Mastering Background Removal in Photoshop: A Comprehensive Guide

Removing backgrounds from images is a fundamental skill in Photoshop, whether you’re a graphic designer, photographer, or just someone who wants to create visually appealing content. A clean, isolated subject can be used in various projects, from product photography for e-commerce to stunning composites and social media graphics. This comprehensive guide will walk you through several powerful techniques for background removal in Photoshop, enabling you to achieve professional-looking results.

Why Remove Backgrounds in Photoshop?

Before we dive into the ‘how,’ let’s quickly consider the ‘why.’ Removing backgrounds allows you to:

• Isolate Subjects: Focus attention solely on the main element of your image.
• Create Composites: Combine multiple images seamlessly.
• Change Backgrounds: Place your subject against a new color, pattern, or scene.
• Improve Product Photography: Create clean, consistent product shots for online stores.
• Enhance Graphic Designs: Incorporate isolated elements into your design projects.
• Prepare Images for Print: Ensure your images are optimized for professional printing.

Tools and Techniques for Background Removal

Photoshop offers a range of tools that can be used for background removal. The best tool for the job often depends on the complexity of the image and the type of background. Here’s an overview of the primary methods:

1. The Quick Selection Tool: Ideal for images with clearly defined subjects and backgrounds with good contrast.
2. The Magic Wand Tool: Best for selecting areas of similar color, useful when backgrounds are uniform.
3. The Lasso Tool (Regular, Polygonal, Magnetic): Provides manual selection capabilities, suitable for intricate details and varied edges.
4. The Pen Tool: The most precise and controlled tool, perfect for complex selections with fine details and curves.
5. The Background Eraser Tool: Quickly removes areas of the background based on color similarity, but can be destructive.
6. Layer Masks: The preferred non-destructive method to selectively hide or reveal parts of a layer.
7. Select and Mask Workspace: A powerful tool for refining selections, especially around hair and complex edges.

Detailed Steps for Background Removal in Photoshop

Let’s break down the steps involved in using these tools and techniques. We will start with the simplest methods and progress to more complex ones.

1. Using the Quick Selection Tool

The Quick Selection Tool is often the quickest way to select a subject with a relatively clear separation from the background.

Steps:

1. Open Your Image: Open the image you want to edit in Photoshop.
2. Select the Quick Selection Tool: Find it on the toolbar (it looks like a brush with a dotted circle). Or press ‘W’ on your keyboard.
3. Adjust the Brush Size: Use the bracket keys ([ for smaller, ] for larger) or the brush size option on the toolbar to adjust your brush size.
4. Click and Drag: Click and drag the brush over the subject you want to select. Photoshop will automatically detect and expand the selection along the edges of the object.
5. Add or Subtract from the Selection:
   • To add to the selection, keep dragging.
   • To subtract from the selection, hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) key while dragging over the area you want to deselect.
6. Refine the Selection: Zoom in on your image and fine-tune the selection by clicking on and dragging over the needed areas.
7. Add a Layer Mask: Once you have a satisfactory selection, click on the “Add Layer Mask” button at the bottom of the Layers panel (it looks like a rectangle with a circle in the middle). This will hide the selected area’s background and reveal the subject.

When to Use It: This method works best when the subject’s edges are clear and well-defined with good color contrast.

2. Using the Magic Wand Tool

The Magic Wand Tool excels at selecting areas of similar color. This makes it particularly useful for removing backgrounds with solid or uniform colors.

Steps:

1. Open Your Image: Open your image in Photoshop.
2. Select the Magic Wand Tool: Find it on the toolbar (it looks like a magic wand). Or press ‘W’ on your keyboard then keep pressing ‘Shift+W’ to alternate between the quick selection and magic wand tool.
3. Adjust the Tolerance: Adjust the tolerance in the options bar at the top. A lower tolerance will select only very similar colors, while a higher tolerance will select a wider range of colors. Start with a low to medium tolerance (around 20-30) and adjust as needed.
4. Click on the Background: Click on the area of the background you want to select. Photoshop will select all pixels of similar color based on your tolerance setting.
5. Add or Subtract from the Selection:
   • To add to the selection, hold down the Shift key and click on additional areas of the background.
   • To subtract from the selection, hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) key and click on areas you wish to deselect.
6. Refine the Selection: Zoom in and fine tune the selection.
7. Add a Layer Mask: Once you’re satisfied with your selection, add a Layer Mask as before.

