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How to Remove Backgrounds in Photoshop: A Step-By-Step Tutorial.

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In today’s digital age, images play an important role in communication, marketing, and branding. Often, images need to be edited and manipulated to meet specific requirements, such as removing the background. Removing the background from an image can be a time-consuming task, but with the right tools and techniques, it can be done efficiently and effectively.

One of the most popular tools for removing backgrounds is Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop is a powerful image editing software that provides users with a wide range of tools and features to manipulate and enhance images. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of removing the background from an image using Photoshop.

Whether you are a professional graphic designer, a business owner, or just someone who wants to edit their images, learning how to remove backgrounds in Photoshop can be a valuable skill to have. With a little practice, you can create stunning images that grab the viewer’s attention and help you achieve your goals.

How to Remove Backgrounds in Photoshop: A Step-By-Step Tutorial_

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to remove backgrounds in Photoshop:

Step 1: Open the image you want to work on

Open the image you want to remove the background from in Photoshop. Go to File > Open and select your image.

Step 2: Create a duplicate layer

To preserve the original image, create a duplicate layer by going to Layer > Duplicate Layer. Name the new layer “Background Removal.”

Step 3: Select the Magic Wand tool

Select the Magic Wand tool from the toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen. You can also use the keyboard shortcut “W” to select this tool.

Step 4: Select the background

Click on the background area you want to remove. The Magic Wand tool will automatically select the area based on the color and texture.

Step 5: Refine the selection

If the Magic Wand tool didn’t select the entire background area, you can add to the selection by holding down the Shift key and clicking on additional areas. Alternatively, you can subtract from the selection by holding down the Alt key and clicking on areas you want to remove from the selection.

Step 6: Inverse the selection

Once you have the background selected, inverse the selection by going to Select > Inverse. This will select the object you want to keep instead of the background.

Step 7: Refine the selection

Use the Refine Edge tool to refine the selection. Go to Select > Refine Edge. You can adjust the Smooth, Feather, Contrast, and Shift Edge sliders to refine the selection. Preview the changes by selecting the Preview checkbox.

Step 8: Output the selection

Once you’re satisfied with the selection, output it by selecting the output method from the dropdown menu in the Refine Edge tool. The most common output method is Layer Mask.

Step 9: Save your work

Save your work by going to File > Save or File > Save As. Save your image as a PNG file to preserve the transparency.

That’s it! With these steps, you should be able to remove the background from any image in Photoshop.

Step 1: Open the image you want to work on

1. Launch Photoshop: First, you need to launch Adobe Photoshop on your computer. You can do this by double-clicking the Photoshop icon on your desktop or by searching for it in your applications folder.

2. Open the image: Once you have launched Photoshop, you can open the image you want to work on. Go to the “File” menu at the top of the screen and click on “Open.” Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl + O” on Windows or “Cmd + O” on Mac. This will open a file explorer window where you can browse and select the image file you want to open.

3. Select the image: Once you have found the image you want to work on, click on it to select it and then click on the “Open” button. This will open the image in Photoshop, and you can begin working on it.

4. Check the image size: Before you start removing the background, it’s a good idea to check the size of the image. If the image is very large, it may take longer to edit and manipulate. You can check the image size by going to the “Image” menu at the top of the screen and selecting “Image Size.” This will bring up a dialog box that shows you the dimensions and resolution of the image.

5. Save a copy of the original: Before you start editing the image, it’s a good idea to save a copy of the original file. This way, you can always go back to the original if you make a mistake or if you want to try a different approach. You can make a copy of the original by going to the “File” menu and selecting “Save As.” Give the copy a new name and save it in a different location than the original file.

That’s it for Step 1. By following these steps, you should be able to open the image you want to work on in Photoshop and get it ready for editing.

Step 2: Create a duplicate layer

1. Layers in Photoshop: Before we begin, it’s important to understand how layers work in Photoshop. Layers are like transparent sheets that you can stack on top of each other to create a composite image. Each layer can contain different elements of the image, such as the background, objects, text, and so on. By working with layers, you can edit and manipulate individual elements of the image without affecting the others.

2. Duplicate layer: Now that you have opened the image in Photoshop, the first step in removing the background is to create a duplicate layer of the original image. This is important because you want to preserve the original image in case you make any mistakes or want to start over.

3. To create a duplicate layer, go to the “Layers” panel on the right-hand side of the screen. If you can’t see the Layers panel, go to the “Window” menu at the top of the screen and select “Layers” to show it.

4. In the Layers panel, you should see a thumbnail of the image with a single layer named “Background.” Right-click on the Background layer and select “Duplicate Layer” from the context menu.

5. Name the layer: In the Duplicate Layer dialog box that appears, give the new layer a name such as “Background Removal” or any other name that makes sense to you. Click “OK” to create the duplicate layer.

