How to remove background in photoshop

How to Remove the Background of a Photo in Photoshop or PowerPoint

Written by Pamela Vaughan

You know what one of my biggest design pet peeves is? When I’m designing something, but there’s an unwanted background on the image I’m editing.

In this article, you’ll learn how to remove a photo background altogether, or make it transparent so the image assumes the look of any other background you put behind it.

Consider the above feature image. The image to the left would be so much more useful to my call-to-action, SlideShare presentation, blog post, or ebook if I could just remove that pesky background so it looked like the image on the right.

Or maybe you’ve downloaded another one of our collections of free stock photos that could also use a transparent background.

Luckily, there is something you can do about it. Using either Photoshop or PowerPoint, you can easily remove the background of your photo or image in no time. And I’m going to show you exactly how to do it.

Because some of you may not have Photoshop at your disposal, let’s start with instructions for PowerPoint. You can also jump down to the instructions for Photoshop here.

How to Make a Picture Background Transparent in PowerPoint

How to Remove a Photo Background in PowerPoint

Keep in mind that you’ll need to be using Office 2010 or later, and because PowerPoint isn’t as sophisticated as Photoshop, it may not work for some of the more difficult images. But if you don’t have access to Photoshop, this could be just what you need.

1. Insert the image into PowerPoint.

Images with white/solid backgrounds or those that have high contrast with the foreground are the easiest to manipulate in PowerPoint.

2. First, click on your image. Then, under ‘Picture Format’ on a Mac (or ‘File’ on a PC) in your toolbar, choose ‘Remove Background.’

3. PowerPoint will automatically try to remove the background, but it might not get it just right.

4. Using the options in the toolbar, click to mark areas you want to keep or remove from the final cropped image.

See how it’s cutting off part of the girl’s torso and cape above? First, drag the box around the image so it includes the entire area of the image you want to keep.

PowerPoint could see these strands of hair as the edge of the girl, and not remove the background between this hair and the rest of her head. In this type of case, these minus signs can help you.

If you happen to mistakenly include or exclude something, just click on the plus or minus sign that covers the area, and it will disappear.

5. Click somewhere outside of the image when you’re finished.

Last but not least, save the image as a PNG file to preserve its transparent background.

How to Make a Background Transparent in Photoshop

Because Photoshop is much more sophisticated than PowerPoint, there are a few different methods you can use to make a background transparent. Each is good for a different kind of image. Click the links below to jump to the tutorial for each method:

The Polygonal Lasso Method: For Images With Straight Edges

Let’s say I want to remove the blue background (as well as the pole) from this «stop spam» image.

Because this image is made up entirely of straight edges, this method of background removal is perfect. Here’s how to make that blue background (and the silver pole) transparent.

1. Get your image ready in Photoshop.

The first thing you’ll want to do after you drag and drop your image into Photoshop is convert it into a «Smart Object,» and then rasterize it. Here’s how:

Now you’re ready to convert that pesky background into a transparent one.

2. Zoom in on your image so you can be more precise with your background removal.

You can zoom in and out by clicking the View dropdown and choosing Zoom In or Zoom Out, or using the keyboard shortcuts as indicated.

3. Select the Polygonal Lasso Tool from the toolbar on the left.

The Polygonal Lasso Tool looks like this:

Once selected, click on a starting point, and trace the part of the image you want to keep using a series of clicks from point to point. I prefer to get rid of the black border on the stop sign, so I’m tracing the sign just inside the outer edge of the white border.

4. Connect the line with your starting point.

Once you’ve made it all the way around your image, connect your line to the first point you started with. You’ll know it’s connected when your cursor includes a little circle, as shown below.

5. Select the background you want to delete.

Do this by clicking the Select dropdown in the top menu, and clicking Inverse. This will highlight the entire background you want to make transparent.

6. Delete the background.

Hit Delete on your keyboard, and the background will turn into a checkered grid like you see below. This is how you’ll know your background is now transparent.

7. Save your image as a PNG file.

This will ensure your background transparency stays in tact.

