Sometimes we can take a beautiful photo where the subject is sharp and in focus, the lighting is perfect, but the background just isn’t giving off the same energy. There could be other people in the background, objects you’d prefer weren’t there, or other distractions that take away from the point of your photograph.
To achieve the desired result, you’ll need to understand how to add a background to a photo or swap photo backgrounds. With more than 80% of photos taken using a smartphone, there are ways to easily edit on your mobile device and your computer.
If you’re keen to learn the best way to edit your photo background, follow this short guide to find out more.
Detach the Subject From the Background
With many different types of editing software, there isn’t a universal straightforward way to remove the background from a photo. In this article, we’ll take a look at the most commonly used software Photoshop.
Once you’ve opened Photoshop and selected your chosen image, you’ll need to locate the quick selection tool and select your subject. You’ll identify it as a brush and dotted line. However, if you’re using a newer version of the software you’ll see a ‘Select Subject’ button instead that does the same thing.
Once the subject is removed from the background, you are free to choose a more preferred background image. You may need to refine the selected area slightly so all the areas are highlighted.
Clean Up and Mask
Now with your subject separate from the background, you can fine-tune any smaller details and give a cleaner finish. Use a small brush size and zoom in to identify any unwanted sharp edges.
Choose the ‘Select and Mask’ option which will change the selection to a mask and allow you to refine it.
Paste in Your New Background
Remove your current background using the ‘Background Eraser’ tool located in the toolbox. It will appear like a brush and simply paint over the background to remove it.
Now you have a transparent background, place the new image on the layer that has your selected foreground. Select the ‘Hand’ tool to achieve this. You might find you’ll need to resize the foreground image to fit better with your new background, which you can do using the ‘Free Transform’ tool.
If you’re happy with the placement and sizing of your background, hit ‘Save’ and you’re done. If this all seems too technical to achieve, then why not use a background remover app that does the work for you.
Think You Know How to Add a Background to a Photo?
Now you know how to add a background to a photo, you’ll be able to easily adjust your images and stop worrying about photo editing.
If you don’t want to eliminate the entire background and just want to remove specific people or objects, try using the ‘Heal’ tool. It’s one of the best photography tips to hide particular areas by blending.
For more related articles, check out our other blog posts.