photoshop · braza shows you
how to remove background in photoshop
braza points at select subject and the add-layer-mask button so the cutout takes three clicks, not thirty.
removing a background in photoshop used to mean hours with the pen tool - now it's basically one button plus a mask. the trick is using a layer mask instead of deleting, so you can fix the edges later. here's the fast, non-destructive way.
or do it yourself
- 1double-click your background layer in the layers panel and press ok to unlock it.
- 2go to select > subject - photoshop auto-selects the main object and you'll see the marching ants.
- 3clean up the selection with select > select and mask if the edges need work (use refine edge on hair).
- 4with the selection active, click the add-layer-mask button (the rectangle-with-a-circle icon) at the bottom of the layers panel.
- 5the background disappears - toggle the mask or paint on it with a black/white brush to fine-tune.
let braza do this with you
braza is a tiny on-screen guide that points at the right buttons and talks you through it, on windows and mac.
downloadcommon questions
what's the fastest way to remove a background in photoshop?
select > subject to auto-select, then click add layer mask - that hides the background without deleting any pixels.
why use a mask instead of just deleting the background?
a mask is non-destructive - you can paint it back in with a brush, while deleting throws the pixels away for good.