Same goes for improving home photos. Using this technique, you can achieve many interesting effects, for example, placing the subject on a blurred background from the side so that it appears that the photo was taken with an expensive camera. In this lesson we will change the landscape behind the girl to a more interesting one.
The first stage is the creation of a selected area, which is necessary for high-quality extraction of an object from the background. You can do this with the Pen Tool, which, of course, takes more time, but provides maximum clarity of the outline and precision of the selection. Here we use another technique - selection in quick mask mode. It takes less time, and even a beginner can carry out the selection this way.
All you need to do is switch to quick mask mode. Click the gray rectangle with a circle inside in the layers panel and use the Q shortcut key to activate the mode. Sketch the girl's figure with a large brush. In the image, the mask appears as a translucent red area.
Press Q again to exit Quick Mask mode. A selected area is formed, shown by a running dotted line. The background can now be removed by pressing the DEL key.
In a separate window, open the image that will replace the background.
To make your image look more natural, apply color correction using the Hue/Saturation tools.
This Photoshop tutorial will show you how you can change the background of a photo.
In this tutorial we will combine these two photos:
To get this:
Now you will learn how to change a boring background in a photo to a more interesting and picturesque one.
There are many ways to do this, but here is the easiest and most effective technique.
So, you have opened two photographs, preferably of the same size.
1. a. Go to the photo where you will take the background from.
Select the entire image ( Select > All ) and copy it ( Edit > Copy )
B. Go to the foreground photo, click (Edit > Paste) to paste the photo.
c. In the layers panel you will see this picture:
The layer with the future background is located above the photo with the foreground.
2. Now add a layer mask, for which in the main menu go to Layer > Add Layer Mask > Hide All
Look how the layers panel has changed (a black square has appeared to the right of the layer):
3. Select the Brush tool
4. Make sure the colors you are working with are in the white/black position.
5. Now using a small soft brush just start painting the places where you want to change the background.
As you work, you may need to periodically change the size and softness of your brush to paint hard-to-reach areas.
We hope everything worked out for you! Good luck!
Before we talk about how to replace the background in Photoshop, I would like to explain why this is needed. So, this will allow you to transfer the photograph’s character to any location that corresponds to the author’s intention - fantastic or even exotic. This can be done using the arsenal of tools of the well-known Photoshop program.
Choosing a method
If you don’t know how to replace the background in Photoshop, then we offer you the following methods: manually tracing the contours of a figure using the tools from the Lasso set; automatic selection of image fragments using the Quick Selection and Magic Wand tools, creating different ways masks and the like. By creating combinations of the functions of the tools described above in one way or another, in the end, you will begin to understand how to replace the background in Photoshop - the required area along the contour should be framed with a flickering border.
To change the background on digital images, first of all, it is necessary that the character or object that is not the background be separated from, in fact, the background - now unnecessary - fragment of the image.
Now we need to ensure that all other areas of the image become transparent - then this place can be taken by another background.
Making layers invisible
Having selections, we make the layers invisible. This is another one a clear example how to replace the background in Photoshop. For this purpose, you will need to add a so-called transparency mask to the layer. You will see how the object you circled remained visible, and everything that went beyond the boundaries of the selected one became invisible - instead of images, a gray-white square of the technical background began to appear through.
Practice
This seemingly simple example of how to replace the background in Photoshop CS6 has a pitfall. The procedure described above can work in any of the Photoshop layers, except for a layer of a type such as Background. Technically, you cannot assign a transparency mask on this layer. To see if this is indeed the case, take a closer look at the layer panel, which can be opened by pressing the F8 key.
This layer is created by the program by default as a base layer for digital images and differs from others, strictly speaking, in that it has a significant number of limitations. In particular, he cannot change the transparency parameters and move from his place.
What to do in this case? Remove all these restrictions and make the layer ordinary. To do this, you will need to select Layer from Background from the list in the context menu, which opens by clicking the left mouse button (if you are working in Windows) on the line with the name of the layer in the list. This command is also available through the main menu Layer>New>Layer from Background. Thus, the Background layer will be replaced with a normal one.
Now all restrictions have been removed, you know how to replace the background of a photo in Photoshop, and you can easily do the above-described process of assigning a transparency mask to a layer yourself.
