How To Quickly Remove White Background In Photoshop

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Photoshop is the primary choice for many designers when it comes to photo editing. Its wide range of tools allows for the transformation of ordinary pictures into impressive works of art. A frequent task that may need to be done is removing a white background from an image. This could be for various purposes such as a product photo for an online store, social media posts, or personal projects.

Steps to Remove White Background in Photoshop

  1. Open the image in Photoshop: The first step is to open the image from which you want to remove the white background.
  2. Select the Magic Wand Tool: You can find this tool on the toolbar or use the shortcut ‘W’ on your keyboard.
  3. Adjust Tolerance: Tolerance defines the range of color that the Magic Wand tool will select. If set to 0, the tool will only select areas that are the exact color clicked. If set to 255, it will select any color. For removing a white background, a tolerance of around 15-30 should work well.
  4. Select the White Background: Click on the white area you want to remove. The Magic Wand tool will create an outline around the area.
  5. Delete: Press Delete on your keyboard to remove the selected area.

If there are multiple unconnected white areas you want to remove, hold down Shift on your keyboard and click on those areas to include them in the selection. Once all areas are selected, hit Delete.

Removing Background with Quick Selection Tool

An alternative way to remove a white background is using the Quick Selection Tool. This is a more advanced tool that allows you to select more complex shapes.

  1. Open the image in Photoshop
  2. Select the Quick Selection Tool: It’s located in the toolbar, or you can activate it by pressing ‘W’ on your keyboard.
  3. Select the White Background: Click and drag the tool over the white areas you want to remove. Photoshop will attempt to determine the edges of the object.
  4. Refine Edges: You can adjust the selection by using the ‘Add to selection’ and ‘Subtract from selection’ options. This is useful for removing any leftover white areas or if the Quick Selection tool selected too much.
  5. Delete: Press Delete on your keyboard to remove the selected area.

Removing the white background from an image can greatly enhance its aesthetic appeal and usability. It’s a skill worth mastering, as it’s something you’ll likely need to do fairly often if you’re working with Photoshop regularly. While it might seem intimidating at first, with practice and patience, you’ll have it down in no time.