Remove background in 1 click in Photoshop

Published on May 28, 2022

In this blog I’ll show you how to remove a background in just 1 click using Adobe Photoshop. I’ll also show you how to create a new (solid color) background after you removed the original background.

You can also watch this short video to see the process. Click here to download the image I used.

Remove background

Open the image you want to edit. First make sure properties is selected (click on window in the top menu bar and check if properties is selected).

Unlock the background layer by clicking on the key lock icon.

Under ‘quick actions‘ you will now find the remove background option (you won’t see this if you don’t unlock the layer). Select this, Photoshop will now remove your background.

As you can see in the image below, Photoshop has now removed the background by adding a layer mask to your layer. If you just needed an image with a transparent background, you can now save it (as a PNG).

Change background

I’ll now show you how to create a new solid background. If you don’t want a solid background, you can also use an image. In that case, open the image you want to use and select the move tool. Then drag the image towards the file you’re editing and place it over your photo. Press CTRL+T to activate free transform, you can now resize your image and pick the correct placement. Drag the image layer below the one with the layer mask. You should now see your subject with the new background behind it.

To create a solid color background, add a solid color fill layer.

Pick a color you like. Then click OK.

Drag the color fill layer below the layer with the layer mask. The new background is now behind your subject.

Refine mask

As you can see in the image above, the area next to the dog’s ear isn’t masked properly. To fix that, select your layer mask and then click on ‘select and mask‘.