The Quick Selection Method: For Images With Round or Wavy Edges

Okay, now let’s say your image isn’t as straight-edged as the image in the example above, and it’s got some curve to it, like the image below. Here, you’ll want to use the Quick Selection Tool.

1. Get your image ready in Photoshop.

Just like we did with the Polygonal Lasso method, the first thing you’ll want to do after you drag and drop your image into Photoshop is convert it into a «Smart Object,» and then rasterize it:

2. Choose the Quick Selection Tool from the toolbar on the left.

3. Click the background to highlight the part you want to make transparent.

This tool takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it’s one of the fastest and easiest ways to remove the background from a photo.

Start clicking around on the background to highlight the parts you want to remove.

Adjust the size of the selection tool accordingly. I recommend starting with a larger size, since that will allow you to select larger sections of your background at a time, speeding up the process.

Repeat this process until the entire background of the image is selected:

4. Subtract selections as needed.

Oops! Let’s say you notice part of the image you want to keep is getting highlighted along with the background, like you see in the screenshot below.

First, click on the Subtract From Selection button in the toolbar at the top. (Alternatively, you can hold down alt while you click on a PC, or option while you click on a Mac.)

This is also something that may take some getting used to, but the trick is to position your cursor right along the inner edges of the part of the image you want to keep. You may want to adjust the size of your Quick Selection tool for some of the finer details. Then click so the incorrectly highlighted section gets detracted.

5. Delete the background.

Finally, click Delete on your keyboard to make the background transparent.

6. Save your image as a PNG file.

This will preserve the transparency of your background.

Pro Tip: Sometimes using the Quick Selection Tool results in jagged edges, especially on parts of the image where the edge should be a straight line. This tends to happen most on low-resolution images. If it happens to you, try smoothing out the jagged edges using the Polygonal Lasso method after first removing the background with the Quick Selection Tool.

The Brush Method: For Trickier Images

There’s a third method you can fall back on if the first two methods just aren’t cutting it. This is great for images that need a little bit more precision, although to be honest, the first two methods usually do the trick for me.

The one time this method comes in handy for me is when I need to clean up some of the edges of images whose backgrounds were removed via the first two methods. For example, I used the Polygonal Lasso Tool in Photoshop to remove the background of the shark boy image at the very top of this article, but I cleaned up the spaces in between his fingers (which needed a little bit more precision) using the Brush Method.

1. Get your image ready in Photoshop.

Just like the first two methods, the first thing you need to do after you drag and drop your image into Photoshop is convert it into a «Smart Object,» and then rasterize it:

2. Select the Brush Tool from the toolbar on the left.

The Brush Tool is right below the Red Eye Tool, and it looks like this:

3. Change the «Mode» and «Hardness» of the Brush Tool.

Right below the top menu, change the Mode to Clear. Then click the drop-down arrow next to the brush size box, and change the Hardness to 100%. This will essentially transform your Brush Tool into an eraser.

4. Brush away the background.

Erase your background by clicking and dragging. Adjust the size of your Brush Tool and zoom in on your image for more fine-tuned precision.

5. Save your image as a PNG file.

Once you have your image the way you want it, save it as a PNG. This will preserve the transparency of your background.

That’s it! Hopefully image background removal is now much easier for you using at least one of these methods.

Originally published Jun 14, 2018 10:26:00 PM, updated June 15 2018

9 способов убрать фон с картинки при помощи Photoshop

Показываем самые простые способы, а также раскрываем секреты профессионалов.

Иллюстрация: Оля Ежак для Skillbox Media

Удаление фона с картинки ― пожалуй, самая частая операция при создании коллажа. И это чаще всего именно то, с чего начинают осваивать программу начинающие фотографы, иллюстраторы и дизайнеры. В этой статье мы собрали девять способов удаления фона, причём как самые простые, которые не требуют серьёзных навыков, так и те, которыми пользуются профессионалы.

Инструменты для удаления фона

Для начала давайте разберёмся с инструментами, которые нужны для удаления фона.

На панели инструментов вам потребуются:

« Волшебная палочка» ( Magic Wand), клавиша W.

« Лассо» ( Lasso), клавиша L.