Replacing the background using tools from the Marquee set
Next, we will tell you how to replace the background of a photo in Photoshop using the tools from the Marquee set. To do this, open the file with the future background. We copy images from it to the clipboard by selecting either a fragment of the image using the tools from the set, or simply selecting all the fields of the images by selecting Select All in the Selection menu (or by pressing the key combination Ctrl+A). After selection, place the selected fragment on the clipboard by pressing Ctrl+C or selecting Copy from the Edit menu. Now we return to the original photos and paste the contents of the buffer: our new background. This operation is carried out by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + V or by finding the Paste item in the Edit menu.
A new layer will appear in your composition, which will contain the background image. If you don't know how to replace the background in Photoshop, it may happen that the new layer after insertion will be located below the original transparent layer and completely or partially overlap the latter. Of course, this is wrong, and in order to restore order, go to the layers panel and change places, simply dragging the lines with the names of the layers with the mouse so that the background one is higher and the character layer is lower.
Setting the image size
It often happens that two images do not match in size. The inserted background should be either slightly smaller the right size, or, on the contrary, cumbersome relative to the original image of the character. We change the geometric size by pressing the key combination Ctrl+T and selecting the required layer from the list in the layers panel. After that, a small square pointer will appear at the edges of the layer, by moving which you can change the location and size of the layer, gradually achieving a harmonious arrangement of characters and background. Having completed the conversion process, press the Enter key, thereby confirming the final selection of the desired size.
Changing the color
Next, it will be necessary to carry out another rather difficult operation. Both photographs, now making up one composition, were taken, of course, under different lighting, with different equipment, and so on, therefore, their color will also be different. One image may be dramatically darker or lighter than another, and photographs may vary greatly in color shades- one may be, for example, blue, the other yellower. All this will definitely catch the audience’s eye, and if you don’t specifically achieve the effect of unnatural collages, you will have to work hard. For this reason, we consider it necessary to talk about how to replace the background color in Photoshop. To do this, you will need to sequentially create an adjustment layer, completely or partially change the color and brightness of each image, after some time you will be able to achieve their correct ratio.
By the way, the degree of unnaturalness of the combination is often influenced by a carelessly created transparency mask of the main layer. The remnant of the old background may “glow” along its contours, and small and thin details, for example, folds of clothing or hair, on the contrary, are roughly cut off, creating a feeling of “amputation.” All this can be corrected - the transparency mask can be completed and changed at any time.
Additional items
It goes without saying that more elements can be added to the composition; they can be located as additional background details - above the main image layer, and added to the foreground as surrounding details. If something doesn’t fit or, conversely, there is too much extra space left, you will need to change the size and proportion of the working field - this is done easily and simply through the main menu Image>Canvas Size.
Changing the background to white
And finally, we will talk about how to replace the background with white in Photoshop.
White background your image can be assigned using several methods combined with each other.
The most in a simple way is to use the special Fill tool (G key). Select the color you need through the palette and click on the area you are going to paint. This method will not work if there is a lot of content in the foreground. small parts. In this case, you will be forced to paint over each part separately. This may require a lot of precious time. Plus, there may be an unpainted part left. In this case, you will be forced to paint over it manually using a tool such as the Brush (B) or Eraser (E).
Conclusion
Now you know how to replace the background of a photo in Photoshop. If you are unable to perform any operations yourself, we recommend that you re-read our lesson again. There are even textbooks that will help you master the program in professional level. To make learning easier, you can Russify the program using special language packs. Additional software can be found on the official website.
In this lesson, we'll look at one of the ways you can use Photoshop CC 2015 to replace the usual background of a photo with a more interesting artistic one.
Very often, the most ordinary photographs can look different if you give them an artistic edge.
Let's choose a photo from a matinee in kindergarten.
Since all children's concerts take place in the same hall, the interior, with some changes in design, is repeated over and over again.
I would like to somehow arrange the most liked frames in a style close to the natural theme - let's replace the background for this image.
Let's imagine that our princess performed a dance with fans at the Japanese National Theater. To do this, let’s find, for example, a photograph on the Internet depicting a Japanese interior.
The first thing we need to do is open our two photos in Photoshop. It is desirable that their sizes are approximately the same.
Let's move on to the photo with the image of the girl. To do this, in the viewing window, left-click on the icon with the name of the photo.
A layer with an image is created in the layers palette, on which we will change the background.
Using the Quick Selection tool, we separate our heroine from the background.
To select complex elements such as hair, use the Refine Edge selection function.
