Add objects to an image in Photoshop on iPhone

Combine parts of different images for a unique result.

Published January 12, 2026

00:01

Introduction

When you're working in Photoshop on the iPhone, you can bring in objects from various sources, then use selections and masks to pull them all together to fit your vision.

I'm Howard Pinsky, and in this video, I'm going to show you how to easily add objects to your images using Photoshop on iPhone.

Let's start by loading in our background image.

00:16

Loading a background image in Photoshop on iPhone

And it just so happens I have the perfect one already saved to my camera roll.

I'll tap From your photos and then browse to find the background image I want.

Let's get straight to the Editor.

00:31

Adding image layers from multiple sources

To quickly add in my next photo, I can tap the white Add button at the bottom right.

Then tap Image layer.

Here we can choose from a variety of sources, including your photos, free images from Adobe Stock, you can generate an image using generative AI or even take a photo.

I'll tap Add from photos to bring in another image from my camera roll.

When new images are added to your canvas, they come in as independent layers, which you can see in your layers stack at the bottom right.

This lets us make changes to them without affecting the rest of the design.

Perfect.

01:05

Selecting subjects and masking backgrounds

With the new image in place, we'll want to remove its background.

And to do that, let's first select our main subject.

I'm going to tap on Select area and Photoshop will start detecting some of the objects in this image and display them here as thumbnails.

And once complete, our subject can be tapped on either in the list of thumbnails or as I'm doing now, directly on canvas.

And once you have them chosen, tapping on the Checkmark will create the selection.

If part of the banana got selected too, you can subtract it from the selection.

To do that, tap Select area, tap the Lasso tool and tap the Subtract from selection button.

Drag around the banana to remove that part of the selection and press the Checkmark.

Now that we have a selection, it's time to tell Photoshop what to do with that selection.

The bar at the bottom includes some of these options.

I'll tap Apply as mask, which will hide everything that wasn't selected.

Tapping on the subject, then tapping on it again will let me move it around the canvas by dragging.

And I can transform it by pulling on the handles to get it exactly where I'd like.

Let's add another object.

02:11

Adding and positioning additional objects

To do that, I'll accept my transformation by tapping the Checkmark, then the down arrow to close the Layer properties.

Now I can tap the Add button again, this time when I tap Image layer, I'll choose Adobe Stock and search for something like music.

Scroll to find an asset I want included, then tap to add to my design.

Just like before, this new layer can be transformed and moved around the canvas.

Lastly, there may be times where you want to move an object

02:43

Managing and organizing layers on iPhone

like this behind another.

And you can do that by opening up your layers stack by tapping on it.

For quick movements, holding down a layers thumbnail will let you shift it up or down.

Or if you need a more detailed view, swiping the layers stack to the left will open it up.

Once here, you can also rearrange your layers by holding down on any of them and dragging up or down, and you'll be able to see the order change as you do.

You can also toggle your layers on and off by tapping on the Eye icon to the right.

This is great if you need to see what's below a layer.

There are a lot of other things you can do with your layers too.

Tapping on the three dots will reveal a list of options, and here you can Rename your layers, Delete, Duplicate, and much more.

Perfect!

You should now be set to add additional objects to take your designs to new levels.

I'll catch you all in the next one.

What you’ll learn

Add image layers

Bring in new images from various sources, including free Adobe Stock, your camera roll, your camera, or generative AI. Each image comes in as a separate image layer, so you can edit objects on one layer without changing other layers.

Control which objects to reveal

Select one or more objects. Then apply your selection as a mask. The mask hides everything on the active layer except what you selected.

Move, transform, and reorder objects

Position, scale, and rotate objects with intuitive on-canvas Transform controls. Change the order of objects in your image by rearranging their layers in either the compact or detailed layers view.

Discover the power of layers

Layers give you unparalleled power to edit different objects independently. Explore the detailed layers view for a taste of the many things you can do with layers, like hiding, duplicating, or deleting layers.

Instruction by: Howard Pinsky
Adobe Stock Contributors: Dima; Alexandra/peopleimages.com; Judit Zengovari/Minty

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