« Кисть» ( Brush) », клавиша B.

Мы рекомендуем запомнить и в дальнейшем использовать горячие клавиши, поскольку это делает работу значительно быстрее. Узнать горячую клавишу инструмента можно, подведя курсор мыши к инструменту на панели инструментов и задержав курсор на некоторое время. Во всплывающей подсказке будет указано как название инструмента, так и клавиша, которая ему соответствует.

Режим слоя

Перед началом работы вам нужно убедиться, что ваше изображение расположено не в фоновом слое ― такой слой не поддерживает прозрачность.

Маска слоя

Самый простой способ стереть фон с картинки ― воспользоваться инструментом «Ластик» ( Eraser, клавиша E) или же нажать клавишу Delete. Но в этом случае область будет удалена безвозвратно. Поэтому профессионалы предпочитают использовать маски слоя. Маска ― это дополнительный параметр изображения, в котором содержится информация, какие области должны стать прозрачными.

Преимущество маски в том, что её всегда можно отредактировать, восстановив удалённые участки или добавив дополнительные области. Также маски поддерживают полупрозрачность, что очень важно при вырезании объектов с размытыми краями ― например, волос.

Вот как маски работают:

Видео: Женя Травкина / Skillbox Media

Чтобы создать маску на основе выделения, нужно нажать на иконку «Добавить слой-маску» ( Add Layer Mask) внизу панели «Слои» ( Layers). Белые участки на слое-маске отвечают за непрозрачные области. Чёрные ― прозрачные участки.

При создании маски автоматически скрылись области, которые вошли в выделение, ― на маске они целиком закрашены чёрным.

Если выделен фон, но изолировать вам нужно объект, выделение придётся инвертировать ― поменять местами выделенные области с теми, которые свободны от выделения. Это делается так:

В этом руководстве после создания выделений мы будем использовать именно маски как более профессиональный метод удаления фона с изображения.

Подробно работу со слоями-масками мы объясняем в этом видео.

Отменить последнее действие в Photoshop можно, нажав клавиши Ctrl + Z. Вся история действий хранится на панели «История» ( History), её можно вызвать, нажав клавишу F7.

Простые способы

«Волшебная палочка»

Это самый простой и быстрый способ. Он годится для изображений с однородным фоном, залитым сплошным цветом.

Точность работы инструмента можно менять на панели настроек, которая расположена вверху рабочего пространства:

Параметры наложения

Этот метод по простоте схож с «Волшебной палочкой», однако подходит для изображений с неоднородным фоном. Влиять он будет на тёмные или светлые участки, делая их прозрачными.

При использовании этого метода маска слоя не потребуется. Однако вы без труда можете вернуть изображению стёртый фон ― для этого дважды кликните по названию слоя на панели «Слои» и верните ползунки в исходное состояние.

Режимы наложения

Этот метод годится только для белых или чёрных объектов. Но он даёт быстрый и очень эффектный результат. Таким образом хорошо вырезать из фона снежинки, облака или силуэты, чтобы наложить их на другой сюжет.

Чтобы добавить новые вырезанные объекты к фоновому изображению:

Такое удаление фона занимает лишь несколько секунд!

«Лассо»

Обычно «Лассо» используют как вспомогательный инструмент, если нужно вырезать фрагмент изображения, не придавая большого значения точности краёв. Плюсы этого инструмента ― работать им очень быстро. Минусы ― для выделения сложных участков придётся много работать мышью, не отпуская курсора.

Видео: Женя Травкина / Skillbox Media

Если нажать на кнопку инструмента «Лассо», то можно увидеть три варианта:

Если изменить параметр «Растушёвка» ( Feather) на панели настроек вверху экрана, то у выделения будут размытые края. Удерживая клавишу Shift при работе с инструментом, к выделению можно добавить новые области, а если удерживать Alt, то области можно удалить.

Точные способы

Цветовой диапазон

Инструмент работает примерно по тому же принципу, что и «Волшебная палочка», но при этом он гораздо более гибкий и потому подходит для сложных изображений. Если «Волшебная палочка» захватывает в выделение лишь пиксели одного конкретного цвета или близких цветов, то при помощи инструмента «Цветовой диапазон» ( Color Range) в выделение можно добавить сколько угодно цветов.

