How to Isolate an Image from the Background in Photoshop

PDF download Download Article
Separate an image and background into different layers.
PDF download Download Article

Separating images into layers is one of the basic skills of Photoshop. If you're new to Photoshop, this is a great way to get used to the program's selection tools and layers. And, if you just need a refresher, learning to separate images can teach how to use shortcuts and make precise selections. This wikiHow article teaches you how to separate an image from the background in Photoshop with expert tips from graphic designer Richard Marczewski.

Separate an Image from the Background

  1. Import or open an image.
  2. Click Select > Select and Mask .
  3. Use the tools to select the parts of an image you want to separate.
  4. Use the options to the left to refine the edges of your selection.
  5. Select New Layer and Layer Mask next to “Output To.”
  6. Click Ok .
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Using Select and Mask

PDF download Download Article
  1. 1
    Import or open a photo in Photoshop. You can open a photo in Photoshop by right-clicking it and clicking Open with and then selecting Photoshop. You can also import an image into a Photoshop document by clicking File in the menu bar at the top, followed by Place . Select an image and click the document to place it.
  2. 2
    Open the Select and Mask workspace. The Select and Mask workspace has tools that allow you to quickly select sections of the image you want to separate from the background. To open the Select and Mask workspace, select the layer with the image and then click Select in the menu bar at the top, and then click Select and Mask .
    • The Select and Mask option is not available in older versions of Photoshop.
    Advertisement
  3. 3
    Click Select Subject at the top. This option will automatically detect the subject of your photo and create a selection automatically using AI. According to Marczewski, you can make selections easily using AI. However, you may need to do a little work to refine the selection.
    • Click Refine Hair next to the Select Subject to try to detect hair and hard-to-capture spots.
    • Use the drop-down menu next to the Subject Select button to select a detection method. Using Device will provide quick but less accurate results. Selecting Cloud will use Adobe’s servers to provide a more accurate result.
  4. 4
    Use the tools to manually select the parts of the image you want to separate. There are a variety of tools in the Select and Mask workspace that you can use to make selections. You can use these tools to select parts of the image that the Select Subject option missed. The selected parts will appear in full color. The unselected part will appear transparent over a checkerboard pattern. The following are some of the tools you can use. [1]
    • Use the Quick Select tool to select the parts of the image you want to separate by painting over them. Photoshop will automatically detect the edges of the shapes you are trying to select as you paint over them. The Quick Select tool resembles a paintbrush over a dotted circle.
    • The Brush tool allows you to add or remove parts of your selection by painting over it. It’s the tool that resembles a brush. Unlike the Quick Select tool, this tool will not try to detect the shape you are trying to select. When you select this tool, you can control how big the brush is at the top and what type of brush you want to use. You can also click the plus and minus icons to switch to Add to Selection mode or Subtract from Selection mode.
    • The Object Selection tool allows you to select basic shapes, such as a rectangle or ellipse. It has an icon that resembles a dotted rectangle. Click and hold this icon to display the marquee (rectangle) selection tool and the ellipse (round) selection tool. Click and drag to make a selection.
    • The Lasso tool allows you to trace an outline of the selection you want to keep by tracing around the edges. It resembles a lasso in the toolbar to the left. Just as with the brush tool, you can add to your selection or subtract from your selection by clicking the plus or minus sign at the top of the screen.
      • There are different types of Lasso tools you can use. Click and hold the Lasso tool in the toolbar to display the different Lasso tool options. The Magnetic Lasso tools will try to automatically detect the edges of the shape you are tracing as you trace. The Polygon Lasso tool allows you to click to create polygonal lines around the object for more control.
  5. 5
    Refine the edges of your selection. You can use the slider bars in the panel to the right to refine the edges of your selection. The amount you will need to adjust will vary from image to image. Adjust each slider bar as needed. The options are as follows:
    • Radius: Use the slider bar below “Radius” to adjust the edge detection radius for all the edge refinement options.
      • Enabling Smart Radius will allow the edge detection to vary throughout the image.
    • Smooth: Use the Smooth slider bar to smooth out jagged edges along your selection.
    • Feather: Use the slider bar to blur the edges of your selection.
    • Contrast: Use this option to reduce the amount of blurriness along the edges.
  6. 6
    Select “New Layer with Layer Mask” as the output mode. Use the drop-down menu next to “Output To” to select this option. This will duplicate the image onto a new layer and create a layer mask around your selection.
    • A layer mask will hide the unselected parts of your layer rather than delete them. This allows you to adjust the layer mask and add to the selection or subtract from it later on if needed.
  7. 7
    Click Ok . It’s at the bottom menu panel to the left. This outputs your selection as a new layer with a layer mask.
    • If you click the eyeball icon on the original background layer below the layer with the layer mask, you will see the background disappear, revealing a checkerboard pattern. The image has been separated from the background, but you can still use the original image with the background in case you need it.
  8. 8
    Adjust the Layer Mask. The layer mask is the black and white outline that appears next to the image thumbnail in the Layers panel. Click the layer mask thumbnail to edit the layer mask. You can adjust the layer mask with the Brush tool. Use black paint to make parts of the image disappear behind the mask. Use white paint to make parts of the image reappear.
    9. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Separating Background into Layers

