When you try to design something, there may be an inappropriate background in the photo you are using. 

Check out the images below, which we pulled from our collection of free and downloadable holiday stock photos . The image on the right may be more appropriate for your call to action, SlideShare presentation, blog post, or ebook when you don’t have that background.

Or maybe you downloaded another image from our free stock photo collections  that could also use a transparent background.

Fortunately, you can do something about it. Use Photoshop or PowerPoint to easily erase the background from your photo or image right away. We will show you exactly how to do it. First, choose an image to practice. You can download one of our newest collection of free royalty-free stock photos  .

Check Out My Website 

Photo background removal service

 

 Do you already have the image you want to modify? Perfect. Let’s get started!

In case someone does not have access to Photoshop, let’s start with the instructions for using PowerPoint. 

1. Insert the image into PowerPoint

In the “Insert” menu bar, select the “Image” box, so that you can choose the image you will work with.

Images with white or plain backgrounds, or those that have a high contrast to the foreground, are the easiest to manipulate in PowerPoint. 

2. Select “Remove background”

Click on the image you chose. Then under “File” (on a PC) or “Adjust” (on a Mac) in the toolbar, and click on “Remove Background”.

3. Try the automatic attempt

PowerPoint will try to remove the background automatically, but it may not be quite right. As you can see in this image, the foot would be considered to be erased along with the background, which would be a mistake.

4. Mark the areas to keep or remove 

Use the options on the toolbar to mark the areas you want to keep or remove from the final image. Drag the grid around the image to include the entire area you want to keep. 

 

Note that the purple areas will be removed. Use the “Mark areas to remove” option on the toolbar to click on other areas you want to remove, which will be displayed with a minus sign. If you want to keep any of the areas purple, use the “Mark areas to keep” option on the toolbar and click to mark what you want to keep. These areas will be shown with a plus sign.

To be more precise with the areas you click, you can zoom in on the image. 

If you included or removed a part by mistake, just click the plus or minus signs for that area and it will disappear.

 

5. Click outside the image 

When you’re done, click outside of the image and you’re done. 

 

6. Save your file

Last but not least, you should save the image as a png file to preserve the transparent background.

 

Considerations for removing background in an image with Photoshop

Photoshop is much more sophisticated than PowerPoint; therefore, you can use different methods to make a background transparent. Each one is good for a different type of image. 

In all cases you should know that:

• The process is carried out by selecting and removing the background directly or by selecting the image you want to isolate, inverting the selection so that the background is selected, and removing the selection. 
• What changes are the different ways of selecting the image or background to make it as accurate as possible.
• You will have to save your file as a png so that the transparency of your background is respected.
• The selection tools are on the left side. With the Option key (or right button) you can make the tool change in each block. And with the Control key all the options are displayed.

Prepare your images by checking that they are rasterized, that is, that they are not an intelligent object; You can verify this with the icon shown on the layer.

 

Unlock the layer you are going to work with by double clicking. 

You can zoom in for more precision: click on the “View” drop-down menu and select “Zoom in” or “Zoom out.” You can also use keyboard shortcuts. 

1. Polygonal loop method 

If your image has completely straight edges, this method of removing the background is perfect, because it selects the sides tip by tip.

to. Select the tool

Once you have your image ready, select the Polygonal Lasso tool from the left toolbar. 

b. Outline the image

After selecting it, click on the starting point and outline the part of the image you want to keep using a series of clicks to bring all the ends together.

Connect the line to the starting point. You will know you did it when the cursor includes a small circle.

An intermittent dotted line will form around the image, like this one indicating that your image is selected. 

c. Invert the selection

Click on the “Select” drop-down menu in the top menu, then “Invest.” 

d. Clear selection (background)

Click Erase on the keyboard and the background will be gridded, as seen below. This way you will know that the background is transparent. 

2. Quick selection method

The quick selection method is ideal for images with rounded edges. 

to. Select the tool

Once you have your image ready, select the “Quick Selection” tool from the left toolbar just below the ties. 

b. Adjust the size of the selection tool according to your needs

I recommend starting with a larger size, as that will allow you to select larger parts of the background at the same time, thus speeding up the process. 

3. Create transparent parts: 

Pass this tool over the parts that you want to make transparent as if you were painted. Use the Shift key to increase your selection.

4. Repeat the process:

You must repeat this process until you have selected the entire background of the image:

Suppose you realize that part of the image you want to keep was selected with the background you want to remove. No problem. You can subtract parts of the image that were accidentally selected: 

First, click on the “Subtract from Selection” button on the top toolbar; or hold down Alt while clicking on a PC or Option while clicking on a Mac.

It may take a little getting used to, but the trick is to position the cursor just along the inner edges of the part of the image that you want to keep. We suggest that you adjust the size of the “Quick Selection” tool to touch up the finer details. Then click to accidentally remove the highlighted section.

5. Erase the background:

Once you have all the background selected, erase the background. Click “Erase” on the keyboard and the background will be gridded, as seen below.

This way you will know that the background is transparent.

Simple freehand bow

When you have very complex images you can make the selection freehand.

1. Select the tool:

Once you have your image ready, select the “Lasso” tool (freehand) from the toolbar on the left. 

2. Follow the outline:

Follow the outline with the lasso and press the Shift key to increase the selection. 

3. Automatic selection:

When you come across straights you can put the loop at the beginning and end of the straight and the selection is automatically made. 

4. Invert the selection:

Click on the “Select” drop-down menu in the top menu, then “Invest.” 

5. Clear the selection (background):

Click Erase on the keyboard and the background will be gridded, as seen below. This way you will know that the background is transparent. 

Magic wand

It is ideal for when the image you are going to isolate has completely contrasting colors, since this tool selects by color zones.

1. Select the tool:

Once you have your image ready, select the “Magic Wand” tool from the toolbar on the left, just below the ties. 

 

2. Select a specific range:

You can set the tool to select a specific range of pixels at the top of your toolbar. 

3. Delete zones:

Click on the areas you want to remove, helping you with the Shift key so that the selection accumulates. 

4. Erase the background:

Once you have selected the background delete it. Click Erase on the keyboard and the background will be gridded, as seen below. This way you will know that the background is transparent. 

Object selection

This is a new Photoshop tool where you can select the object you want to isolate. It is ideal for when you have well-defined objects.

1. Select the tool:

Once you have your image ready, select the “Object Selection” tool from the toolbar on the left, just below the ties. 

2. Wrap the whole object:

Drag the tool in such a way that it wraps around the entire object you want to isolate. 

3. Invert the selection:

Click on the “Select” drop-down menu in the top menu, then “Invest.” 

4. Clear the selection (background):

Click Erase on the keyboard and the background will be gridded, as seen below. This way you will know that the background is transparent. 

Finally, you should know that you can combine all these tools to perfect the contour of your image.

That’s it. Fortunately, removing the background from an image will now be much easier if you use one of these methods.