By pressing the “Refine Edge” function key, the settings window will appear.
Changing the settings in the “Edge Adjustment” window area and using a brush, draw it along the edge of the hairstyle. We will try to get a satisfying result of neatly separating the hair from the background.
To further use the selection in the “Output” area, you must select the “New Layer with Layer Mask” mode. Click “Ok”.
In the layers palette we get a new layer with a transparent background and a mask.
We begin to perform the main task - changing the background.
In the viewing window, left-click on the tab with the name of the background photo.
Next, hovering the cursor over the background image, hold down the left mouse button and drag it to the tab with the name of the foreground photo. When the cursor is not on the foreground tab, the image in the viewing window changes to the image of a girl. Without releasing the left mouse button, lower the cursor to the image that appears. The mouse cursor changes its appearance from a simple check mark with a move icon to an arrow with an add selection icon. Release the left mouse button.
We get something similar on the screen.
Those. the new background we need is wedged between the separated object and the old background.
The layers palette looks like this.
To make the lesson clearer, photographs of different sizes were taken deliberately.
Let's go through the process of combining our images. While on the new background layer, go to the “Edit” menu and select “Free Transform”, otherwise you can call this command by pressing the Ctrl + T key combination.
A transformation frame is displayed around the visible and even invisible parts of the image with the new background.
Hold down the Shift key and move the corners of the transformation frame to align the selected image with the edges and center with the underlying image.
When the bottom, top edges and center coincide, pink guides begin to highlight, and the movement itself is duplicated by a field with pointers and digital values deviations from the center. After completing the size transformation and changing the position of the image, press the Enter key.
Now let's scale the foreground relative to the new background.
Just like in the previous case, go to the layer with the image of the cut out foreground
By pressing the key combination Ctrl+T, we call the free transformation command.
While holding down the Shift key, we change the size and position of the image so that the image of the girl fits in scale now onto the new background. After scaling, press the Enter key.
To crop unnecessary areas of the old background on the left and right, use the “Crop” tool with the settings W x H x Resolution.
Grab hold of the side framing points by pressing the left mouse button and pull them to the left and right edges of the new background. You can also do vertical framing if necessary. After the necessary cropping, press the Enter key.
If the initial photographs were of the same size, then the transformation and cropping procedure might not be useful.
After analyzing our new image, we can note that the dancer and the background have different brightnesses. You can correct this situation using the “Curves” adjustment layer.
In the Curves property panel, click the button to apply the correction only to the underlying layer. Let's lower the curve itself in the area of light halftones a little until the brightness of the foreground and background is equalized.
To further process the photo, we will combine all the layers into one and place it at the very top of the layers palette, for which we simultaneously hold down the Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E keys.
Let's open the original image. I want to separate the girl from the background and replace it with something more suitable. So how to change the background in photoshop?
Let's create a duplicate of the main layer by dragging it to the second icon from the right in the "Layers" palette.
Let's open the image that will serve as the future background for the girl's photo. Select the Move Tool (V).
Let's click anywhere on the new background and, without releasing the mouse button, drag it onto the girl's photo. In the Layers palette we now have three layers.
Double-click on the bottommost layer with the left mouse button. The “New Layer” window will appear, in which we do not change anything, but simply click “Yes”. With this action we unlocked the main layer.
Place the sky layer at the very bottom, turn off the visibility of the middle layer and make it active upper layer.
Background eraser "(E) with the following parameters: test: once, tolerance - 10-15%. The smaller the tolerance, the more accurately you can remove the old background.
Now we “shak” the girl along her contour. Here's what I got.
Holding Ctrl key, click on the icon of the top layer, the girl’s selection is loaded. Make the top layer invisible. Turn on the visibility of the middle layer and make it active. Click on the third icon from the left in the Layers palette. A layer mask will load onto the middle layer.
Hold down the Alt key and left-click on the mask icon.
We will see the layer mask. You can immediately see how many flaws it has. On a black background there are white stains, and on a white background, on the contrary, there are black ones. Ideally, the mask should be completely black and white.
Brush " (B), the foreground color is white and paint all the dark parts inside the girl's figure. Then change the color to black and paint the background around the girl so that it becomes completely black.
This is what the mask looks like after using a brush.
Hold down the Alt key and click on the layer mask again, and we see our image. It turned out quite realistic. In this simple way we changed the background in photoshop.
Compare the picture of the girl before and after photo processing in photoshop.
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