Remove a background a Photoshop

Remove a Background in Photoshop

2 minutes of reading - Digital Camera class for beginners - By

Photoshop techniques and tips 

How to quickly and precisely remove a background in Photoshop

Photoshop has many advanced tools; it could even be said there are too many advanced tools! One of my favourites is “Quick Selection Tool”. In this tutorial I am going to show you how to use the “Quick Selection Tool” to remove the background from your image.

Remove a background in Photoshop
Quick Selection tool in Photoshop is a perfect tool to remove a background precisely

There are a variety of tools for removing backgrounds in Photoshop, but when it comes to areas such as hair or texture, the Quick Selection Tool is the only one that you want to use. This tool can create a new layer with the layer mask which enables you to modify the selected area. This is a significant advantage, allowing you to mask or unmask areas in your selection as needed.

For this example I opened the photo in Photoshop, selected the quick selection tool, then I brushed around my subject to select the area.

Remove a background in Photoshop
Use Quick selection tool and bush on to your subject. If you make a mistake, just hold down the OPTION/ALT key and your brush changes to eraser.

After you’ve selected the subject, go to the top menu and click on the REFINE EDGE button.

If you make a mistake, just hold down the OPTION/ALT key and your brush changes to eraser.
REFINE EDGE

In the new window check the SMART RADIUS and if needed adjust the slider to have clean edges.

If you make a mistake, just hold down the OPTION/ALT key and your brush changes to eraser.
Check the edges and adjust the radius for a fine and smooth edge

Now the fun part starts!  In this example my model has nice curly hair and I want to separate the hair strands from the background. I picked the brush and started brushing around the head. By doing this Photoshop understands the colour of the background and removes it almost perfectly.

If you make a mistake, just hold down the OPTION/ALT key and your brush changes to eraser.
After adjusting the radius, select the brush tool and brush the areas that need more detail removing

 

If you make a mistake, just hold down the OPTION/ALT key and your brush changes to eraser.
After brushing the areas. You notice how Photoshop removed the background and kept the hair!

Then under OUTPUT select NEW LAYER WITH LAYER MASK from drop down menu.

If you make a mistake, just hold down the OPTION/ALT key and your brush changes to eraser.
This is the best part, as Photoshop creates a new layer with the layer mask

Job is done. Photoshop creates a new Layer with Layer Mask for you, which you can modify as you wish.

If you make a mistake, just hold down the OPTION/ALT key and your brush changes to eraser.
Layer and Mask for further editing!

Now that you have your subject with the background masked out, you can move the photo over onto a new background.

If you make a mistake, just hold down the OPTION/ALT key and your brush changes to eraser.
Look how precisely Photoshop removed the background. You can see the new background through the model hair

That is all for now. Stay tuned for my next tutorial: How to Create Digital Backdrop in Photoshop.

Ted and the Omnilargess Team

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