4 simple ways to change background in Photoshop

1. How to change the background in Photoshop normally

This is one of the most popular ways to change the background in Photoshop. Specifically, the steps are as follows:

Step 1: Open the photo whose background needs to be changed in Photoshop.

Step 2: On the toolbar, select the Quick Selection Tool (W). Click and drag to select the objects you want to keep.

Step 2: Once you have a selection, zoom in on the image, then reduce the brush size to fine-tune the selection so that it contains all the objects. Note, you don't need to go down to every single hair, we'll handle that in the next steps.

Step 3: On the menu bar, select Select and choose Select and Mask (for Photoshop CC 2017 and later and Refine Edge for earlier versions of Photoshop). The dialog box that appears allows you to adjust the selected area and turn it into a mask.

In the Properties panel (or Refine Edge before Photoshop CC 2017), under View Mode, choose modes to change how you will see your selection. Overlay mode is the most used because it gives a color that contrasts with the image, helping to clearly display the selection. 

Step 4: Refine the selection using the tools in the dialog box. Refine Edge is used to fix hair or soft edges. Under Edge Detection, check the Smart Radius box. This helps Photoshop distinguish between hard and soft edges. You can also increase the Radius a bit. Place a Refine Edge brush on the outer edge of the hair and start brushing. The hair will gradually be added to the selection. Hold down the Alt key and paint so you can undo the changes if you are not satisfied.

Step 5: In Output, check Decontaminate Colors to remove the remaining background colors in the selection. In Output, select New Layer with Layer Mask and press OK. Now, we will return to the main image with the selection added as a new layer.

Step 6: Paste the new background onto the layer below the layer containing the object you want to keep. Adjust the background size accordingly.

Step 7: Go to Image > Adjustments > Match Color to match the color of the photo with the new background. 

In the Match Color window, under Source, select the image you are working with. 

Check the Neutralize box to remove the color casts from the selected layer and adjust the Luminance and Intensity until the subject and background blend together. Click OK again to complete the background replacement in Photoshop.

2. How to change photo background using Photoshop Online

To change the background in Photoshop Online, we can refer to the following basic steps.

Step 1: Open the photo in Photoshop Online that needs the background changed.

Step 2: Select Object selection. In Object selection, select Unite mode to create additional selections (take more parts of the image, if the first scan does not capture all the objects). Hold down the left mouse button on a corner of the image, sweep the mouse around the object. The software will calculate and automatically create a selection around the girl.

Step 3: Use Lasso select with Subtract mode to create a selection around the excess parts you want to remove.

Hold down the left mouse button on a point on the image, sweep the mouse over the area you want to get or remove (depending on choosing Unite or Subtract) then release the mouse. Repeat until you create a selection to separate the object from the background using Photoshop Online.

Step 4: Once you have selected the desired object. Move the mouse to the menu icon below the layer container. Select Add Raster Mask to create a Mask. Creating a Mask helps remove unselected areas, keeping the selected area.

Step 5: Create a new layer below the layer with the object, then fill this new layer with red color. 

Step 6: Use the Brush tool, left-click on the image to select the brush stroke gradually opening from the inside out, brush size about 25 px, select Flow down to 70% or lower depending on your requirements. Remember the color is black on top, white on the bottom.

Step 7: Use that brush to paint along the jagged lines on the girl until it looks smoother.

Step 8: After separating the object, you just need to copy the new background. Place it below the layer of the object you want to keep and align it accordingly.

Step 9: To make the light of the image after changing the background in Photoshop most harmonious, we select New adjustment layer and then select Curves. 

If you immediately adjust the parameter, it will change the brightness of all the layers below. If you only want to change the brightness of the layer with the object, left-click on the object layer => press the Alt key => left-click on the Curves layer. 

You will see an arrow from Curves pointing down to the object layer. This means that the Curves parameter will only apply to the layer containing the object. You can double-click the left mouse button and quickly click on the Curves square icon to open the graph bar. Drag the graph bar to adjust the brightness of the object and you have completed changing the background in Photoshop Online.

3. How to change the background in Photoshop using Generative Fill

To replace the background in Photoshop with Generative Fill, you need to use Photoshop 2023 or later. Previous versions do not have the Generative Fill tool, so it cannot be done. The steps to replace the background in Photoshop with Generative Fill are as follows:

Step 1: Open the photo whose background needs to be changed in Photoshop.

Step 2: Then go to Select Subject to create a selection around the subject. The Select Subject feature is very smart, so in most cases, you won't have to adjust it further.

Step 3: Next, on the menu bar, click Select => select Inverse or press the shortcut key Ctrl + Shift + I to invert the selection. Now, the selection will be the background behind the model.

Step 4: On the menu bar, go to Edit => select Generative Fill.

Step 5: In the Generative Fill window that appears, enter a detailed description of the background you want to change in Photoshop. For example, what kind of flower background do you want to replace it with, what color, what kind of light? 

Type in what you want in English. Generative Fill uses Adobe's AI to analyze what you've asked for to create a background that fits your model. 

Finally, we click Generate and wait a moment. So you have replaced the background in Photoshop with Generative Fill in an extremely simple and beautiful way.

4. How to change photo background using Adobe Firefly

n addition to the above methods of changing the background of an image using Photoshop, we can also change the background of an image very simply with a few operations using Adobe Firefly. This is a separate line of Generative AI models that will soon be launched on Adobe products, with the initial focus on creating effects for images and text.

Specifically, Adobe Firefly is a modern, advanced artificial intelligence tool that uses the power of natural language processing to allow users to create beautiful multimedia content easily. With Adobe Firefly, you just need to describe the desired works or images in natural language and the tool will automatically generate it. Adobe Firefly uses deep learning algorithms to understand the intent behind the text and thereby create quality visual content that matches your description.

Step 1: Currently, Adobe Firefly has not been officially released, but only has a trial version. To use it, you need to register an Adobe account, then log in and click Generate.

Step 2: We select the photo that needs to change the background and then click Open to upload the photo to the Adobe server. This photo will be processed on the server, so we do not need a powerful computer. You can also do it right on your phone or tablet, as long as it can access Adobe Firefly.

Step 3: Click Background to select the background. The background will disappear, replaced by a transparent image area. If the selected area is not satisfactory, click Add to adjust it more precisely.

Step 4: We enter the descriptive information about the background we want to change. For example, you want to change the background to a cherry blossom garden, in the golden hour, with soft light. You also want the background to look like it was taken with a Canon 5D Mark III camera with a 200mm f/2.0 lens, then fill it in. Then click Generate.

Step 5: Adobe Firefly will return photos with suitable backgrounds, you just need to choose the photo with the most satisfactory background.

Above is a summary of some simple ways to change the background in Photoshop. The newer the Photoshop version, the more advanced the features and tools will be, optimizing for users. Therefore, update to the latest version now.  SaDesign hopes that the above sharing can help you change the background for your photos yourself.

Sadesign Company Limited provides the number 1 quality cheap copyrighted software in Vietnam: Panel Retouch, Adobe Photoshop Full App, Capcut Pro, Canva Pro, Google Drive, Office 365, Retouch4me, Windows 10/11, Youtube Premium, Spotify Premium, Zoom Pro, Netflix, ELSA Speak...

️🎯 Genuine products, full-time warranty, free installation, and dedicated support!