground quickly, and Kloskowski is clear about which features are worth your attention and which ones you can safely ignore depending on how you shoot. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Kloskowski.