How to Change Background in Photoshop Step by Step

Changing the background in Photoshop involves separating your main subject from its original surroundings and placing it onto a new backdrop.

Overview of the Process

The core process is simple: select what you want to keep, remove the old background, and add a new one. Photoshop offers various tools to achieve this with different levels of precision and ease.

Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s a general workflow for changing a background in Adobe Photoshop:

1. Open Your Image:

   • Go to File > Open and select the image you want to edit.

2. Select Your Subject:

   • This is the most crucial step. You need to accurately select the person, object, or area you want to keep. Photoshop has several tools for this:
     • Quick Selection Tool (W): Good for selecting areas of similar color/texture quickly.
     • Magic Wand Tool (W): Selects contiguous pixels of similar color.
     • Object Selection Tool (W): Allows you to draw a rectangle or lasso around an object, and Photoshop attempts to automatically select it.
     • Select Subject: Located under the Select menu, this AI-powered feature automatically tries to detect and select the main subject in the image. Often a great starting point.
     • Pen Tool (P): For precise selections, especially with hard edges. Slower but offers maximum control.
     • Select and Mask Workspace: Once a selection is made, going to Select > Select and Mask provides advanced tools for refining edges, especially hair or fur.

3. Separate Subject from Background:

   • The most common method is to create a Layer Mask. With your subject selected:
     • Click the Add Layer Mask icon (a rectangle with a circle inside) at the bottom of the Layers panel. This hides the background without deleting it, allowing for non-destructive editing. The selected area will appear on the mask as white (visible), and the hidden area (background) will be black (hidden).
   • Alternatively, for simpler cases or if permanence is desired, you can use the Remove Background feature (often found in the Properties panel for a layer or under Layer > Remove Background in newer versions), which automatically creates a layer mask.

4. Choose Your New Background:

   • Once the original background is hidden (via the layer mask), you can add your new background below the subject layer. As detailed in the reference:
     • Import a photo: Click an "Import a photo" option (this might be dragging a new image into the document, or placing it via File > Place Embedded/Place Linked) to add another image layer as your new background. Position this layer below your subject layer.
     • Preset: Click a "Preset" option (less common for background replacement workflows directly in the main canvas, but some features like Generative Fill or specific workflows might offer presets) to add a pre-designed background.
     • None: Click "None" (This corresponds to having no layer below your subject layer or making the background transparent, often indicated by a checkerboard pattern) to make the background transparent. Useful if you plan to use the subject in another design or on the web.
     • Colour: Click a "Colour" option (Create a new solid color fill layer Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color...) to add a solid color as the background. Place this layer below your subject layer.

5. Place the New Background:

   • Ensure the new background layer (whether it's a photo, solid color, etc.) is below your subject layer in the Layers panel. You can drag layers up or down to rearrange their stacking order. Transform the new background layer (Edit > Free Transform or Ctrl/Cmd + T) if needed to fit the composition.

6. Refine and Blend:

   • Use the Brush Tool (B) on the subject's layer mask to refine edges. Paint with black to hide more of the subject layer (revealing the new background) or with white to reveal more of the subject layer (hiding the new background). Use gray for partial transparency.
   • Adjust lighting, color, and shadows on both the subject and the new background layers (Image > Adjustments or Adjustment Layers) to make the composition look seamless and realistic.

Tips for a Seamless Background Change

• Start with a good selection – the cleaner the mask, the better the result.
• Use the Select and Mask workspace for intricate edges like hair.
• Pay attention to lighting and perspective; the new background should match the light source and angle of the subject.
• Add shadows where the subject meets the new background to ground it visually.
• Don't forget color grading to match the subject to the new background's environment.

Common Tools Used

Tool	Purpose	Keyboard Shortcut
Quick Selection	Fast selection of similar areas	W
Magic Wand	Selects contiguous color areas	W
Object Selection	Semi-automatic object selection	W
Pen Tool	Precise path creation/selection	P
Brush Tool	Refine layer masks	B
Move Tool	Position layers	V
Free Transform	Resize, rotate, distort layers	Ctrl/Cmd + T
Layer Mask	Hide parts of a layer non-destructively	Icon in Layers panel

Following these steps will help you effectively change the background of your images in Photoshop.