One of the most useful skills in Photoshop is removing the background from an image. This allows you to fit your subject to any image without worrying about blending backgrounds or fighting with a lot of normal white. There are two ways to remove the background from an image, depending on how complex the background itself is. Check out this guide to know how to do it.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: removing a simple background
Step 1. Open the image in Photoshop Elements
This method works best when the background is solid or close to solid color.
Step 2. Go to the Layers window
It is usually located on the right side of the screen. Most images that have not been edited before will have only one layer called “Background”. Right click on this layer and select "From Background …".
A window with a new layer will open. Leave the options unchanged and click OK. The “Background” will change to “Layer 0”. This will unlock the image, allowing you to edit it
Step 3. Select the Magic Eraser tool
It's located in the Eraser menu. To get to it, click and hold the Eraser icon. Select the Magic Eraser from the menu that appears.
Step 4. Adjust the settings of the Magic Eraser
Once you have selected the Magic Eraser, you will see the settings in the top menu bar. Install them so that they are similar to these:
- Set the Tolerance to 20-30. Low tolerance will not remove parts of your original image when using the tool. Adjust the tolerance to find the level that suits your project.
- Check Edge smoothing.
- Check Outline Selection.
- Set the Opacity to 100%
Step 5. Click on the background
The magic eraser will erase all the color you clicked on, leaving it with a transparent background. The tolerance level also affects how many associated colors are removed (For gradient backgrounds).
Step 6. Make other minor adjustments
If you tried to remove a solid color background, then it should be completely removed in one click.
Step 7. Select your object
If you are comfortable with the distant background, you can use the Lasso tool to roughly select the subject. Press Ctrl + Shift + J to create a “New Cut On Layer”, this will place your object on a separate layer from the old background. Now you can remove the background layer (Layer 0).
Step 8. Save your image
You now have an object with a transparent background that can be superimposed on any picture.
Method 2 of 2: removing complex backgrounds
Step 1. Open the image you want to edit
This method will allow you to remove more complex backgrounds without removing the image object.
Step 2. Select the Background Eraser tool
Click and hold the Eraser icon until the Eraser menu appears. Select the Background Eraser tool.
Step 3. Set the brush settings
In the toolbar at the top of the window, click on the arrow icon next to the brush shape. Set the Hardness to 100% to erase the edges of the brush as hard as the center. Set the diameter that is acceptable for your image. You will be using wide brush strokes.
Step 4. Set the Constraints to the Edge Selection
This will remove the color you are highlighting in the circle, but only if the colors touch. That will allow not to remove the colors inside the image object, while removing only the background.
If you have places in the image where the background is inside the object (the clumps of hair through which the background is visible, for example), use the Non-touch setting to remove the background from individual parts
Step 5. Set the Tolerance low
Low bounds of assumption, clean up areas that are very similar to the selected color. High tolerance removes the border of color variation. Set your tolerance to 20-30.
Step 6. Move the cursor to the border of the object
You will see a circle with a cross in the center. The crosshair shows the "hover point" and removes the color where it appears inside the brush. It also performs color picks at the edges of any foreground object so that color regions are not visible if the foreground object is later pasted into another image.
Step 7. Click and drag to start erasing
You can run a circle over the object itself when erasing and this shouldn't spoil it, but don't let the crosshair in the circle touch the object, otherwise you will start deleting the hover colors..
Step 8. Track your work
As soon as you click and start deleting, you will immediately notice a checkerboard pattern in the areas that you erased. The chessboard is transparency.
Step 9. Continue deleting the area around the object
In some places, you will need to reduce the brush size to control accidental deletion of an area of an object. For example, in this image, you should change the size when erasing the areas between the petals.
Step 10. Focus on erasing the precise outline of the object
Once you have carefully selected the object, you can safely delete the remaining unnecessary areas with a standard eraser.
Step 11. Soften the borders
If you need to soften the edges of your object so that it blends better with any background that the object is superimposed on, use the Thumb Tool. Set its intensity to (20% or something) and sweep it around the border of the object. This will smooth out any hard lines.
Advice
The magic wand works best when the background is a single color and there is no similar outline around the image
Warnings
- The magic wand can remove part of your image if the background has similar colors to the image.
- If you save your project as a JPEG all your changes will not work