When to Use It: This method works best when you have a simple background with solid or very similar colors.

3. Using the Lasso Tool (Regular, Polygonal, Magnetic)

The Lasso Tool provides more manual control and comes in three different types:

Regular Lasso Tool: For freehand selections.

Polygonal Lasso Tool: For creating straight-edged selections.

Magnetic Lasso Tool: For snapping to edges based on color contrast.

Steps:

1. Open Your Image: Open the image you want to edit.
2. Select the Lasso Tool: Find the Lasso Tool on the toolbar (it looks like a lasso). You can click and hold to choose between the three types. Or press ‘L’ on your keyboard and keep pressing ‘Shift+L’ to alternate between the tools.
3. Make Your Selection:
   • Regular Lasso Tool: Click and drag to draw a freehand selection around the subject.
   • Polygonal Lasso Tool: Click to place anchor points creating straight lines around the subject. Click again to close the selection.
   • Magnetic Lasso Tool: Click once on the edge of the subject, then move your mouse along the edge, Photoshop will snap to the edge based on color and contrast. Click to place additional anchor points, when you reach your initial click click to finalize the selection.
4. Refine the Selection: As before add or subtract areas to get the desired selection.
5. Add a Layer Mask: Add a layer mask once your selection is ready.

When to Use It:

• Regular Lasso Tool: Use when you need a quick freehand selection.
• Polygonal Lasso Tool: Perfect for selecting objects with straight edges.
• Magnetic Lasso Tool: Ideal for subjects with clear, high-contrast edges, however this tool might require more refinements than the quick selection tool.

4. Using the Pen Tool

The Pen Tool is the gold standard for precise selections, especially when dealing with complex edges, curves, and fine details.

Steps:

1. Open Your Image: Open the image you want to edit in Photoshop.
2. Select the Pen Tool: Find the Pen Tool on the toolbar (it looks like a pen nib). Or press ‘P’ on your keyboard.
3. Create a Path:
   • Click to create anchor points.
   • Click and drag to create curved segments, adjust the handles to control the curve.
   • Continue around the subject until you reach your starting point, clicking on it to close the path.
4. Convert the Path into a Selection:
   • Go to the “Paths” panel (Window > Paths).
   • Right-click on the path and select “Make Selection”.
   • Adjust the feather radius if necessary to smooth the selection edges.
5. Add a Layer Mask: As before add a layer mask to hide the background based on your selection.

When to Use It: Use it for all complex objects that need a precise selection, especially when using paths, this tool is also great for isolating text and objects with lots of curved edges.

5. Using the Background Eraser Tool

The Background Eraser Tool can quickly remove background areas based on color similarity, but it’s a destructive tool because it erases pixels rather than using a mask. This is better suited for simple projects and quick edits. Use a duplicate layer and non-destructive method when possible

Steps:

1. Open Your Image and Duplicate the Layer: Open your image in Photoshop and duplicate the background layer (Ctrl/Cmd + J).
2. Select the Background Eraser Tool: Find the Background Eraser Tool (it’s under the Eraser Tool).
3. Adjust Settings:
   • Brush Size: Use the bracket keys to change the brush size.
   • Tolerance: Adjust the tolerance in the options bar (similar to the Magic Wand).
   • Sampling: Usually, ‘Continuous’ sampling is the best option, but experiment with the other options as needed.
   • Limits: ‘Discontiguous’ sampling will target areas of the same color only under the brush. ‘Contiguous’ will erase all similar pixels next to each other. ‘Find edges’ will do the same thing as contiguous but better preserved edges.
4. Erase the Background: Click and drag over the background area you wish to erase.
5. Refine the Edges: If necessary, zoom in and refine edges by reducing the brush size and tolerance.