Кисть и маска

При помощи кисти можно стереть абсолютно любые участки изображения, в том числе фрагменты. К изображению достаточно лишь добавить маску слоя и далее, кликнув по её превью на панели слоёв, рисовать инструментом «Кисть» ( Brush) прямо поверх неё.

Для более точной работы:

Такой метод удаления фона требует усидчивости и внимательности, поэтому подходит только для небольших участков. Обычно его используют для коррекции уже готовой маски, созданной одним из автоматических методов ― «Волшебной палочкой», «Цветовым диапазоном», через каналы.

Читайте об истории Adobe:

«Выделение и маска» (Select & Mask)

Этот способ также подходит, если нужно оставить лишь фрагмент изображения со сложной фактурой. Например, таким образом хорошо вырезать один куст из зарослей или несколько опавших листьев на осеннем газоне.

Чтобы попасть в рабочее пространство «Выделение и маска» ( Select & Mask):

Суть этого инструмента в том, что он выделяет не целое поле сразу, как это делает «Волшебная палочка» или «Цветовой диапазон», а вы задаёте программе размер участка, который хотите обособить.

В рабочем пространстве «Выделение и маска» существует несколько вариантов отображения будущего выделения, наиболее удобны «Марширующие муравьи» ( Marching Ants) или «На слоях» ( On Layers). Изменить режим отображения можно в выпадающем меню «Просмотр» ( View) в правой части рабочего пространства.

Профессиональные способы

Этот способ используют профессионалы, поскольку он самый точный, но при этом требует умения управляться с кривыми Безье.

Суть кривых в том, что эти изогнутые линии формируются математически. Поэтому они очень плавные, а степень изгиба регулируется через опорные точки, соединяющие участки. Рисуются кривые инструментом «Перо» ( Pen, горячая клавиша Р). Главное преимущество выделения инструментом «Перо» ― линию можно редактировать, подгоняя под самые сложные формы.

Принцип работы кривых хорошо известен тем, кто рисует в Adobe Illustrator или CorelDRAW. Изменить искривление линии можно, потянув с зажатой клавишей Ctrl за один из «усов», растущих из точки в две стороны. Чтобы добавить дополнительную опорную точку, нужно поднести перо к линии ― рядом с ним появится знак «+», чтобы точку удалить ― поднести к ней перо, рядом с курсором появится знак «−». Освоив этот инструмент, в Photoshop можно создавать точные выделения самых сложных форм.

Попрактиковаться в работе с кривыми Безье вы можете в онлайн-тренажёре The Bézier Game.

Для того чтобы убрать фон инструментом «Перо»:

Если вам нужно расширить пустое пространство, то вы можете продолжить работу в маске кистью, инструментом «Лассо» с заливкой или создать ещё одну чёрную заливку «Пером», как вы это проделали только что.

Если же вы хотите не стереть фон, а, наоборот, вырезать объект целиком, то вам нужно «Пером» обвести сам объект. После того как контур готов, кликните внутри него правой кнопкой мыши и выберите «Создать векторную маску» ( Create Vector Mask). Плюс такого подхода в том, что вы можете отредактировать векторную маску в любой момент ― контур по-прежнему редактируемый. Минус ― в векторной маске нельзя рисовать кистью и создавать дополнительные заливки.

Профессионалы используют вырезанные объекты для создания коллажей. Каждый объект они размещают в отдельный слой. Как работают слои, мы показываем в этом объясняющем видео.

Удаление фона через каналы

Достаточно сложный способ, подходит для неоднородных изображений, когда нужно получить мягкое выделение с переходом в прозрачность. Таким образом хорошо вырезать, например, мех или волосы. Методы, основанные на обведении пикселей, сделают края такого объекта чёткими, в то время как удаление через каналы сохранит переходы.

