Photo editing programs have advanced so much that practically anyone can remove the background from a photograph in a matter of minutes and without overthinking it. However, not all do it equally well. Occasionally, we can end up with distorted figures or poorly cropped backgrounds. Fortunately, you can easily avoid this issue with Photoshop or even Adobe Express.
In addition to avoiding shoddy results, with Adobe programs you will ensure that the image resolution is maintained and that, therefore, it does not affect your professional projects. Poor edits are noticeable, but now you will see how you can avoid them in the following paragraphs.
The problem that comes with poor editing
Yes, there are many online and free tools that promise to remove the background from an image in a nearly miraculous way. It is true that, in most cases, they deliver on their promise. However, with them, you will not achieve a professional and high-quality result.
And the truth is that although these images may work at first glance or seem to look good on your mobile, for example, the reality is that they can cause problems in other formats. If you need it to be in a very high resolution or in a banner, I’m sorry to say that it is most likely that they will not look good.
Maintaining resolution while removing the background is possible: here’s how you can do it
The large number of tools that Photoshop has allows us to reach the same point using different paths. Here we propose one of those paths with the Quick Actions.
With your image open, select the image layer located within the Layers panel. Make sure the selected layer is the main one and that it is unlocked. If it is locked, double-click on the layer and in the new panel that appears, select OK.
Next, click on Help > Photoshop Help from the menu bar, which will open a new panel with a search bar. Then, type in that search bar Remove background. You need to click on Remove background, an option that will appear under Quick Actions.
By doing so, the background will be automatically removed without you having to do anything else. If you want to fine-tune the result, you can select Select and Mask…, the option that appears in the Refine With section.
If not, you can also go directly to the mask from Layers and right-click on it. Then, select Select and Mask.
This will serve to access the properties of the mask and refine the cropping done by the action we used earlier.
Learn to use masks
The layer masks are one of the most useful features and the most used within Photoshop. They are used to erase parts of an image non-destructively. If you erase a certain area and then regret it, with the layer mask you can revert the image to how it was before erasing that part.
To start using them, we first need to make an initial selection. According to the image, you can use different paths. If you go to the Magic Wand icon and right-click on it, you will see other tools like Object Selection and Quick Selection. If we stick with Magic Wand, for example, we can click on Select Subject. This option works locally or through the cloud and allows Photoshop to automatically select the main subject of the image.
Once we have clicked on Select Subject, we will have to wait a few moments for Photoshop to process the image. After that, we will see how the subject is already selected. Next, click on Select and Mask to refine the cut and turn it into a layer mask.
Once you have refined the crop, you can try it on different backgrounds to see how it looks. From here, we recommend that you test it on a white background, a black one, and a gray one. This way, you can quickly see any type of “halo” or poorly done crop. If you want, you can manually refine the layer mask in a very simple way: paint on the mask with black to hide and white to reveal.
It is advisable that you work directly with a layer mask when you need to cut out any object. Deleting pixels directly will limit you a lot when it comes to correcting later. Of course, this whole process will not alter the resolution of the image or its pixels per inch.
Adobe Express for simple and quick solutions
While Adobe Express lacks the complexity of Photoshop, that also works in your favor if you want to make much simpler and faster edits. Express is ideal for removing any background in seconds and creating quick content for immediate use.
To use Adobe Express, you have two options: from the browser on your PC or through the mobile app. When accessing from the browser, you will see that quick access options for editing already appear on the main screen. One of them is Remove Background.
Select the option and then upload your image. Automatically, Express will remove the background in a matter of seconds. From here, Express gives you the option to add a new background by uploading an image, continue editing by clicking on Open in editor, or download the result directly.
The process is very similar from the app. Upon entering, you will see the same option for Remove background. Just click on it and upload the image to edit. Just like in the browser, you can continue editing, place a new background, or download the image without a background.
