How to remove a background in Photoshop

The quickest way to remove a background in Photoshop is the Remove Background quick action: select the photo's layer, click Remove Background, and Photoshop finds the subject and hides everything else with a layer mask. When the automatic result needs help, make the selection yourself with Select Subject, fix hair in Select and Mask, and then export a PNG so the transparency survives. The menu names below match current Photoshop versions; older versions may place some buttons differently.

Before you start: unlock the layer

Adobe's instructions ask for the layer that holds your subject to be active and unlocked. A JPG or a camera photo usually opens as a locked layer named Background, so convert it first with Layer > New > Layer From Background. After that the layer can carry a mask and transparent pixels.

Method 1: the Remove Background quick action

The same command sits in three places in recent versions:

• Properties panel: under Quick Actions, as a Remove Background button.
• Contextual Task Bar: the floating bar on the canvas. If it is hidden, turn it on with Window > Contextual Task Bar.
• Discover panel: open it with the search icon or Help > Photoshop Help, then choose Browse > Quick Actions > Remove Background.

Wherever you click it, you get the same result: a layer mask that hides the background. Nothing is erased, so a mistake is a quick fix on the mask rather than a fresh start. Adobe's tip for the best results is a high-contrast photo, where the subject clearly stands out from what is behind it.

Method 2: Select Subject and a layer mask

Select Subject makes the same kind of automatic selection but stops before masking, which gives you a chance to correct it. Choose Select > Subject, or pick the Object Selection or Quick Selection tool and click Select Subject in the options bar. Adobe notes that it selects all the main subjects in a photo; when you want only one of several, use the Object Selection tool on that object instead.

Use Add to selection and Subtract from selection in the options bar to fix what it missed. Then click the Add layer mask button at the bottom of the Layers panel, or choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection. In the mask, white shows the subject and black hides the background.

Refining hair and fur with Select and Mask

Automatic cutouts often look fine at a glance and fall apart around hair. With the layer mask thumbnail selected, choose Select > Select and Mask. The Select and Mask button in a selection tool's options bar opens the same workspace.

• Click Refine Hair to have Photoshop rework the hair edge.
• Paint along loose strands with the Refine Edge Brush tool, which Adobe recommends for soft edges like hair or fur. The Radius slider also helps with soft edges.
• In the Properties panel, try the Object Aware refine mode for hair against a busy background, and Color Aware when the background is plain and contrasts with the subject.
• Set the View Mode to On Black or On White (press F to cycle through the views) so fringes stand out, and use the Shift Edge slider to contract the edge slightly if a halo remains.
• If a tint from the old background clings to the edge, turn on Decontaminate Colors and adjust the Amount. When you use it, choose Output To > New layer with layer mask so the result lands on a new layer.

Device or cloud processing

Photoshop can run Select Subject and Remove Background on your computer or in Adobe's cloud. The setting is in Edit > Preferences > Image Processing on Windows, or Photoshop > Settings > Image Processing on a Mac (Preferences in some versions), in a menu called Select Subject and Remove Background. Adobe's help says Device is the default and offers Cloud as an alternative for improving results.

Exporting a transparent PNG correctly

A mask only becomes real transparency when you export to a format that can store it. PNG can; JPG cannot, which is why a "transparent" JPG always comes out with a white or black background, and why simply converting a JPG to PNG doesn't remove anything by itself.

• File > Export > Export As: choose PNG in the Format menu, keep the transparency option on, check the size and click Export. You see every setting, which makes this the safest route.
• File > Export > Quick Export as PNG: saves in one step. The menu item names whatever format is set under Edit > Preferences > Export on Windows, or Photoshop > Settings > Export on a Mac (Preferences in some versions). For PNG, choose the Transparency option there.
• Right-click a layer in the Layers panel and choose Quick Export or Export As to export just that layer.

Before exporting, look at the canvas. Transparent areas show as a checkerboard, which is only how apps display transparency and is not saved in the file. If you see white instead, a layer underneath is still visible. Save a PSD copy as well so the mask stays editable.

Doing it in the browser instead

If Photoshop isn't open or you only need a quick cutout, Background Remover PNG removes backgrounds right in your browser for free, with no signup, and the photo is processed on your own device instead of being uploaded. You get a full-size transparent PNG with no watermark, plus an erase and restore brush for touch-ups. For tips on checking edges and saving correctly, see how to make a background transparent.