How to Remove Backgrounds, Objects, and More In Photoshop

You can do some pretty amazing things

Photography is difficult. Unwanted objects, distracting elements, and imperfect backgrounds often mar an otherwise great composition. Luckily, photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom include powerful tools for easy image edits that enable you to easily remove these elements.

In this article, we’ll cover how you can remove backgrounds, unwanted objects, and more in Photoshop.

3 Ways to Remove Backgrounds in Photoshop

Depending on the complexity of your subject, background removal with Photoshop is relatively easy. In this section, we’ll describe various tools you can use tomask and isolate your subjectsin Photoshop.

1. The Remove Background Tool

The easiest way to remove a background is by using Photoshop’s built-in removal tool. This method will work with clear-cut subjects but may struggle if there are no clear edges.

2. Use the Background Eraser

3. Use Selection Tools

Photoshop has several selection tools that enable you to fine-tune your subject selection and isolate them from the background. These include:

Once you’ve selected your subject, you can further refine your selection using the Select and Mask workspace. To do so, clickSelect and Mask.

There are various tools you can use to perfect your selection:

Finally, in theOutput SettingsselectLayer Maskand clickOK. Your subject will now be in a new layer in the layers panel, meaning you can delete the background layer as required.

Note:Alternatively, once you’ve made your selection, you can create the inverse selection (by pressingCtrl+I) so that you’re selecting the background. Then you can simply hitDeleteto remove it.

How to Remove Unwanted Objects

There are several ways to remove unwanted objects in Photoshop. To cut out clearly defined and large objects, like people and animals, the best method is to use the selection tools to make selections.

However, once the object is removed, you’ll be left with atransparent backgroundin its place. You can get around this using theContent-Aware Filltool as follows:

First, create a selection around your object. Depending on your image, you may need to take your time to carefully select the object. If your object is clearly defined, you can simply use theRectangular Marquee Toolto select the area around it.

Removing small objects is much easier. For this, you can use the following tools. Each of these will work better in different scenarios, so if one doesn’t give you the desired results, try the others.

To use this tool:

To use this tool:

To use this tool:

Create Perfect Images Using Photoshop CC

With this Photoshop tutorial for beginners, you will be able to easily remove the background of an image as well as people, unwanted objects, and more. Photoshop provides several tools and methods for removing objects, so if one method doesn’t give the desired results, try a combination until it’s perfect.

Jake Harfield is an Australian freelance writer whose passion is finding out how different technologies work. He has written for several online publications, focusing on explaining what he has learned to help others with their tech problems. He’s an avid hiker and birder, and in his spare time you’ll find him in the Aussie bush listening to the birdsong.Read Jake’s Full Bio

Welcome to Help Desk Geek- a blog full of tech tips from trusted tech experts. We have thousands of articles and guides to help you troubleshoot any issue. Our articles have been read over 150 million times since we launched in 2008.

HomeAbout UsEditorial StandardsContact UsTerms of Use

Copyright © 2008-2024 Help Desk Geek.com, LLC All Rights Reserved