Изображение в системе RGB формируется тремя цветовыми каналами ― красным, зелёным и синим. Совмещаясь, они дают цветную картинку, но каждый из них сам по себе монохромен ― один отвечает за количество красного цвета, второй ― зелёного, третий ― синего. Увидеть, как изображение разложено по каналам, можно на панели «Каналы» ( Channels).

Чтобы отделить объект от фона этим методом, для начала нужно выбрать канал, который будет наиболее точно соответствовать форме объекта:

Когда вы выбрали канал, нужно превратить его в слой-маску:

Мы разобрали девять способов убрать фон с картинки. Использовать эти методы можно как по отдельности, так и комбинируя. Например, маску, сделанную при помощи «Волшебной палочки» или каналов, можно затем доработать кистью или добавить на неё объекты при помощи «Пера». Чем более сложный объект, тем больше мастерства он потребует. Но используя эти методы, вы сможете обработать практически любой снимок.

Guide: How to Remove Backgrounds from Images

Learn how to make transparent backgrounds in a few different programs, and how to preserve transparency using the correct file format.

Background removal, or subject isolation, is a very common need for designers and non-designers alike. When you can isolate and remove a background, it opens up many design opportunities:

In this article, you’ll learn methods of background removal using popular software and programs. Then, we’ll show you how Shutterstock Editor can become your go-to for removing backgrounds quickly and efficiently, and with direct access to a huge library of images and curated collections.

How to Remove Image Backgrounds in Different Programs

Remove Background in PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is the gold standard for slideshow presentation programs. But you can also use it to remove backgrounds from your images.

Owl image via Ondrej Prosicky

First, insert a picture into a slide. Select Picture Format in the menu at the top, and hit the Remove Background feature. This will start you off with an automatic selection separating the foreground from the background. Use the options Mark Areas to Keep and Mark Areas to Remove to adjust the selection.

Not bad for a slideshow application!

Remove Background in Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro is Adobe’s video editing software for film, TV, and the web, allowing you to turn footage into polished films and videos. You can use images in footage to add elements that can’t be filmed, whether that’s because of a tight budget or a surreal style sequence.

To remove a background in Premiere you create an Opacity Mask, found in the Mask section under Effect Controls. Similar to using the Pen Tool in Photoshop, you set anchor points around the object you want to isolate. After you make the mask, check the Inverted box and reduce Opacity to 0.0%

Bird image via Flying Macaws

Remove Background in After Effects

Adobe After Effects is used to create and edit visual effects in video projects. To remove the background in After Effects, you would use a process called Rotoscoping. Normally this is used as a frame-by-frame editing method to remove elements from footage, such as a product or logo you don’t have a license to display.

To remove a background on an image you want to use in a video project, select Roto Brush & Refine Edge in the Effect Controls menu. Then you’ll draw the outline around the area you want to isolate. Controls similar to Photoshop’s Select and Mask tool let you refine the edge.

Remove Background in Photoshop

There are several ways to remove the background of an image in Photoshop. A Quick Mask is the most direct way to separate your subject from a background. Use the paint brush to swiftly paint the area to be hidden or revealed in Quick Mask mode.

The Quick Mask tool is found at the bottom of the Tools window. To hide an area, paint with Black as the foreground color. To reveal an area, paint it with White. These can be used in tandem to refine your selection. The area that will be masked turns a transparent red.

Hit Q on the keyboard to turn the Quick Mask into a selection. Now you can click Add Layer Mask in the Layers window and the background disappears.

File Types for Transparent Backgrounds

When you remove a background, you’re actually making the background “transparent.” To use transparency to the fullest, you must save your work in the right type of file.

PNG Files

PNG files support transparency for web and print, assuming the resolution is high for the latter. PNG is a raster, lossless compression file. By comparison, transparent areas in an image saved as a JPG will turn white. We break it down further in this article on must-know file formats.

If you’re in Photoshop, use Save For Web to access the file saving options. Find it under File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy) in the main menu at the top, or hold Command + Option + Shift and hit S.

SVG Files

Background Remover in Shutterstock Editor

Shutterstock Editor is the newest addition to these powerful background removal options. It’s a versatile, free editing tool giving you direct access to the entire Shutterstock image library and curated collections, where you can also customize your licensed image before downloading.

