Quick Links
Use the Quick Selection tool
Try the Remove Background tool
Use the Background Eraser tool
Manually with the Pen tool
One of the most common image editing tasks is removing the background from a subject. Maybe you want the subject to be pasted onto another image, or to replace the existing background with another one for a better overall image. Or perhaps you want to play with Generative Fill, and let AI decide what the new background will be. Whatever the reason for removing the background, Photoshop enables you to accomplish this in various ways. Once you know the different options for background removal, you'll know which one you want to use in the future.
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Use the Quick Selection tool
This is the best balance of quality and time spent
Photoshop's Quick Selection tool is the quickest way to select your subject and remove the surrounding background. All you need to do is paint your selection and let Adobe Sensei AI technology detect the edges and refine it.
In Photoshop CC, you simply need to click the Select subject option on the floating window at the bottom of the image.
This will be a rough subject selection with a pink highlight.
Selecting Select and Mask from the bottom menu opens the fine-tuning options. Use the Properties tab on the right side of the screen to adjust the Smooth, Contrast, and Shift Edge options to avoid blurred or jagged edges on your selection.
Then, choose to output as Layer Mask, and click OK.
Open File on the menu bar and select Save a copy to save your new isolated image with a transparent background as a PNG.
If you'd prefer to use a more hands-on method for selecting the subject instead of steps 1-3 here, click on Select, then on Select and Mask from the top menu. Or, you can press Alt + Ctrl + R if you prefer keyboard shortcuts.
Click on the Quick Selection tool on the left toolbar, and adjust your brush size to one that suits your subject.
Click and paint over your subject that you want to keep. If you find you painted over something you don't want, zoom in, then hold Alt (or Option on macOS) and paint the area you don't want to include, in order to deselect it.
You can then use the Properties tab as described in Step 3 above to fine-tune the selection, then Steps 4 and 5 to export your final background-free image.
Try the Remove Background tool
Quick and easy, but not suited for detailed background removal
The Remove Background tool in Photoshop is more suited to quickly removing simple backgrounds, or if you don't need to worry about smooth edges around your subject. That makes it great for quick meme creation or other tasks that don't require perfect cutouts.
On the Layers panel, select the image and press Ctrl + J (or Command + J on macOS) to duplicate the layer.
Look at the Properties panel which is right above the Layers panel, and select Remove Background on the Quick Actions section.
Now open the Select menu and choose Select and Mask.
Set the brush to Subtract from selection and paint out any areas of background that are still attached to your subject. Use the sliders on the Properties tab to refine the selection so you don't end up with jagged or blurry edges.
As before, output your selection as a Layer Mask and select OK. Then save a copy as a PNG to get your isolated subject on a transparent background.
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Use the Background Eraser tool
This is the easiest way to delete large blocks of color
One of the many tools built into Photoshop is the Background Eraser, which is designed to do exactly what you think it would. It's a good tool for beginners because it doesn't require fine-tuning settings, but it has trouble with busier backgrounds, so YMMV. It's also a destructive tool, meaning it will delete the pixels from the layer you are on, whereas the other methods here use a layer mask so you can go back to your original image easily.
Select the Background Eraser Tool from the toolbar by right-clicking on the Eraser tool.
Choose your settings for brush size and set tolerance to Off. In the Limits menu, set the Find Edges option, and in the Tolerance menu, choose between 30-50%. Also, choose the Sampling option based on your image: Once for single-color backgrounds and Continuous for multicolor backgrounds.
Paint the area directly around the outside of your subject, keeping the center of the brush on the color you want to remove while staying close to the edges of the subject without touching it.
Switch to the Eraser Tool and erase everything from the background out to the edges you didn't get in the previous step.
Select the Layer Effects icon underneath the Layers panel, then select Solid Color and pick a color contrasting with your subject.
In the Layer panel, drag the color layer (Layer 1 in our example) underneath the layer we have been erasing the background on (Layer 0). The numbering will change, so the color layer will be Layer 0, and the image will be Layer 1.
Continue to use the Eraser Tool to remove the background. If you need to touch up the areas near your subject, switch back to the Background Eraser Tool and zoom in. Use the File menu to Save a copy of your efforts as a PNG to capture the subject with a transparent background.
Manually with the Pen tool
This will take some time, but is the best option for complex images
Sometimes, none of the automated or AI-enhanced Photoshop tools will give you the result you are looking for. This usually happens with more complex subjects, like portraits with longer hair, or other irregular shapes that don't lend themselves to easy edge detection. For those objects, the Pen tool lets you manually trace out the subject (with some assistance) so you can remove the background. Be warned, this is a labor-intensive process and will take a substantial amount of time.
Press P or select the Pen tool from the toolbar, and set it to Path in the options bar at the top.
Zoom into your image and create anchor points by clicking on suitable areas around the edge of your subject. To do curved lines, click and hold your mouse at one anchor point, and drag the control arms to change the curve.
Right-click on the image and select Make Selection. In the popup, select OK to convert the path into a selection.
Select the layer, then select the Layer Mask icon at the bottom right to remove the background. You can use the Brush tool to make any adjustments at this time.
To save the finished image, click File in the menu bar. Select Save a copy and save as PNG.
Removing backgrounds with Photoshop can be done in various ways
Photoshop is still one of the best image editing programs, three-and-a-half decades after its launch. You can remove backgrounds from your images in numerous ways, but they all require some tweaking to get a good result. If you don't have Photoshop and need background removal, a slew of online tools like Photoroom or Remove.bg can also do the job for you effectively.
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