5 Working Ways to Remove Background of an Image in Photoshop

It is essential to remove the background of an image to avail yourself of new options or to change your background. They are different ways to remove backgrounds from images, but the most popular among all is by using photoshop. 

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Photoshop has advanced so much in the past few years that removing background is not a job. Photoshop provides you with multiple ways to perform your job in a more convenient method. Let's learn five quick ways to remove the background of an image in photoshop.

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5 Tools in Photoshop to Remove Image Background:

You will get the best result if you know how to remove the background from your images using Photoshop. Learn five ways of removing the background and find the method that suits you the most. Photoshop provides different tools to remove the background. All six tools are listed below; let's begin:

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1. Object Selection Tool:

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In 2023, Photoshop introduced a new feature which is Object Selection Tool. This tool is one of the most impressive additions to the software. It is the simplest and easiest tool used to remove backgrounds. Adobe Sensi AI technology is used in Object Selection Tool to perform the duty of subject selection in the images. 

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Procedure:

You must follow the following steps to remove the background from your photo while using the object selection tool. We will provide you with a step-by-step method to proceed.

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Step 1 - Start Photoshop on your PC and open your image in the software.

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Step 2 - Go to the toolbar on the left in the same menu as the Quick selection tool and select the Object Selection tool.

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Step 3 - Move your cursor around your subject with the help of a mouse and wait until it turns blue. If your subject does not turn blue after waiting for it, try another method by moving your cursor in tiny circles. Now, your subject is available for selection.

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Step 4 -  Press the Shift Key after selecting all the necessary objects you don't want to remove to erase the background. This shortcut key auto-selects every object by showing marching ants around every object.

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Step 5 - Now, you must select the background instead of objects to remove it. For that, go to Select> Inverse. Your Selection is inversed, and the background is selected, leaving the objects unselected.

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Step 6 - In this step, you need to unlock your image, depending on the background you need. After unlocking your photo, it is not considered a background anymore. For that, click on the lock on the right side of your photo's layer.

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Step 7 - After the last step, your photo layer name is changed to "Layer 0" if no other layer is present. Take a large brush, click the Eraser Tool, and erase your background.

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Reselecting Your Objects:

Photoshop won't lose the selections, so you don't have to be concerned. Click the Object Selection tool, then drag around the entities once more if you ever want to reselect them.

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2. By Quick Action:

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The built-in Photoshop Quick Action is the fastest method to remove image backgrounds. The Creative Cloud subscription of Photoshop 2021 presented the quick Action feature. It comes with an adobe background remover to give fast and efficient results.

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Pros:

It will be the best choice if you do it for your purpose. Quick Action will provide you with the speed you need, but it is imperfect. If your photo has high contrast between your subject and background or the subject has relatively simple lines.

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Cons:

As its name suggests, its speed of action is the least accurate. Quick Action will do most of the job for you, removing the background, but the results will not meet your expectations. But you can use any other method described in the article to refine your photo to fulfil your expectations quickly.

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Method:

Remove the background of your image in photoshop following the method described below. The method is divided into different steps for your ease.

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Step 1- Open your photo in Photoshop. Right-click your background layer; now click "Duplicate Layer" to form a new layer. A dialogue box will open; you will name your layer (name it your personal choice) and click Ok. Lastly, turn off the layer by clicking on the eye icon to the left of the original layer.

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Step 2 - Check whether your Property's Panel is open or not. If it is not open, go to Window> Properties and click it to open it on the right-hand side. 

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Step 3 - Click your new layer by going to the layer panel. To remove the background, select the button Remove Background under Quick Action. Remove Background button is present in the Properties Panel above Layer Panel.

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Step 4 - Since the background is eliminated quickly, your layer has a mask around the object.

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Further Refinements:

This short process of four quick steps does not provide accurate results. For further refinements, go into the mask and adjust as needed.

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3. Background Erase Tool:

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Background Erase Tool will be the best choice if you want to take complete control while removing the background and want Photoshop to perform most of the heavy job. 

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Pros:

The Background Erase Tool works best for contrast images. It will give you complete command and control while removing the background. The results produced will be highly efficient and meet your expectations.

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Cons:

The only drawback of this tool is time. Background Erase Tool requires time to give more control and to produce desired results. But the time required is directly dependent on the quality of your image. A high-quality image will require a little more time than a low-quality image.

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Procedure to Remove Background:

Background Eraser tool will remove the background from the image if you follow the steps given below:

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Step 1 - Open your photo in Photoshop. Right-click your background layer; now click "Duplicate Layer" to form a new layer. A dialogue box will open; you will name your layer (name it your personal choice) and click Ok. Lastly, turn off the layer by clicking on the eye icon to the left of the original layer.

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Step 2 - On the left-hand side, the Background eraser tool is in the toolbox. If not visible, check below the Eraser Tool for it. Long press Eraser Tool and more options will be displayed along with Background Eraser Tool; select it. You can also press E to highlight the eraser submenu.

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Step 3 - At the top of the screen, there is a Tool Options Bar. Go for the brush icon, select it, and the brush panel will open. Now change its hardness near to 100%. You are free to choose any size you think is acceptable for the photo you are working with—for example, 50 pixels. The brush size can be changed using square brackets ([and]).

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Step 4 - Sampling adjustment is present in the first three icons in the tool options bar after brush size selection. Go to the top and adjust the sampling to be continuous. Then, set the tolerance between 20 and 25 per cent and adjust the Limits to Find Edges.