Image via Aleksey Boyko

The image background remover tool uses a process somewhere between PowerPoint’s Remove Background and Photoshop’s Quick Mask – the software does the heavy lifting, but you can make detailed refinements to the selection. It’s the perfect tool for someone who wants a quick, simple, and reliable way to remove backgrounds.

There are just three basics steps to using Editor’s Remove Background tool:

Go to Editor in your browser and upload your image, or use the search bar to select an image from the Shutterstock library. Click on Remove Background under Image Tools on the right side of the window. You’ll see something like the image below, where the program starts you off with its guess of the subject/background.

To get more precise, vary the brush size and Add/Remove areas that bleed into each other. Here’s a tip: Going smaller and clicking once, instead of painting by dragging the cursor, will let you control the selection more tightly. When you’re happy with your selection, hit Apply.

When you’re done editing the file, and adding any other elements or typography from the options in Editor, hit the red Download button in the upper corner.

Choose PNG for the file type (to preserve the transparency), and since you have the option, choose 300 DPI for the resolution just to ensure maximum quality.

More design tips, tricks, and essentials are just a click away…

How to Remove Backgrounds in Photoshop

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Removing the background from a photo can be one of the most challenging things to do in Photoshop. Whether you need to remove unwanted objects, remove an entire background, change the background color, or make the background transparent, we’ll show you all of the tools and tricks you’ll need to succeed!

Learn how to use powerful tools like the Pen Tool, Select and Mask, and more to completely change a background, make selections of people and objects, and place subjects in a totally new environment.

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Change Any Background

REMOVE PEOPLE FROM BACKGROUNDS

REMOVE OBJECTS FROM BACKGROUNDS

Remove Background From Any Image

Learn how to remove something from a picture or even remove an entire background with our tried and tested Photoshop techniques! Whether you have images of furniture on a plain colored background or photos of a friend in front of a busy city skyline, we’ll show you how to completely erase the background, change the background color, and even place them into a totally new environment.

Change Background Color

If you’re shooting products or fashion, being able to change a background color to complement the colors of your subject is a great skill to have! We show you step-by-step how to change the background color or change it to pure white. We even show you how to make a background transparent which is perfect for creating images to display on the web.

Make or Remove a White Background

Making or removing a white background is a common problem and we will show you how to do it in just a few clicks! We’ve developed some Photoshop techniques that will not only help you make perfect cut-outs but now it’s faster and easier than ever before.

CHANGE BACKGROUND COLORS IN PHOTOSHOP

Cut Out Hair in Photoshop

Hair is soft and detailed, making it one of the most tricky areas to select out of an image. In this tutorial, you will learn to master the tools and techniques necessary for hair masking in Photoshop. We take it a step further and show you how to add new hair using the Brush Tool and Clone Stamp Tool!

Cutting Out People & Products

Identify the specific challenges of cutting out different types of objects and learn how to tackle each individually! A product might often have smooth edges and curves where a person will have many different complex edges depending on their hair, skin, and wardrobe. We will show you how to identify areas and quickly choose the right tool for the job.

Refine Selections

Selections will change and evolve over time as you work on an image. Learn to use multiple tools in combination to create a perfect cutout. Use the Magic Wand Tool to get a rough selection, switch to the Pen Tool to handle the gentle curves of skin, and then finish it off with Curves to get every strand of natural hair!

CREATE ACCURATE SELECTIONS OF HAIR

Realistic Composites

Changing a background doesn’t have to be difficult! You just need to ask yourself a couple of questions. Where is the horizon in the original image? What colors are present? Where is the main light source? We will teach you what to look for and what questions to ask yourself to make a realistic composite!

Match Light & Color

It will take more than a clean selection to place a subject onto a new background. Learn how to use adjustment layers to replace and match light and color with the new environment. Take someone from a cool seaside to a warm city sunset in just a few minutes with Photoshop!

Replace a Sky

Have you taken the perfect landscape photo but wish that there was just a little bit more drama in the sky? We can help! Sky replacement is one of the most fun and effective uses of the skills you will learn in this tutorial! Turn a clear blue sky into one full of clouds or add the perfect sunset in just a few minutes.

