Photoshop CC 2020: How to Remove a Background

I am going to teach you how to remove a background from an image.

Open up photoshop

• Click File
• Click Open
• Select the image
• Click Open

Once you have located the picture that you want to separate from the background

• Zoom in

On Windows

• ALT + scroll

On Apple

• OPTION + scroll

Select Object Selection Tool (W)

If you can't find it you can hover over the 4th tool and right-click or press "W"

If you know how to use the Object Selection Tool you can skip this step

1. New Selection

• This one is a single selection tool that, you cant edit, subtract or do anything with it.

2. Add to Selection

• This one allows you to add to the current selection.

3. Subtraction from Selection

• This one allows you to removed from any existing selection

4. Intersect with Selection

• This one causes areas in both the new and existing selection to become the new selection.

There are 2 Modes

Rectangle

• This tool will allow you to create a box around the object that you want to select

Lasso

• This tool is a freehand selection

Select Subject

• This is a one-click selection (the computer will try and guess what is it that you want to select)

Select and Mask

• This will give you complete control over your layer mask and allows you to precisely define the edges of your selection

1. Make sure that you have the Mode set as Rectangle

2. Left click and drag the box around the object

• This will detect what it is that you are trying to select

This might not be as accurate as you want it however we can edit the selection.

The Object Selection Tool is tied in with the Quick Selection Tool and the Magic Wand.

Switch to the Quick Selection Tool

You can select either

Minus Tool - It gets rid of what is selected

Add Tool - It adds onto what is selected

Polygonal Lasso Tool - It allows you to manually edit it

Left Click add and ALT + Left Click to subtract

You can only find the Select and Mask button as long as you have one of the Selection Tools selected

Click the Refine Edge Tool which is the 2nd tool down

You can increase or decrease the size of your brush by clicking the square brackets on your keyboard

Use the brush to remove the unwanted areas around the object

Show Edge (J) - Allows you to preview the edges

Show Original (P) - Allows you to preview the original object before it has been edited

You can also turn up or down the Transparency with the bar to the right

The Edge Detection and Global Refinements allows you to sharpen your edges

Quick Selection Tool - It allows you to select more areas of the picture you want to add

Refine Edge Tool - It allows you to precisely select these areas of the picture you want to crop out

Brush Tool - It allows you to pain on the current layer

Object Selection Tool - It allows you to select the object in the picture

Lasso Tool - It allows you to wrap around the object or other areas

Free Hand Tool - It allows you to freely move around the image

Magnify Glass Tool - It allows you to zoom in and out

After you are done editing the object

Go to Output To

Select New Layer

Press Ok

Now you have removed the background from the image.

If the edges are a bit soft and not to your liking you can duplicate the image

On Windows

• CTRL + J

On Apple

• COMAND+ J

Then Merge the 2 layers together