In this tutorial, we are going to learn how to remove a photo's background. We are going to cover how to remove an object from a solid color background, and from one with more going on in the background. For this tutorial, any pictures not taken by us can be found by clicking on the links at the bottom.
First, we are going to learn how to remove a background that is one solid color, throughout the entire image. We are going to use this apple photo.
Firstly, what we want to do, is to right click on the background layer, and make it a smart object. Now, right click the Quick Selection tool in the tool bar. It should be the fourth one on there. Then, left click, and select the Magic Wand tool.
The Magic Wand tool has just replaced the Quick Selection tool. Now, open the image you downloaded earlier. Afterwards, click on the background of the image, with the Magic Wand tool selected. It should have a dotted line, moving around the apple.
Select the eraser tool, and move it all around the image. It will only effect the background, and not the woman. If done correctly, your image should now look something like this.
The gray and white squares in the background represent that that part of the image has been erased, and there is nothing to replace it. In this case, it means the image no longer has a background.
Because the picture doesn't have background, anything can be placed behind the picture's layer, to create a new one. For example, let's take this picture of the beach, and add it into the image.
Click file, and then place. Now, locate the image, and select it. Extend the image, to make it cover the entire box. Now, move the background layer above the beach layer, and it should look like this.
Of course, this doesn't exactly look realistic, but it's not meant to. This is just the basics. In a future tutorial, we are going to learn how to place an object from an image, into another, and make it look realistic.
We have just learned how to remove a photo's background! However, that was a photo with just one color for its background. What would you do if the background was a gradient, or with a location behind it? Well, here's how. We are going to use this picture.
Once again, remember to make the layer a smart object.
First, select the 15th tool in the toolbar, known as the Pen Tool. What the Pen Tool does, is it can select a certain part of an image. When you click, a small dot appears. When you click in a different area, a new dot and a line joining the two will be created. When all dots come together to form one solid shape, only that area is editable.
Use the Pen Tool, to select only the apple in the middle. Try to be as accurate as possible.
It should now have one solid line around it.
Afterwards, click on the paths tab, and right click on work tab. Then, click on make selection. A message should pop up asking you for the feather amount. Feathering is slightly removing the edges of the selected area, to get rid of any mistakes made during Pen Tool use. For this picture, I used 8 for the feathering amount. Choose your amount, and click ok. The apple should now have moving line around it, like in the image before.
Now, as you may have guessed, the apple is now editable. However, the thing we want to edit is the background, not the apple. So, what we want to do, is click CTRL, Shift, and I on your keyboard (Command, Shift, and I, if you're on a Mac). This should reverse the effects, so that everything but the apple is selected. After that, you know what to do. Get the eraser tool, and erase the background.
We have just learned how to remove a Photo's background! This can be useful for several different effects. Now, that there may be little bits of the rest of the background, in the object. This can be fixed by being more careful during Pen Tool use, cautious uses of the eraser tool, or the Magic Wand tool, if possible. If you had any trouble in this tutorial, comment your problem in the comments below. We, or someone else, may help you.
