In the next part of the tutorial series on Photoshop, we will describe the basic steps to remove the background - background image from the picture, by combining some familiar tools.

The article is in the tutorial series of TipsMake.com using Photoshop CS5, please do not ignore other articles.

Delete photo background, split photo background with Photoshop CS5

For example, with Magic Eraser , you can completely erase simple background images, but for a more complicated case, how do you do it? For example, the following picture:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 1

First, right-click Background Layer in the Layers Palette and select Layer from Background . :

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 2

The program will automatically change to Layer 0 . Click OK:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 3

In the Layers Palette section, it will only contain a single Layer 0 layer . Press L to select the Lasso Tool , double-check the Control Palette above the horizontal menu, and adjust it to look like the following:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 4

The most important thing here is to turn off the Anti-Alias ​​feature , then proceed to cut the edge background image as follows:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 5

No need to worry if the edge is too small, we can correct it at the following steps:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 6


After completing this step, you press Ctrl + Shift + J to move the selection to a new layer with Layer Via Cut . You can delete Layer 0 and work only on the newly created layer. Continue, press E to select the eraser tool, change the mode to Pencil and adjust the parameters as follows:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 7

Then continue to purge the excesses that are too obvious on the frame:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 8

Be careful with each step at this step, move the mouse gently and accurately, select the parts closest to the image, but do not lose the main detail:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 9

When making a mistake, you can go back to the previous step with the shortcut Ctrl + Z or Ctrl + Alt + Z. After completing this step, the photo will now look like this:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 10

There is no need to delete all the extra details at this step, it is important to create a border that most closely matches the main detail of the image to be processed - here is the frog shape. To quickly remove details of the outer part, hold Ctrl and select Layer 1:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 11

Then click Delete to delete the outside selection. Next, open the Channels palette and select the icon How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 12 to create a new Alpha Channel :

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 13

Select this new Alpha Channel (usually named Alpha 1 ), and the program will display a list of the corresponding layers. Press Ctrl + 4 into RGV class:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 14

And select Edit> Fill , switch the Contents mode to Use: White and click OK:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 15

After that, Alpha chanel will be covered in white with the outer selection. Press Ctrl + D to remove the selection. Continue, press and hold the Gradient Tool to display the Contextual Menu , then select the Paint Bucket Tool and let the Foreground Color be Black :

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 16

Select the parts you don't want to black on, be careful with every detail:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 17

Next, press Ctrl and select Alpha 1 Channel to select the new part you just created:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 18

After that, press Ctrl + ~ to return to the RGB layer, select the Layers Palette and press Ctrl + Shift + J to convert the image to a new layer. You can delete the old layer or hide it:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 19

The photo after this step will look like this:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 20


We often choose tools How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 21 to adjust Color Fill and Adjustment Layer , great for removing small details and blending into the main picture. You can choose different background colors to check if there are any extra items around the photo:

How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 9: Delete complex backgrounds in Photoshop Picture 22

Good luck!

Next lesson: How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 10: Use Layer Mask and Vector Mask to delete the background image

Previous lesson: How to use Photoshop CS5 - Part 8: Menu Filters