How to Make Background Transparent in Photoshop?

Backgrounds are significant for a picture. When uploading a photograph, you want to ensure that the background is clean and impressive. You may take hours to set the background of a picture right to get a perfect shot. However, with some pictures, it’s better without a background, like your company logo.

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You must place your company logo on the website, letterheads, and many other places. So, to have ease in placing that logo and making it appear prominently, you would need it not to have any background whatsoever. Even your signatures that you may have to place on soft copies of documents and agreements are better with transparent backgrounds.

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Moreover, when placing images on your website, it’s better to have transparent backgrounds so that they mix well with the design and layout of the webpage and don’t look out of sync. So, you can encounter many situations where pictures work better without a background.

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This makes you wonder if you can make the background transparent. Well, the good news is that you can do it. Photoshop has some options using which you can make the background transparent. Let’s walk you through those options to offer you a clear understanding of how to make the background transparent in Photoshop.

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How to make Background Transparent in Photoshop?

There are several ways in which you can make the background transparent in Photoshop-

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Step 1 - Use the quick action “Remove Background” tool available in Photoshop to remove background in just a few clicks.

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Step 2 - Do a little more labor and remove the background manually to get things done perfectly.

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Step 3 - Use AI Background Remover tool like Erase.bg to remove the background.

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Let us walk you through every method with the step-by-step procedure to remove the background and make it transparent in Photoshop.

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A. Quick Action Remove Background Tool

The Remove Background tool offers a simple way to quickly Change the background from an image and make it transparent. Now, this method only sometimes works. Still, it's worth knowing it as it will be great with simple pictures, and you would be able to save yourself a lot of time and effort that you would otherwise have to give when dealing with complex images from which you can remove the background only manually. 

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Below are the steps you need to follow to make the background transparent in Photoshop using the quick action remove background tool.

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Step 1 - Open the image and create another layer of the image in Photoshop. You can create this layer by selecting the entire image (CTRL+A), copying it (CTRL+C), and finally pasting it (CTRL+V) over the opened image.

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Step 2 - On the right side of your screen, find the "Layers" panel and click on the "eye" button that you see in the "background layer" option in that panel. This will hide the image's background, and you will only be working with the layer of the image you created in the previous step.

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Step 3 - Next, go to the "Properties Panel" on the right side of the screen and find and click the "Quick Action" settings icon.

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Step 4 - Find and click the "Remove Background" option in the further options.

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Once you do that, you only have to wait for the background removal process. Once done, your main image appears on a checkered pattern. This is your image with a transparent background.

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You can save the same in Photoshop format or PNG image format. Again, note that this method only works for some images. Sometimes, a part of the background may still be visible. You can remove that using the "Mask" option automatically created by Photoshop after you remove the background.

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This option comes with two paintbrushes - a black one to remove the remaining parts of the background and a white one to add any parts of the removed main image. Once you are happy with the masking, you can remove the background layer and save the image with a transparent background.

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If this doesn't work out for you as you expected, you will have to take the high road (sigh!). This means resorting to the manual method of removing the background from an image and making it transparent. Let's see how that works.

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B. Remove the Background from the Image Manually

The manual method of removing the background from an image will require you to use several selection tools in Photoshop. You need to get into the tricks and understand what tools work best for the work you wish to do and the result you wish to achieve from that. 

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However, before you can use any selection tool, you need to unlock the background layer of the photo. Let us stop confusing you and go straight to the step-by-step process of everything you need to do to make the background transparent in Photoshop manually.

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Unlock the Background Layer

Go to the Layers Pallete on the right-hand side of the screen and double-click on the “Layer 0” option. A pop-up menu will appear. Click on the “Ok” option in this menu. You are good to go with the background of the picture unlocked.

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Choosing and Using the Selection Tool

Now, this part is a bit tricky. Photoshop has many selection tools; what will work out for you will depend on the image you are working on. It’s best to understand every tool so you know what to select.

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• Magic Wand Tool selects all the objects in the picture with similar colours. You can select those objects and cut them out of the image, leaving the central part of the image you want as your result.

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• Select Object Tool helps you create a rough outline of an object. As you drag your cursor over the object, it will create a rough outline, and then you can work your way around to keep the desired things and remove the undesired ones.

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• Rectangular and Elliptical Marquee tools will help you out when you have to select either rectangular or elliptical objects. You only need to drag the marquee over the objects to be selected, and the AI of the program will do the rest of the work for you.

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• The Lasso tool allows you to make customized selections with a free-hand drawing motion on the image. You can create outlines over the image and make your selections. There are also polygonal and magnetic lasso tools that help you draw straight lines in free form to make the selections on the picture.

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Based on how simple or complex your picture is, you will need a single selection tool or a combination of them to make a perfect selection. You can start with the select object tool, use the magic wand to refine the edges, and then move on to the Lasso tool to make the selection more perfect and straightforward. You may have to make the selections in different stages.

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There are different options based on how you want to make the selection. When you wish to make an entirely new selection, use the “New Selection” option.

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If there are more than one selections to be made in different stages, use the “Add to Selection” option every time you make a selection using different selection tools. In case you have made any errors in the selection, which often happens, you don’t have to worry. You can undo the error by selecting the “Subtract from Selection” option.

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Deleting the Background

Now, you need to delete the background when you are through with the selection. There are two ways of doing this.

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1. In the main menu, go to the “Select” option; from the further options, click on “Inverse.” As soon as you click this option, the selection on the screen changes Background to selecting the background. All left to do then is to press the “Delete” button on your keyboard.

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2. Alternatively, you can go to the “Layers” panel, select the “Background Layer,” and then press the delete button on the keyboard. This will also leave your selection of the main image on the screen.

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3. Saving the Image with Transparent Background Once you delete the background, you will see the selected image with checkered boxes. This is your final image with a transparent background. You can save this image to your device in PSD or PNG format, whatever is preferable for you.
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Use AI Background Remover Tool like Erase.bg

While there are inbuilt options in Photoshop to make the background transparent, sometimes the quick action option may not work well, and you may want to spend only a little bit of time doing all the work manually. In such cases, you can resort to AI background remover tools.

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One of the best tools that you can use is Erase.bg. Erase.bg is an advanced background remover tool that automatically removes backgrounds from images and makes them transparent in just a few simple steps.

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You need to drop the image or upload it to the tool, and the rest of the task will be done automatically. You can add effects and other background colours or new backgrounds to the images based on your needs and preferences. Additionally, other intelligent editing options for the images help you achieve the perfect image you want to use for your purposes.

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Final Words

These are a few ways to make the background transparent in Photoshop. There is an in-built quick action tool in Photoshop that removes the background in just a few steps. However, it fails in complex images, so practising the manual method to Chnage the background is also essential. Another way you can remove the background of an image and make it transparent is using the Erase.bg tool.

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The tool is effortless and will do your task in a few seconds. What you choose depends on your preference. Hopefully, this article was helpful, and now you better understand how to make the background transparent in Photoshop.