When to Use It: Use with caution this tool is useful for simple, quick edits. Always use a duplicate layer.

6. Using Layer Masks

Layer masks are fundamental in non-destructive editing. They don’t erase pixels but instead hide or reveal portions of a layer. All previously discussed methods can be used to generate a selection that is later turned into a mask.

Steps:

1. Select Your Subject: Use one of the selection tools discussed above (Quick Selection, Magic Wand, Lasso, Pen) to create a selection around the subject or the background.
2. Add a Layer Mask: In the layers panel click on the mask button to add a layer mask. If you had selected the subject, then the background is hidden. If you had selected the background then the subject is hidden.
3. Refine the Mask:
   • To reveal more of the layer (background or subject), paint on the layer mask using a soft brush with white color.
   • To hide more of the layer, paint on the mask using a soft brush with black color.
   • Use gray tones to create transparency.

When to Use It: Layer Masks should be used in almost every non-destructive edit. They allow you to easily fix mistakes without having to redo selections.

7. Using the Select and Mask Workspace

The Select and Mask workspace offers advanced features for refining complex selections, especially around hair, fur, and other difficult edges.

Steps:

1. Make a Basic Selection: Use any of the tools (Quick Selection, Lasso, etc.) to make an initial selection around the subject.
2. Enter the Select and Mask Workspace: Go to “Select > Select and Mask” in the top menu, this will open the Select and Mask window.
3. Adjust the View: In the properties panel choose a view mode you are comfortable with, such as Overlay, On Black, On White etc.
4. Use the Refine Edge Brush: Use the Refine Edge Brush tool on the toolbar (it’s located next to the brush tool). This tool allows you to refine selections along complex edges, especially around hair. Use it on the edges of the selection to see the magic happen.
5. Use the Brush Tool: The normal brush can be used to add or subtract from the selection, by changing the mode to add or subtract respectively in the tools panel.
6. Global Refinements: Adjust the global refinement settings such as Smoothing, Feather, Contrast, and Shift Edge as needed.
7. Output Selection: Choose the ‘Output To’ option from the dropdown menu. The recommended option is ‘Layer Mask’.
8. Click OK: When you are satisfied with the refinements, click the “OK” button to create the layer mask.

When to Use It: This powerful feature is best used for complex selections, especially around hair, fur, and detailed edges. The Refine Edge brush can also be used to restore the original details when editing the mask manually with a brush.

Tips for Better Background Removal

• Work Non-Destructively: Always use layer masks instead of directly erasing pixels. This allows you to make changes without losing original information.
• Zoom In: Zoom in to see fine details and work precisely on the edges of your selection.
• Use a Soft Brush: Use a soft, round brush when working with layer masks to avoid harsh, unnatural edges.
• Practice: The more you practice, the better you will become at selecting subjects.
• Consider the Background: Always be mindful of the type of background you’re removing. For example, a noisy background might need more refinement and a different tool than a solid-colored background.
• Feathering and Smoothing: Feathering or smoothing your selection helps to create a less-harsh edge. This is important when you are placing the isolated subject in a new image to prevent it from looking out of place.
• Use a Tablet and Pen: If you find it difficult to make precise selections with a mouse, try using a graphics tablet and pen.
• Watch Tutorials: There are countless video tutorials online that can show you how to improve your background removal skills.

Conclusion

Mastering background removal in Photoshop is an essential skill for any creative professional. By using the right tools and techniques, you can achieve professional-looking results and create stunning images. Start with the simplest methods and gradually move towards more advanced techniques as your skills improve. Remember to practice, be patient, and don’t be afraid to experiment. With the knowledge shared in this comprehensive guide, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a Photoshop background removal expert.