How to Remove the Background of a Picture in Photoshop

 

USE THE MAGIC WAND

When you click an image with the Magic Wand, it automatically selects all adjacent pixels of the same color as the one you selected. It works best in images where the background is clear and heavily contrasts with the foreground. It works even better if there are no transparencies or complicated edges, such as frizzy hair.

It's the fourth-tool from the top in the tools Window. Use it to select the background of your image (hold Shift and continue to select additional elements if required).

USE THE LASSO

If your background is a little more complex, the Lasso tool gives you a lot of control over how to select it. The standard Lasso lets you free draw your selection; Polygonal Lasso lets you draw straight lines around your selection, while the Magnetic Lasso will try to stick to the edges of an element in the image. Press and hold over the Lasso (third from the top in the Tools menu) to choose which one to use.

USE A QUICK MASK

The Quick Mask tool is a more hands-on and nuanced way of selecting an element of an image.

1. 1. Select the Quick Mask tool, then select the Brush tool from the Tools menu.

   

2. 2. Using careful brush strokes, paint everything you want to select, and it will turn red. To fine-tune your selection, use the Erase tool or click the color switcher from black to white.

   

3. 3. When you're finished, select the Quick Mask tool again to see your selection.

   

4. 4. Once you've selected what you want to, press Delete to erase it. You can also cut or fill the background to remove it. If you remove the foreground instead, press Command/Ctrl-Z to undo, and then press Command/Ctrl-Shift-I to reverse the selection.

USE CHANNELS

The Channels option breaks your image's colors into its components so you can adjust them separately. You can also use it to remove the background. Here's how.

1. 1. Select Windows > Channel to open the Channels panel.

   

2. 2. Select each channel individually and look for the one with the greatest contrast between the foreground and background.

   

3. 3. Press Ctrl (or Command) and click the channel's thumbnail to select it. Invert your selection by pressing Ctrl (or Command)+Shift+I.

4. 4. Return to the Layers window and click the Add a Layer Mask button at the bottom. You might also find this option under Windows > Layers > Add Layer Mask.

5. 1. 

   2. 5. Photoshop will "mask off" everything you'd selected, leaving the rest.