Tips: How to Change/Remove Background in Photoshop/Elements

Changing or Removing Background is one of the trickiest and rewarding jobs. It has a lot of business value. Some great uses might be product images for an e-commerce site, any verification photo, profile picture, etc. Though it may sound easy it took much effort to accomplish this task.  

What is Changing or Removing The Background?

It carries the same meaning as the two words mention in the question. Every picture or image has some background may that be a natural object or solid colour. Now interchange that objects with another object or colour is called changing or erasing of background.

Photoshop has a couple of ways to erase the background. The methods vary depending on the difficulty or complexity of the image. There are two tools: 

1. The Magic Wand Tool
2. The Background Erase Tool

Magic wand tool is used for erasing the background of pictures with a simple background. On the other hand, the complicated background needs a background eraser tool.

Maneuver Erasing a Simple Background

1. Open the picture in Photoshop Explore to the layer window
   
2. Select Magic Eraser
3. Adjust Settings
4. Select The Background
5. Modify Minor Adjustments
6. Click your Object
7. Save

*** Open the image in Photoshop which background you want to remove by selecting:-> File->Open or Shortcut Key by pressing Ctrl+O (Windows), Command+O (MacOs).

*** Then Select the image from you location and hit Enter/Open. 

  *** Completed your normal clipping path & create two extra Layer.

Open The Picture in Photoshop: This technique works best with a simple background such as solid colour or close to a solid colour.

Explore The Layer Window: Normally, you will find this option on the right side of the window. Almost every picture that hasn't receive any edit will have only one layer called "background". Now, right-click on that layer and select "Layer from background". It will open the new layer window. Leave the choices at their presets and press OK. "Background" will change to "Layer 0". Doing this will open the picture, enabling you to edit it.

Select Magic Eraser: This is situated in the Eraser device menu. To get to it, click and hold the Eraser tool symbol. Click the Magic Eraser Tool from the menu that shows up.

Adjust Settings: When you select the Magic Eraser, you will see a few settings in the top menu bar. Modify them, so they appear to be like this:

Set Tolerance to 20-30. A low tolerance will shield portions of your unique picture from being eradicated when you utilise the tool. Modify the understanding to locate a level that works for your undertaking.

• Check the Anti-alias box.
• Check the Contiguous box.
• Set Opacity to 100%.

Select The Background: The magic eraser will make it into a transparent background by removing all the colours. For gradient backgrounds, the tolerance level will influence how many related colours have been removed.

Modify Minor Adjustments: For deleting solid colour background one click is enough to erase it. But you might have to make some small adjustments with the eraser tool.

Click your Object: Once you make sure of the complete removal of the background using the lasso tool. Use it to make a fuzzy line around the object. Press Ctrl+Shift+J (Windows) or Command+Shift+J (MacOs) to make "New Layer via Cut". It will put your object on a different layer from the old background. You would now be able to erase the background (Layer 0).

Save: Your background less image is ready to be used as it is or patched into another picture with another background. 

Changing a Complex Background

Steps:

• Open Image.
• Select Background Eraser Tool.
• Tune your Brush Option.
• Tune Limit and Sampling Settings.
• Use The Pen Tool.

Open Image: Start by opening a picture that you want to erase the background from.

Select the Background Eraser Tool: Select the Background Eraser tool from the Photoshop tool kit. It might be covered up underneath the Eraser tool. You have to select and hold for the option to be revealed.

Tune your Brush Option: In the toolbar at the highest point of the window, click the arrow symbol beside the brush shape. Set the Hardness to 100% with the goal that the edges of the brush expel as much as the middle. Set the width to a size that functions perfectly with the picture you have. You will be making broad strokes with the brush. Then next in the tool option you will find something called sampling, make the sampling continuous. Set the limits to detect edges and set a tolerance of somewhere between 20-25%. By using continuous sampling at the time of erasing background colour the tool will only delete colour similar to the centre of the circle. But if you want to delete something trickier like space between hairs you have to select discontinuous sampling. The tolerance is used to increase the range of colour that you are removing.

Tune Limit and Sampling Settings: Erase the background very carefully. The most successfully way of erasing background is: first erase the colour from the edges. In this case, be extra careful. If you have to zoom in for a clear view, then zoom in. You might find some colours hard to erase since they might be similar to your product. In that case, set the sampling to discontinuous and the tolerance rate to 30% or more. At this point, there is a 70% chance that you won't be needing any more tools.

Using Pen Tool: This a bit of advance technique for erasing the background. There are some types of pictures where you can't simply erase the background with an eraser. Because that might erase the original part of your product, that's why the pen tool is essential in those cases. With a pen tool, you can mark part more accurately than an eraser and erase.

To Sum up

To begin with erasing or changing background is not an easy job. It requires preciseness, patience and time. Once you get familiar with the Photoshop tools you can also do it, in most cases, you won't be using the Magic wand tool. Preferably you will be using Background eraser, but it's a 50%-5% chance. Background eraser won't be able to erase the background of all pictures. You also have to take into consideration tools like sampling, pen tool, tolerance, and even manual touches.