Replacing a background in Photoshop on the web offers a simple way to enhance a photo's composition or add creative flair.
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Replacing a background in Photoshop is a great way to improve a photo's composition or add a creative style.
To start, locate the Contextual Taskbar below your image.
If it's not visible, you can re-enable it by going to the Application menu, then in the View area, making sure the Contextual Taskbar is checked.
Now choose Remove Background.
The checkerboard pattern indicates where the background was removed, leaving the subject in place.
From here, there are a few ways to apply a new background that are highlighted in the taskbar.
You can allow Photoshop to create something entirely new with Generate Background.
You can import an image you already have, or fill the background with a solid color or a gradient.
Let's import an image by clicking the icon, then browsing for the file.
Nice!
The Layer Mask controls the visibility of areas on the layer.
You can see it here towards the right of the layer name.
To disable a mask and view the original background, right-click on the mask icon and select Disable Mask.
Then do it again to re-enable the mask.
And that's a quick look at some easy ways to replace a background in Photoshop.
What you’ll learn
Replacing a background in Photoshop on the web offers a simple way to enhance a photo's composition or add creative flair. This tutorial walks you through using the Remove Background feature from the Contextual Taskbar, which isolates the subject and removes the existing background. From there, you can choose to generate a new background, import an image, or fill it with a solid color or gradient. A Layer Mask preserves the original background, allowing for easy toggling between edits. With these tools, swapping backgrounds becomes a seamless and flexible process in Photoshop.
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