Raya Pro Review: The Ultimate Photoshop Plugin for Photographers

As a photographer who loves to play with my images in Photoshop, I’m always looking for ways to improve my workflow and achieve better results. That’s why I was intrigued when I heard about Raya Pro, a Photoshop plugin that claims to be the ultimate luminosity mask tool for digital blending and exposure blending. It’s become a staple in my editing workflow, so my Raya Pro review is long overdue!
What is Raya Pro?
Raya Pro is a Photoshop panel that was created by Jimmy McIntyre, a professional travel and landscape photographer who has been teaching Photoshop for over a decade. He designed Raya Pro to be user-friendly, intuitive, and powerful, and he nailed it! It works in all Photoshop languages and is compatible with CS6 and CC versions.
What can you do with Raya Pro?
Raya Pro has many features that make it a versatile and comprehensive tool for editing photos in Photoshop. Some of the features that I’ve found most useful are:
- InstaMask: This is a tool that lets you create and refine luminosity masks with a few clicks. You can also use colour masks, saturation masks, zone masks, and more. This makes it easy to blend multiple exposures of the same scene, adjust the tones and colours of different areas, dodge and burn with precision, and apply various filters and effects.
- Quick Blending: Automatically blend your exposures using different methods, such as luminosity masks, HDR, or dark mode. This saves a lot of time and hassle when you want to create natural-looking blends without manual masking.
- RGB Masks: This tool lets you create masks based on the red, green, and blue channels of your image. This helps isolate specific colours or contrast areas for targeted adjustments. For example, you can use this tool to enhance the sky or the foliage in landscape photos.
- Zone Editor: Edit an image using the Ansel Adams zone system. You can adjust the brightness and contrast of each zone independently or globally. This gives more control over the tonal range and mood of an image.
- Color Center: This is a tool that lets you enhance the colours of an image using various sliders and presets. You can also use colour grading, split toning, or colour balance tools. This allows you to create different colour effects and moods for an image.
- Dodge & Burn: Lighten or darken specific areas of an image using luminosity masks or brushes. You can also use the Orton effect or detail enhancer tools to add some glow or sharpness. This helps to create more depth and dimension in an image.
- Actions & Filters: This tool lets you apply various actions and filters to an image, such as sharpening, noise reduction, frequency separation, vignette, golden hour glow, etc.
Raya Pro also comes with six custom buttons that you can assign any function you want. You can also resize and sharpen an image for web using the web prep tool.

Should you buy Raya Pro?
Raya Pro is not just a plugin, it’s a complete digital workflow solution for Photoshop. It has helped me save time, improve my skills, and unleash my creativity. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, Raya Pro can take your photos to the next level.
If you want to learn more about Raya Pro and how to use it effectively, you can check out Jimmy’s courses on exposure blending and digital blending. He also offers a free beginner’s Photoshop course for those who are new to the software.
You can purchase Raya Pro from Jimmy’s website where he offers different bundles and discounts. You can also watch tutorials and reviews on his YouTube channel.
Raya Pro is a must-have tool for any photographer who wants to master Photoshop and create stunning images. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to transform their Photoshop workflow.