PDF download Download Article
  1. 1
    Import or open a photo in Photoshop. You can open a photo in Photoshop by right-clicking it and clicking Open with and then selecting Photoshop. You can also import an image into a Photoshop document by clicking File in the menu bar at the top, followed by Place . Select an image and click the document to place it.
  2. 2
    Click Select Subject to select your subject automatically. This option will use AI to try to automatically detect the subject of your image. This button is at the bottom of the image. According to Marczewski, you can make selections easily using AI. This option may not do a perfect job of selecting your subject. You may need to do some additional editing to get a good selection.
  3. This is the moving dotted line around your image that separates it from the background. Photoshop selections are your bread and butter. Anything within the moving dotted line can be edited, cut, or separated. If you're comfortable selecting the image you want to separate, you can move on to the section of separating the image. You have a variety of different selection tools available, each with pros and cons. The most commonly used tools include:
    • Shaped Selections: The icon looks like a dotted box. Click and hold the icon for more shapes, which allow you to cover any basic item.
    • The Lasso Tools: You have a lot of options here, each of which requires you to click the mouse, then trace out the object with your mouse. Clicking again creates an anchor point. Complete the shape to end the selection.
    • Quick Selection: The icon looks like a paintbrush with a circular dotted line around the brush. This shape automatically creates selections following the edges of shapes in the image.
    • Magic Wand: Hidden behind Quick Selection, or vice versa, click and hold on the "Quick Selection" button to find it. The Wand selects all pixels in a similar color range to the place you just clicked.
  4. Quick selection finds well-differentiated lines, like places where the color changes quickly and dramatically, to make your selection easier. To use it, simply click each section you want to add to the selection.
    • To remove an area from your selection, hold the Alt or ⌥ Opt keys and click.
  5. The Wand will find similar pixels and select them, letting you quickly grab large, similar areas on the image. You can, like the other tools, use Ctrl/Cmd to add to your selection and Alt/Opt to remove areas of your selection.
    • Change the tolerance to make the Wand more or less precise. A high number (75-100) selects more diverse pixels while a number under ten is much more specific in selections. [2]
  6. 6
    Use the Lasso tool to trace around your selection. The Lasso tool has an icon that resembles a lasso. Use this tool to trace around the objects you want to separate from the background. Like the other tools, use Ctrl/Cmd to add to your selection and Alt/Opt to remove areas of your selection. There are different types of Lasso tools you can use. Click and hold the Lasso tool icon in the toolbar to display the different Lasso options.
    • The Magnetic Lasso tool will try to automatically detect the edges of the shape you are tracing as you trace and snap to the edge.
    • The Polygon Lasso tool allows you to place polygon points around the shape, which gives you more control as you trace.
  7. 7
    Use the Shape Selection tool to select basic shapes. You can use the Shape Selection tool to trace basic shapes, such as a rectangle or ellipse. It has an icon that resembles a rectangle with a dotted line. Click and hold this tool to display the different shape selection tools. Click the selection tool that resembles the shape you want to trace. Click and drag to make a selection.
  8. This powerful tool takes your selection, finds the pixels surrounding it, then duplicates them to make a seamless cut. To use it:
    • Click Select followed by Expand to expand the selection by 5-10 pixels to every side.
    • Click Edit , followed by Fill to open the Fill Window.
    • Select "Content Aware" from the drop-down menu at the top of the window.
    • Click Okay to fill in your item.
    • Re-use the feature to get new effects, changing the opacity as necessary. Every time you use Content Aware Fills, the computer selects pixels randomly -- so keep trying until it looks good.
  9. Selecting the image is the hard part. Once you have your dotted line around the image, simply right-click and choose how to isolate the image. You can use one of the following options:
    • Layer Via Copy: Duplicates the selection, then creates a copy of it right on top of the original. The background image is not affected at all.
    • Layer Via Cut: Removes the image from the background, turning the selection into a new, unique layer. The background image will have a hole in it.
  10. A layer mask lets you adjust the background layer, even remove it, without actually destroying the information in the background. Simply put, it lets you toggle the background on and off with the click of a button, separating your image whenever you want. Use the following steps to create a Layer Mask:
    • Select the area you want to remove.
    • Click Layers in the menu bar at the top, followed by Hide Selection to create a new layer mask.
    • Click on the black and white thumbnail that appears. You can now use the Paintbrush or Pencil to revise the selection by drawing over the layer mask--anything black is "erased." Draw over the mask in white to make the image "reappear."
    11. Advertisement