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Be aware that tolerance is directly related to the detection of colour differences. If you set a high tolerance value, it will select more colours. In contrast, low tolerance will detect fewer differences in colour.

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Step 5 - Glide the brush around your subject to remove the background using this tool. Keeping the crosshairs inside the tool would be best so they will not touch your object. If you want more precise details, zoom in on the photo.

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Use of Brush:

Always use short strokes and leave the cursor occasionally. This trick will let you undo undesired strokes more often without removing the essential strokes. You can accomplish this by returning to the top tools option bar or by using "[" and "]" to alter the size of the brush down and up.

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Fixing Brush Issue:

If changing the brush's size doesn't fix the issue, and your subject is being erased, first reverse your action. Then, change the Sampling to Once and the Tolerance to about 10% in the tool options bar at the top. Because of these settings, the brush won't resample as you move and will only use the colour in the crosshairs.

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Colour Difference Issue:

Here's another approach if your subject keeps disappearing because the background colour and your subject are too similar. To protect the foreground colour, click (on the far right of the Tool menu). The eyedropper tool will appear when you press and hold the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) keys. Use it to sample the colour you want to keep safe from fading.

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4. Pen Tool:

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The most used tool for removing background from images is the pen tool. It is the easiest and most true method that Photoshop provides. The pen tool is straightforward and gives you the most control. This tool also has some advantages and disadvantages.

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Pros:

The pen tool is the best choice for images that are not highly contrasted. It is also effective when tools like Quick Action or Background Eraser do not provide efficient results. The pen tool gives the user complete control over the result.

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Cons:

The only drawback of this tool is time. Pen Tool requires time to give more control and to produce desired results. But the time required is directly dependent on the quality of your image. A high-quality image will require a little more time than a low-quality image. This tool is time-consuming and requires a lot of patience.

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Procedure:

You must follow all the steps below to remove the background from your photo while using the pen tool.

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Step 1 - This step is the same as the previous one. Open your photo in Photoshop. Right-click your background layer; now click "Duplicate Layer" to form a new layer. A dialogue box will open; you will name your layer (name it your personal choice) and click Ok. Lastly, turn off the layer by clicking on the eye icon to the left of the original layer.

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Step 2 - Click the Pen Tool from the toolbox on the left-hand side above the text tool. To start editing, zoom into an area of your photo. You can choose the starting area of your own choice, but it's better to start from the edges. 

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Step 3 - To begin the first anchor, click. After that, begin circling your subject while introducing new anchors to begin detailing it. If you need to create a curved line, click-hold-drag the desired shape, adjusting the curve as necessary.

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Step 4 - In the toolbox, under the Path Selection tool, select Direct Selection Tool. You can use this to fix any anchor point or other directional lines for fine-tuning. Use a keyboard shortcut (command + Z for macOS, control + Z for windows) or go to File > Undo to reverse an anchor.

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Step 5 - First, complete your path by meeting up with the first point. You will get the closed figure. If the result is according to your desire, you can save it. To save your path, go to Window> Paths on the right-hand side by default for the paths panel. Click New Path in the three-bar menu and give your path a suitable name. By following these steps, your path is saved.

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Step 6: Go to the path panel and right-click for your new path. Click to Make Selection, then press OK in the dialogue box. Your path will be outlined as marching ants.

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Step 7 - Now, you must select the background instead of objects to remove it. For that, go to Select> Inverse. Your Selection is inversed, and the background is selected, leaving the objects unselected.

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Step 8 - Press Delete to remove the background from your photo. Your photo will now have a white/grey checkered background instead of your previous background. You can use any other method and pen tool to get 100% results.

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5. Magnetic Lasso Tool:

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If you are looking for an easy method and want to take a quick tedious step of outlining your subject, this is the best option. It will quickly outline your subject and saves you time for further detailing.

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Preference:

Magnetic Lasso Tool would be the best option for the subject with complex edges and when it is highly contrasted from the background. It will also save you plenty of time.

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Method:

The magnetic Lasso tool will remove the background from the image if you follow the steps given below:

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Step 1 - This step is the same as the previous one. Open your photo in Photoshop. Right-click your background layer; now click "Duplicate Layer" to form a new layer. A dialogue box will open; you will name your layer (name it your personal choice) and click Ok. Lastly, turn off the layer by clicking on the eye icon to the left of the original layer.

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Step 2 - Go to the toolbox on the top left and choose the Magnetic lasso tool. Start outlining from the edges of your object with this tool. A path is formed as you hover the cursor around your object. Do it patiently to get the best results.

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Step 3 - First, complete your path by meeting up with the first point. You will get the closed figure. Click to Make Selection to turn your path into marching ants.

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Step 4 - Now, save your new path by clicking Save Selection in the Selection and name it.

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Step 5 - You must select the background instead of objects to remove it. For that, go to Select> Inverse. Your Selection will be inversed, and the background will be selected, leaving the objects unselected. Press Delete to remove the background from your photo.

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If you think the choice is changed, you can retry a few stages to get better results, or you can combine other methods described to reach satisfaction.

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Final Verdict:

Removing the background of an image is not difficult if you know the correct method. Some easiest and most popular methods are mentioned above. They will help you select the best method of your choice. You can adopt anyone of them and do your job quickly.