Match Light & Color

Seamless Composite Images

Learn how to use a variety of powerful tools in Photoshop to match the lighting and color between two photos for a perfect composite!

CREATE PERFECT CUT OUTS WITH THE PEN TOOL

Selection Tools

Unfortunately, there’s no magical background eraser tool. But that doesn’t mean the process of cutting out a background has to be hard. Master the tools that professionals use to create accurate selections in Photoshop and learn to combine the power of the Pen Tool, Channels, the Brush Tool, Select and Mask, and more!

The Pen Tool

Learn to use the Pen Tool and start making perfect selections in Photoshop! If it has a hard edge, straight lines, and smooth curves, the Pen Tool is the ideal tool for cutting out an object. We break down all of the keyboard shortcuts you’ll need to master this tool and show you how Paths work in Photoshop.

The Magic Wand Tool

Creating any accurate selection can take minutes or can take hours depending on what tools you use and how precise you want to be. The Magic Wand Tool is a powerful option when you need speed and flexibility without sacrificing precision. Watch us use the Magic Wand Tool by itself and in combination with other tools to get the ideal selection.

REPLACE SKIES IN LANDSCAPE PHOTOS

ADD BACKGROUNDS TO PHOTOS

Channels

The Pen Tool and Lasso Tool are both great for cutting out objects that have a smooth and relatively hard surface – like furniture or a mountain landscape. For softer objects, Channels should be your go-to. From fluffy clouds to flowing hair, we’ll show you how to select it and extract it from its original background.

The Brush Tool

The most versatile tool in Photoshop is just as useful for making selections as it is for painting. Learn to use the Brush Tool to refine your layer masks, add blur along an edge, and even paint in realistic hair!

Select and Mask

The Select and Mask panel is one of the easiest tools to use that will help you create a perfect layer mask. We will show you how to take advantage of this tool and its many options to refine the edges of a selection, add feathering, and more!

Aaron Nace

PHLEARN Founder

Aaron Nace is a photographer, Photoshop artist and founder of PHLEARN. He is the #1 Photoshop instructor in the world with millions of YouTube subscribers.

Photoshop Compositing: Essential Tools & Techniques

How to Master Adjustment Layers in Photoshop

Photoshop Compositing: Masking and Cutting Out Subjects

Intro to Photoshop Compositing for Beginners

Reviews

Thanks for sharing knowledgeable tips, seems very helpful various ways of super cutout. Very well narrated – step-by-step in easy to understand language.

Excellent! Enjoy lot’s of things.

Excellent class. Aarons teaching style makes it easy to follow and understand the subject matter. Throughout the class segments he also adds some bonus knowledge to increase our skills. I have been an avid Photoshop user for 15 years and learn something new and useful from every one of Aaron’s classes.

Great thanks! Was wondering if you do a tute on depth maps and how you can use them to create more accurate depth of field (bokeh) for backgrounds you plop in. Also a focus stacking tutorial would be great too. Thanks!

I did not watch all the videos but want to make a comment that from all the videos that I have seen Aaron would be great if you would slow down on what your steps are. Because you state the the difficulty is medium and the one video that I watched was 22 minutes and trying to duplicate your step took me 1hour and 45 minutes because I would have keep going back over the video because you just kept going so fast over the steps

Absolutely marvelous! Thank you so much

This pro tutorial is flat out awsome Aaron! I learned a lot of new things. Thank you!

Finally updating myself to all the extraction, background removing techniques with the latest versions of Photoshop. I am an animal/dog photographer and illustrator and deal with hair all the time. Tutorials are fantastic. The section on extraction with channels and using the brush in overlay mode is worth the entire amount of subscription. Along with Von Glitska for Illustrator, Aaron is my favorite Photoshop instructor on the internet. ‘ve been following him on youtube and Phlearn for ages. It is like hanging out with a good friend or a sibling that are computer nerds, but know how to explain everything in a comprehensive, non-complicated, non-condescending manner.