Video

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How to crop cut out image ?
    Community Answer
    Cropping is easy with the Crop Tool. It looks like a small square with a diagonal line through the center, and you can find it above the Eyedropper Tool. You can also selected it by pressing "C."
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      • Don't forget that you can switch to other selection tools at will while working on the same selection object.
        Thanks
        Helpful 7 Not Helpful 9
      • If you do use a plain background of a single color not found in the foreground objects, you can have your photo-editing software treat it as transparent, effectively removing it.
        Thanks
        Helpful 10 Not Helpful 16
      • Try using a picture with a simple, plain background if possible.
        Thanks
        Helpful 4 Not Helpful 12
      Show More Tips
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Remove the Background of an Image Using Photoshop CS6
      How to
      Fix "Scratch Disks are Full" Error in Photoshop
      How to
      Import an Image in Photoshop as a New Layer or File
      How to
      Trace an Image in Photoshop on Windows or Mac
      3 Ways to Simply Import Fonts to Photoshop
      How to
      Install Plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop
      4 Easy Ways to Insert a Bullet Point in Adobe Photoshop
      Quickly Change the Color of Background in Photoshop
      Replace Text in Adobe Photoshop: 2 Simple Methods for Removal
      How to
      Design an ID Card Using Adobe Photoshop
      A Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Gradient in Photoshop
      How to
      Make Parts of An Image Transparent in Photoshop
      How to
      Add a Hyperlink to a JPEG in Photoshop
      3 Ways to Invert Image Colors in Adobe Photoshop
      Advertisement

      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about using Photoshop, check out our in-depth interview with Richard Marczewski Jr. .

      References

      1. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/select-mask.html
      2. ↑ https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/making-quick-selections.html

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To separate an image from its background in Photoshop, start by outlining the image you want using the lasso or pen tool. Next, click on “Edit,” then “Fill” to open the Fill Window and select “Content Aware” to remove the image and fill in the background behind it. Once you have a dotted line around the image, right click on the area and select “Layer Via Copy” to put the image into a new layer without changing the original image. Finally, click on the selected image and drag it off the background or into a new Photoshop window. To learn how to use the stamp tool to fill in the hole in your original image, read on!

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 626,798 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement