If your composites look "cut out" or fake, it's almost never your selection tool's fault — it's your mask edges.

The mistake: Most beginners paint a mask with a hard-edged brush at 100% opacity, then wonder why the subject looks pasted on.

The fix — do this instead:

1. Select your subject (Object Selection Tool or Select Subject is fine for 90% of cases).

2. Add a layer mask from that selection.

3. Click the mask thumbnail, then go to Select and Mask (top options bar).

4. Set Feather to 0.3–0.5px and Shift Edge to -5% to -10% — this pulls the mask in slightly and kills the white/dark halo around your subject.

5. Back in the main canvas, lower the mask's brush hardness to 0% for any manual touch-ups, and always work at 200%+ zoom on edges (hair, fur, fabric edges).

Bonus tip: Add a 1px layer at low opacity, colored to sample the background, painted only along the very edge of your mask. This "edge blend" trick sells composites instantly because it fakes light wrap without needing a lighting pass.

Try it on your next composite and compare before/after — the difference is night and day.

What's your biggest struggle with masking right now? Drop it below and I'll help troubleshoot.