How to Make the Photo Background Transparent in 4 Surefire Ways

Retouch artist using editing software pictures studio

Need to have your photo stripped of its background? Whether you want to achieve it for a business project or an online store card, making a photo background transparent is a necessary skill, but also one that is hard to master.

Never tried erasing your image’s backdrop? It’s actually not that hard. In this article, we’ll show you how to make an image background transparent in a handful of ways. Just read it, though, and you’ll be able to delete any unflattering or plain unnecessary background from any photo.

1. Make the Background Transparent with Photoshop

Does this photo editor need any introduction? Hardly. The king of the hill, when it comes to image manipulation, Photoshop is as feature-rich as it is complicated to master. But how can you use it to make a picture background transparent?

First, open your image within the software. Next, pick the Quick Selection tool from the toolbar on the left. Carefully trace the object you want to keep. If you step over the edges of the object, make sure to correct your selection.

Next, you need to invert your selection by right-clicking the object and hitting Select Inverse. Finally, simply hit the Delete key to get rid of the background. Save your image as a PNG to preserve this effect.

Doesn’t sound like too much of a task to delete the backdrop with Photoshop, but it still requires some time and a steady hand-free hand tracing of the object is actually quite a headache. But if you are willing to put up with it – and with Photoshop’s heavy price tag – then go for it.

2. Delete the Image Background with GIMP

GIMP is another popular photo editor. It is most famous for being completely free and having enough tools to rival Photoshop itself. What it lacks, however, is a clear interface and an easy workflow. So is it any good for making the photo background transparent?

Once you run GIMP, go to File and pick Open as Layer to import your image. Pick the Fuzzy Selection tool and click the background. If the backdrop of your photo is relatively plain, the software will automatically select it based on colour similarities.

Then, go to Layer, hit Transparency, and then Add Alpha Channel. This action will add a transparent layer to your image. Finally, hit Delete to remove the original background for your picture and save your image.

Even though GIMP is very appealing price-wise, the software is mostly for people who know their way around photo editing. If you are one of those, then GIMP is a brilliant choice. If not, our next entry might be the best option for you.

3. Render the Photo Background Transparent with PhotoWorks

If you are looking for a photo editor that would combine ease of use and tons of features under the hood, then go with PhotoWorks. This AI-powered software has both basic and advanced tools, a user-friendly interface, and an affordable price. Let’s see how you can use PhotoWorks to make a photo background transparent.

Once you open your photo within the program, switch to the Tools tab and pick the Change Background tool. Then, take the green brush and mark the object that you want to keep intact. Mark the background with the red brush and just wait a few seconds.

PhotoWorks will separate the two in a snap. You don’t even have to be overly precise with your selection – broad strokes will do just fine. In case you’ve had a few missteps, get rid of them manually, using the same green and red brushes to restore the object and the background, respectively. Finally, simply hit the Save with Transparent Background button and go with the PNG format.

It only took you a few moments to separate the background from the object. That is what PhotoWorks is all about – efficiency coupled with simplicity.

4. Make the Backdrop Opaque with Remove.bg

In case you have no desire to install and study new software, then an online service is a great option. There are tons of offers online, but let’s go with the one that specializes in deleting the background from pictures. It’s called Remove.bg.

The first and basically only thing you need to do is to upload your image to the website. The web service will automatically make the background transparent. In case there have been a few mishaps – and there might be – just click the Edit button to erase whatever is left from the backdrop. And that’s it.

And there you go – now you know what to do when you need to have an image stripped of its background. Some methods are more difficult than others, some tools are free, and others are a lot more expensive.

If you need more options to choose from, make sure to find out how to make the background of a picture transparent in other ways. Hopefully, you will find the tool that would suit you in terms of ease of use, efficiency, and affordability.

Featured image source: Freepik Premium

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