6. Layer stack: After creating the duplicate layer, you should see two layers in the Layers panel – the original “Background” layer and the new “Background Removal” layer. The “Background Removal” layer should be highlighted in blue, indicating that it’s the active layer.

7. Hide the original layer: To make it easier to see what you’re doing when removing the background, you can hide the original “Background” layer by clicking on the eye icon next to it in the Layers panel. This will make the layer invisible but won’t delete it.

That’s it for Step 2. By following these steps, you should now have a duplicate layer of the original image that you can work on without affecting the original.

Step 3: Select the Magic Wand tool

1. The Magic Wand tool: The Magic Wand tool is a selection tool in Photoshop that allows you to select pixels of a similar color or tone in an image. It’s an excellent tool to use for selecting the background of an image because the background is usually a consistent color or tone.

2. Select the tool: To select the Magic Wand tool, click on the “Wand” icon in the toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen. Alternatively, you can press the “W” key on your keyboard to select the tool quickly.

3. Tool options: Once you have selected the Magic Wand tool, you will see some options for the tool at the top of the screen. The most important options are the “Tolerance” and “Anti-alias” settings.

4. Tolerance: The “Tolerance” setting controls how closely the Magic Wand tool will match the color or tone of the pixels you click on. A higher tolerance will select more pixels, while a lower tolerance will select fewer pixels.

5. Anti-alias: The “Anti-alias” option smooths the edges of the selection to make it look more natural. It’s a good idea to have this option enabled when removing the background.

6. Select the background: To use the Magic Wand tool to select the background, simply click on a part of the background with the tool. The tool will select all the pixels of a similar color or tone to the ones you clicked on.

7. Refine the selection: After selecting the background, you may need to refine the selection to ensure that all the background is included. You can do this by holding down the “Shift” key on your keyboard and clicking on other areas of the background to add them to the selection. If you accidentally select part of the foreground, you can hold down the “Alt” key on your keyboard and click on that part of the image to remove it from the selection.

That’s it for Step 3. By following these steps, you should now have selected the background of the image using the Magic Wand tool. In the next step, we’ll use the selection to remove the background from the image.

Step 4: Select the background

I believe you may have meant Step 4 as “Refine the selection” instead of “Select the background” as it has already been covered in Step 3. Here’s a more detailed explanation of Step 4:

1. Refining the selection: Once you have made a rough selection of the background using the Magic Wand tool, you’ll need to refine the selection to ensure that all the areas of the background are included and no parts of the foreground are selected.

2. Feather the edges: One way to refine the selection is to feather the edges, which softens the transition between the selected and unselected areas of the image. To feather the edges, go to the “Select” menu at the top of the screen and select “Feather.” In the “Feather Selection” dialog box that appears, enter a value between 1 and 5 pixels, depending on the size of the image and the level of feathering you want.

3. Refine Edge tool: Another way to refine the selection is to use the Refine Edge tool. To access the Refine Edge tool, go to the “Select” menu and select “Refine Edge.” The Refine Edge dialog box will appear.

4. Edge detection: In the Refine Edge dialog box, use the “Edge Detection” settings to adjust the selection to include all the areas of the background. The “Radius” setting controls how far out from the edge of the selection the tool looks for edges. The “Smart Radius” option can help the tool to detect edges more accurately.

5. Smooth and Feather: The “Smooth” and “Feather” options can be used to adjust the selection further. “Smooth” will smooth out any jagged edges in the selection, while “Feather” will soften the edges of the selection.

6. Output: Finally, use the “Output” settings to determine how you want to use the selection. For example, you can choose to output the selection as a new layer, a layer mask, or a selection.

7. Preview: You can preview your refined selection in the preview window at the bottom of the Refine Edge dialog box. When you’re happy with the selection, click “OK” to apply it.

That’s it for Step 4. By following these steps, you should have refined your selection of the background using either feathering or the Refine Edge tool. In the next step, we’ll use the selection to remove the background from the image.

Step 5: Refine the selection

1. After selecting the background using the Magic Wand tool in Step 3, you need to refine the selection to ensure that all the areas of the background are selected and no parts of the foreground are included.

2. Use the Quick Selection tool: One way to refine the selection is to use the Quick Selection tool. Select the Quick Selection tool from the toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen or press the “W” key on your keyboard.

3. Brush size: Adjust the brush size of the Quick Selection tool to match the area you want to select. You can do this by using the bracket keys ([ and ]) on your keyboard or by moving the slider in the options bar at the top of the screen.

4. Add or subtract from the selection: Use the Quick Selection tool to add to or subtract from the selection by brushing over the areas you want to include or exclude. You can also use the Lasso tool to manually add or subtract from the selection by drawing around the edges of the object.

5. Refine Edge tool: If the edges of the object are not well-defined, you can use the Refine Edge tool to smooth them out. Go to the “Select” menu and choose “Refine Edge.” In the Refine Edge dialog box, use the various sliders and options to adjust the selection. The “Smooth” and “Feather” sliders can be used to make the selection edges smoother and more natural-looking.

