How to Separate Photo from Background: 9 Steps

2025 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2025-01-23 12:04

Splitting photos is one of the basic skills in Photoshop. If you're new to the Photoshop program, here's a great way to practice with tool and layer options. If you need to refresh your memory, this method of splitting photos can help you to use shortcuts and make precise selection outlines.

Step

Part 1 of 2: Creating Selection Outlines on Photos

Step 1. Draw a selection line (ie a line of moving dots) on the photo object to separate it from the background

The selection outline is the most important element. Everything inside this line can be edited, cropped, or split. If you prefer to outline the object you want to separate from the background, continue to the Separating Objects in a Photo section. There are many tools available, each with advantages and disadvantages. The most commonly used tools include:

• Shaped Selections:

  The icon looks like a dotted box. Click-and-hold on the icon to see a selection of other basic shapes.

• Lasso Tool:

  With this tool you have many options to click, then trace the outline of the object with the mouse (mouse). Click again at a specific point (such as a corner) to create an anchor point, then finish tracing the shape of the object all the way to the starting point.

• Quick Selection:

  The icon is a brush that traces a dotted line. This shape will automatically provide a selection outline along the edges of objects in the photo.

• Magic Wands:

  This tool is hidden behind “Quick Selection”, or vice versa. Click-and-hold the "Quick Selection" button to find it. The “Magic Wand Tool” provides a selection outline of all pixels that have the same color range as the point you just clicked on.

• Pen Tools:

  The icon looks like a regular pen. This is the most powerful tool and the most time consuming to use. The “Pen Tool” can create trailing lines with adjustable anchor points as you go. So you have more control than other basic tools.

Step 2. Use the “Quick Selection Tool” for photos with clear edges

The “Quick Selection Tool” can quickly find lines with firm edges, such as in areas where the color changes dramatically. With this tool you can make selection lines easily. Just click on each part that you want to give a selection outline.

To remove a specific area from the selection outline, press-and-hold alt=""Image" or Opt and click it.</h3" />

Step 3. Use the “Pen Tool” to draw the edges of the complex and must be precise

Make sure you select the "Paths" option from the menu at the top left of the screen, then click around the object to create a selection outline. Use “Ctrl+click” to correct the erroneous points, then drag the cursor to change the curve. To draw a new point, just click on the line. When finished, right-click on the line and then click “Make Selection”. The line will turn into a selection line.

Use the "Free Form Pen," which you can find by clicking-and-holding the pen icon. With this tool you can create curved lines

Step 4. Use the “Magic Wand Tool” to separate simple objects that are mostly just one color

This tool will find similar pixels and create a selection outline. So with this tool you can make a selection outline on a large and similar area at once. Like other tools, you can use the “Ctrl” (Windows) or “Cmd” (Mac) keys to add specific areas to the selection outline, and “Alt” (Windows) or “Opt” (Mac) to bring out certain areas from within. selection line.

Change the “Tolerance” level to make the selection outline on the “Magic Wand” more or less precise. A large number (75-100) will make the selection line select a wider range of pixels, while a number below ten will make the selection line select much more specific pixels

Part 2 of 2: Splitting Objects in a Photo

Step 1. Use "Content Aware Fill" to discard objects and automatically fill in the blanks with a realistic background

This powerful tool will remove objects within the selection outline, detect surrounding pixels, then duplicate those pixels to create a smooth cut. To use it, you can:

• Use "Select" → "Expand" to widen the selection outline by 5-10 pixels on all sides.
• Click “Edit” → “Fill” to open the “Fill Window”.
• Select "Content Aware" from the drop-down menu at the top of the onscreen window.
• Press "Okay" to fill it out.
• Reuse this feature for new effects, changing the opacity if necessary. Every time you use “Content Aware Fills”, Photoshop will randomly select pixels. So, keep trying until the results look good.

Step 2. Right-click on the highlighted area to remove the object from the photo

Creating a selection outline on the object is the hardest part. After these dotted lines are formed around the object, just right-click and choose how to isolate it. You can do this by:

• Layer Via Copy:

  Duplicate the selection outline, then make a copy just above the original layer. The photo on the “Background Layer” will not be affected at all.

• Layer Via Cut:

  Delete the object from the “Background Layer”, move the selection outline to a new, different layer. The photo on the “Background Layer” will now appear hollow.

Step 3. Use “Layer Mask” to separate the objects in a safer way

With “Layer Mask”, you can set the “Background Layer” or even remove it, without destroying the original photo file. In short, this method can let you enable and disable “Background Layer” with just the click of a button. So, photo objects can be separated as needed. The method:

• Make a selection line on the object you want to remove.
• On the “Layers” menu, click “Add Layer Mask.” The icon is at the very bottom, a rectangle with a circle inside.
• Click on the black and white thumbnail (thumbnail) that appears. You can use the “Paintbrush Tool” or “Pencil Tool” to change the selection outline by drawing it on the “Layer Mask”. All black parts will be deleted. Draw over the “Layer Mask” with white to make the object reappear.

Step 4. Separate the “Layer” by clicking-and-draging it into a new Photoshop window

If you want to create a new composition with a layer, just click-and-drag. Once the layers are separated, just click-and-drag from the “Background Layer”. You can move it into Adobe Illustrator or save it in a separate layer in Photoshop. You can also delete the rest of the layers, then choose "Save As".

Step 5. Use the “Stamp Tool” to fill the empty area on the “Background Layer” where the object was previously

If you want to remove an object from a photo, but don't want a large hole where the object originally was, find a way to fill the empty space. The method can be easy, it can also be difficult, depending on the photo you are working on. If your photo has a simple background, such as grass or the ocean, use the “Stamp Tool” to copy areas of the photo and then apply them to the existing “holes”.

Tips

• If the photo background is plain and only one color, and that color is not present in the object to be deleted, set the photo editing tool to treat the background as transparent. That way you can remove them effectively.
• Note that you can switch to another selection outline tool at any time while working on the same object.
• Use photos with simple, plain backgrounds whenever possible.
• Transparent pixels with 50% opacity will be affected by the color in the layer below them. This 100% and 50% opacity difference is like colored paper and cellophane (glass paper). This method can make it easier for you to fade the edges of objects that are lined with selection, especially in difficult parts.