How to Remove an Unwanted Image Background

Contributor

By Richard Burke
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating: (6 Ratings)

Original Image

I kind of like this picture the way it is, but the more I look at it, the more I wonder what it would look like without the reflection. Would the dog look less bored if I didn’t see him sitting in the store window? In this article I will demonstrate how to remove an image background using some tools in Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0. The technique is not difficult, but it does require some patience and experimentation.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
A copy of an image for experimentation
Patience

Step 1

Quick Select Tool

The first tool to use is the QUICK SELECT TOOL which you can find on the tool palette at the left of the image screen. As you move the tool over the image it will select parts of the image. When you select the part that you want, stop moving the mouse. Next click COPY from the drop-down menu to copy the image to the clipboard.
Step 2

Open New Image

From the FILE menu select NEW to bring up the new file box. The size will automatically be the size of the image you copied. You can change size, color mode and background from this menu for your new file. Click OK when you are finished making your choices.
Step 3

Paste from Clipboard

Select PASTE from the FILE menu to paste what you copied from the clipboard into your new file. Notice we have intentionally left out one paw of the dog to prevent having to airbrush it out in post production. We have also removed all the clutter in the background distracting us from looking at the dog.
Step 4

Select and Fill

FILL the background with the color of the matte the dog is lying on. We could also use quick select again to select the matte and turn it white. I elected, however, to use the EYEDROPPER tool and select the color of the matte. I then used the FILL tool to fill the background with the same color.
Step 5

Final Image

The picture looked pretty good but the dog was still outlined by the original selection. Using the BLEND tool I repeatedly blended the two layers making it a unified background. The dog still looks just as bored to me. The original picture tells a story, but this one just shows a bored dog. This is further proof that just because you CAN do something doesn’t always mean that you SHOULD.

Comments

prism said

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on 12/11/2008 Very informative and interesting what can be done to create a totally different look. Thanks!

AllFYB said

on 12/3/2008 Great Step by Step just what I need to get the magazine cover picture right in your other article..... Thanks

raco1 said

on 11/8/2008 Thanks for the easy to understand instructions. I particularly enjoy the conclusion, 'just because you can doesn't always mean you should'. I too, enjoy the narrative taking place prior to, 'photo-surgery'!

Colonna said

on 9/15/2008 this is great!just got a new laptop w/ alot of graphics programs and have been looking for as much info help as possible. thanks-i'm gonna' try this out.
5 stars