WOW! Extremely comprehensive and easy to understand. Illustrator/designer looking to broaden my Photoshop skills, this tutorial surpasses any other tutorial I’ve found. Well worth the money. The section on channels is a game changer. Thank you so much for this gem!

The tutorials just get better on PHLearn. Forget about stressing when cutting the hair of your subject out. Just use channels to make the process a whole lot easier. Thanks Aaron Nace!! I will be alot more confident when cutting out subjects and replacing backgrounds.

Excellent tutorial, I like how you have covered all the bases. Will watch this a few times I think.

There has got to be an easier way to do things than with the Pen tool, which is a real time consumer. In a busy world, we don’t have time to spend hours cutting out things.

This tutorial was awesome, exactly what I was looking for. Had problems with making good selection, but now I know all the secrets. Great :)))))) So Happy :)))

Very good course I learned a lot of things that I didn’t know. I’m going to try and rewatch this video.

It’s official… Aaron is ‘the best thing since sliced bread’ when it comes to Photoshop tutorials.

Just this tutorial alone was worth the subscription – PHLEARN IS THE BEST. Keep it up Aaron.

This was a great class! I already have a good deal of experience with changing and removing backgrounds, but I still learned a ton. Thanks so much!

Fantastic, clear, concise and easy to follow instructions. Really are a great teacher! One thing though – where have you hidden the fur brush? I can’t find it!

This tutorial provides good in depth examples and practial exercies to get you more familiar with removing backgrounds. Aaron clearly explains the range of tools and techniques available along with example scenarios for their use. Highly recommended to all levels of Photoshop users.

If you’re looking for a single tutorial on this topic, this is the one! Excellent presentation of concepts followed up with step-by-step examples. A great companion to other tutorials such as “Photoshop Compositing: Masking and Cutting Out Subjects”.

Im gonna hold out for “how to change and remove Foregrounds” 🙂

A very helpful step by step approach to isolate subjects properly and non-destructively and then to put them onto new backgrounds with all the adaptation needed to merge them seamlessly. Especially the structured approach to address all the issues on light levels, saturation, colour matching and then re-colouring at the end were eye-openers for me on why I struggled with projects in the first place. I saw a number of tutorials on this on YT, but to get a real understanding on how to tackle this end-to-end, this is the first! Should be a game changer for my matte painting activities as well.

How to completely remove the background from an image?

I have an image (a logo) that was on a black background.

I have used Photoshop’s (CS5) Background Eraser Tool to remove the background.

This is great except that there are black (well grey/black) dots around the image on the curves.

How can I remove them?

8 Answers 8

When you get the logo alone paste it into a new file with a white background and then brush or delete those black dots, zoom it to the maximum for pixel perfection. I do the same when I have to work on small things.

You can also zoom in and use the erasertool, be sure to zoom in so you won’t forget any pixels.

You can use the magnetic lasso tool (or regular lasso tool) to crudely select the logo. Then, invert the selection (Selection>Invert), and hit the Del key.

Alternatively, you can select the background with the magic wand tool and delete it(I will talk about an effect to erase all the little dots later)

If you used the lasso tool, then use the magic wand tool to select the black background and hit Del

You can optionally use the eraser tool close to the edge, but it’s not really necessarily because the what I talk about next should get rid of the edge. If you want to make sure you dont erase the logo at all, use the magic wand tool to select the transparent area, and then use the regular lasso with Shift to add all the little dots. It should go fast if you use large circles to add all the dots.

To make jagged edges and little gray dots disappear

Whatever tool you used, you will probably need to remove the jagged edges and little gray dots it left behind.

You can select the transparent area with the magic wand tool and then select inverse then create a new mask (below all your layers rectangle with a dot in the center) then go to filter->blur->gausian blur and adjust the value until your jagged edge is highlighted (around 2.0 is ussually enough. Make sure you have the mask selected and not your regular layer otherwise it wont work )

Click OK and then go to image->adjustments->levels and play around with the sliders on the top (the one that has 3 sliders with the gray one in the middle)

Move the sliders beginning with the left one until the jagged edges are gone. Then move the the right one until the whole image is visible.

The jagged edges should now be gone and so should the background.