How to Remove a Background from a Photo Using Photoshop

One common and super simple way to make a site look more modern is to add images that have a transparent background. In this article we will talk about how to remove a background in photoshop using a couple different methods.

NOTE: Please do not use any websites or unlicensed products to remove the backgrounds of images. You can see the approved tools on the resources page of styleguide, or on the post for the current approved graphics.

Remove Background Properties Button

This is probably the simplest way to remove the background of an image. Here are the steps and a great 1 minute video.

1. Open your image in Photoshop
2. Ensure the layer is unlocked
3. Open the Properties window. If you cannot find this window, click on the menu option Window in the top menu bar, and choose Properties from the list.
4. Then click the button Remove Background. This will typically do a great job as is if your image has a clear focal point.
5. If you need to edit the change, click the select option in the top menu, then choose the Select and Mask option from the list.
6. In the next window, make sure your transparency is set to 100
7. Then choose the selector option from the left menu.
8. To add pieces of the background back into the image, click the plus icon at the top.
9. To remove more areas of the background, choose the minus option.
10. Click ok once you have finished adjusting the background.
11. Now you have an image with a transparent background. Save your image as a PNG and you are finished.

Object Selection Tool

Another really quick way to remove a background is to use the object selection tool. Below are some steps as well as a 6 minute video for reference.

1. Open your image in Photoshop
2. Ensure the layer is unlocked
3. In the left menu click and hold the magic wand/quick select tool until the flyout menu appears.
4. You should see an option now for the Object Select Tool. Click this to activate the tool.
5. Now you can click and drag over your image to select the object you wish to have the background removed from.
6. This should give you a pretty good selection as is, but you can use the quick select tool as well as the lasso tools to add or remove parts of the selection.
7. Once you are satisfied with your selection, re-select your quick select tool and in the menu at the top click on the select and mask option.
8. As before you can further refine the selection in this window. The video tutorial will give you some more in depth instructions on refining the hair and other elements.
9. Once you have finished modifying your selection, click the ok button in the bottom right.
10. Save your image as a PNG and you are finished.

Quick Select Tool

This method is a little more tedious but can be really effective at getting the details you want. Here are the basics and a 9 minute video as well.

1. Open your image in Photoshop
2. Ensure the layer is unlocked
3. Select the Quick Select Tool for the left menu.
4. Make sure you have the plus option selected in the top menu.
5. Click and drag to free select the object, you can add and remove to your selection by clicking the plus and minus options at the top.
6. Once you are happy with your selection, you can copy and paste the selection onto a new layer by hitting ctrl+c and ctrl+v.
7. You may also choose to use the refining tools from the previous tutorials to further refine your selection if you wish.
8. Now you can hide the original layer and save your image as a PNG.