6. Output: Once you’re happy with the selection, choose an output option from the “Output To” drop-down menu. You can choose to output the selection to a new layer with a layer mask, or to a new document with a transparent background.

7. Preview: You can preview your selection by choosing a preview option from the “View” drop-down menu. You can choose to view the selection against a black, white, or transparent background.

That’s it for Step 5. By following these steps, you should have refined your selection using the Quick Selection tool and the Refine Edge tool to ensure that only the object you want to keep is selected. In the next step, we’ll use the selection to remove the background from the image.

Step 6: Inverse the selection

1. Once you have made a selection of the object you want to keep, you need to inverse the selection to select the background.

2. To do this, go to the “Select” menu at the top of the screen and choose “Inverse.” Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Shift+Ctrl+I (Windows) or Shift+Command+I (Mac).

3. This will select everything except the object you want to keep, which should now have a dotted outline around it. You should see a selection around the background instead of the object.

4. This is the opposite of the selection you made in Step 3. Now that the background is selected, you can remove it.

That’s it for Step 6. By following these steps, you should have inverted the selection to select the background, which is now ready to be removed. In the next step, we’ll use a layer mask to remove the background.

Step 7: Refine the selection

1. Once you have made a selection of the object you want to keep using the Magic Wand tool, you may need to refine the selection to ensure that all the areas of the object are selected and no parts of the background are included.

2. One way to refine the selection is to use the Refine Edge tool. To access this tool, go to the “Select” menu at the top of the screen and choose “Select and Mask.”

3. In the Select and Mask dialog box, you can use various tools to refine the selection. The “View Mode” drop-down menu allows you to view the selection against different backgrounds, such as black or white.

4. The “Refine Edge Brush” tool allows you to refine the selection by painting over the edges of the object. Use a small brush size and zoom in on the edges for greater precision.

5. You can also use the “Edge Detection” option to help Photoshop automatically detect the edges of the object. The “Smart Radius” option can be used to adjust the radius of the edge detection, while the “Decontaminate Colors” option can be used to remove any color fringing around the edges of the object.

6. Once you’re happy with the selection, click “OK” to apply the changes.

That’s it for Step 5. By following these steps, you should have refined your selection using the Refine Edge tool to ensure that only the object you want to keep is selected. In the next step, we’ll invert the selection to select the background.

Step 8: Output the selection

Here are some steps you can follow to output the selection:

1. Once you are satisfied with the selection and the background removal, make sure the layer with the object is selected in the Layers panel.

2. Go to “File” in the top menu bar and select “Save As”.

3. In the “Save As” dialog box, choose a file format that supports transparency, such as PNG or TIFF. If you need to compress the image file, you can choose JPEG, but make sure to select “Maximum” or “High” quality to avoid losing too much detail.

4. Choose a location to save the file and give it a name.

5. Click “Save” to save the image with the new background removed and the object on a transparent background.

6. If you need to resize or adjust the image further, you can use the “Image Size” or “Canvas Size” options under the “Image” menu.

7. Once you are done making adjustments, save the image again to finalize the changes.

That’s it for outputting the selection. By following these steps, you should be able to save the final image in the desired format and size.

Step 9: Save your work

Saving your work is an important step in any image editing process to ensure that you don’t lose any progress you have made. Here are some steps you can follow to save your work while removing the background of an image in Photoshop:

1. Click on “File” in the top menu bar and choose “Save As” or “Save” if you have already saved the image once.

2. In the “Save As” dialog box, choose a name for your file and select the location where you want to save it.

3. Choose the file format you want to save the image in. JPEG, PNG, and TIFF are popular file formats for saving edited images.

4. If you want to compress the file size, select “Maximum” or “High” quality for JPEG format, or use the compression options available for other formats.

5. Click on the “Save” button to save the image with your changes.

6. If you want to keep working on the image, you can continue making edits and saving the image as you go along. It’s always a good idea to save multiple versions of your work in case you need to go back to a previous version later on.

7. If you need to take a break or close Photoshop, make sure to save your work before exiting the application. This will ensure that all of your changes are saved and you can continue from where you left off the next time you open the file.

That’s it for saving your work. By following these steps, you can save your edited image as you work on removing the background in Photoshop.

Removing backgrounds in Photoshop is a common task that is often required when working with images. By following the step-by-step tutorial outlined above, you can learn how to remove the background from an image and create a transparent background. The process involves opening the image, creating a duplicate layer, selecting the background with the Magic Wand tool, refining the selection, inverting the selection, and refining it again. Once the background has been removed, you can output the selection and save your work.

While the steps may seem complicated at first, with practice, you can become proficient at removing backgrounds in Photoshop. This skill is useful for a variety of purposes, such as creating product images for an online store or creating custom graphics for a website or social media. With the right tools and techniques, you can easily remove backgrounds and create stunning images that grab the viewer’s attention.

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