How to Make Background Transparent in Photoshop – Step-by-Step Guide
Table of Contents
What is a transparent background?
The transparent background is a feature in graphic software that allows you to make a background image invisible.
A transparent background can be used with other effects, such as shadows and lighting effects, for more impact. This can help add depth and realism to a design or achieve a unique effect.
To create a transparent background image, use the opacity tool—this will allow you to change the transparency of each pixel of your image gradually. Adjusting this setting will alter the image’s appearance so that it appears blurry or semi-transparent while still maintaining an image’s basic structure. Here’s what the transparent background looks like.
Why is it useful?
Background transparency is beneficial for several reasons. First of all, it’s an easy way to add visual interest and depth to an otherwise boring document.
An example might be creating a scene with trees behind your text. You could also use a transparent background for simple effects, such as making part of an image whiter than the rest, so it looks like you’re cutting out just that part of the image and placing it somewhere else. Finally, you can also use it to make the Logo Background transparent.
A transparent image allows the background to show through. This has a lot of practical uses in web design since you can layer an image over any color, and it will appear as though it were printed on top of that surface.
For example, if you want to make an underwater scene with a fish swimming over the sand, you could put a transparent image of the fish over sand-colored paint. The fish would look as though it were in two places at once. It would be both on top of the paint and underwater simultaneously. Let’s find out how to add fonts to Photoshop from external.
What does a transparent background look like in Photoshop?
The transparency of an image in Photoshop is referred to as its alpha channel and indicates how much light passes through each pixel of an image.
A fully-transparent pixel will let all light pass through and show what’s on the other side of it; a fully-opaque pixel will block all light from passing through and show only itself, and a partially-transparent pixel will let some light pass through.
Different tools are used to make a transparent background in photoshop
Transparent background is a popular technique in web design. It allows the content on your page to be more visible and easy to read by the visitors. Usually, we use layer masks to create a transparent background.
However, sometimes you want it to be transparent without using layer masks, such as when you are using pictures with clipping masks or effects like drop shadows. Following are some useful tools you can use to make your background transparent.
Making a transparent background in Photoshop is a common question among new users, so this article will help you solve your problem. You might be searching for why we need to make a transparent background when we can easily change the background color of our image with a color picker.
This method works fine if you are not using any other image on the same layer as the image whose background color you must change. But if you want to use another image on that particular layer, it won’t work. This is because as soon as you place another image over your previous one, its background color will be changed automatically by Photoshop.
But they can be beneficial for other purposes, too—for example, when someone needs to submit a photo for an ID card but doesn’t have access to a scanner, making background transparency can be a quick and better way to get a usable image.
The background of an image is the first thing people notice. An excellent clean background can make the best out of a picture, but a bad background can ruin even marvelous images. That’s why photographers need to have some basic knowledge about creating transparent backgrounds.
The Background Removal Tools in Photoshop is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to create transparent backgrounds. It allows you to choose any part of an image by simply drawing around it with your mouse. Then, the moment you let up, Photoshop will erase everything outside the selected area and create a background transparent for your picture. How to remove background in Photoshop, use this guide to remove background.
Here are some tools people use to create transparent backgrounds for their images.
Magic wand tool
The magic wand tool uses an algorithm to detect pixel differences between areas you select and unselected areas. It then removes those pixels that don’t match, effectively removing the background from your image. This is ideal if you have a simple background or if it’s a solid color that doesn’t need much touch-up work.
Along with selecting your main subject, you also have to choose a tolerance value that determines how different the pixels can be before they are deemed different enough not to be included in your selection.
How can we use the magic wand tool in photoshop?
The magic wand tool is a fantastic piece of tech that can make your life easier in some cases, but it also has its limits. After using it for a while, you might want to use the magic wand tool on a photo where it just doesn’t work. Let’s cover what the magic wand tool can do and when you should and shouldn’t use it.
Some things a magic wand can do:
A magic wand is a powerful tool in photoshop. It’s one of the most used tools because it makes edits easily. The following are some simple tasks that you can accomplish with the magic wand tool:
-Select a color in your image (maybe to add a vignette effect).
-Selecting an object and removing its background

Lasso Tool
Lasso Tool is one of the most frequently used tools in Adobe Photoshop. Select the Lasso tool if it doesn’t occur by default. Then, the Alt key is continually pressed. It is used for making selections around an object or region so you can apply specific effects or edit it in any other way.
For making a background transparent, you need to follow these steps:
Open your logo photo or any picture in Photoshop and Press CTRL+A (to Select All).
From the Tools Panel, choose the Lasso Tool and draw around your object to select it.
Press CTRL + J (to put the background into a new layer).
Now, press CTRL+SHIFT+N to add a new layer of black color behind your photo on which you want to make a transparent background in Adobe Photoshop.
Now use a layer mask, So tap on the “Add Layer Mask” button at the bottom of the Layers Panel, after tapping on the bottom of the Layers Panel, open a dialog box for adding a mask to this layer.
In this dialog box, select “White” from the dropdown menu for Layer mask, then click the OK button to apply the mask to this layer, and you will see that now your photo is selected only and visible parts. Also, click the Eye icon to view your new background. Check out the helpful guide for how to flip an image in Photoshop.

Pen tool
The Pen tool is the most helpful tool in adobe Photoshop and can be used to make an image transparent. Instead of selecting the area with a tool like a Marquee or Lasso (which is a bit difficult to use), you can use the Pen tool to draw around the area you want to be transparent.
The line around it will then become the edge of your transparency. Once you have done this, the Opacity and Flow sliders will appear on your Tools palette. Slide them until you have reached a desired level of transparency.
For background removal using the pen tool, follow these steps:
- Create a new photograph and fill the background layer with white or black.
- Make a new layer on the background and select the pen tool from the Tools menu (shortcut key P).
- Choose the foreground color square and click on any color you want your object to be.
- Click on the pen tool pointer, then click anywhere on the white background until you reach the endpoint of your object.
- Right-click on the pen tool pointer and choose to make a selection from the dropdown menu.
- Select inverse from the same dropdown menu to invert your selection so that it will be easy for you to delete the background later when you are done with your work with the Pen tool pointer.
- Directly go back to your layers palette and create a clipping mask by clicking on the clipping mask option below the opacity option in the layers palette.

Steps how to make the background transparent in Photoshop
When you’re working with a complex background image in Adobe Photoshop, you may want the subject of your photo or graphic to appear on top of a transparent background. For instance, maybe you’ve got a rainbow and wish to add some text over it. Or perhaps you’ve got a photo that uses a solid color as the background, but you want something else to appear there instead.
You can position the photo or text layer directly on top of your background layer and keep it from looking awkward. But in Photoshop, creating a transparent background is not as easy as it seems in programs like GIMP.
Once you have a photo in which the background is transparent, however, you may find yourself needing to sharpen or soften the background or align it with another photo.
Make your image into a layered file
You can convert any photo into a layered file in Adobe Photoshop by taking advantage of the program’s ability to recognize what layer of an image you are on. It is possible with just a few clicks, here’s how :
- Open up the new image you wish to make into a layered file in Photoshop
- Go to “Image” in the top bar and click “Canvas Size.”
- Select the units of measurement you’re using and the width and height of your canvas. For example, I have my measurements set up in inches, so my canvas size is 3″x5″ (because I want an image that is 3″ tall and 5″ wide).
- Click “okay” to convert your image into a layered file in Photoshop
- Go to “layer” in the top bar and click “create layer”
- Type in a name for your layer at the bottom of the window, then press okay, and a new layer will be created for you! Voila! You’ve now made your image into a layered file in Photoshop!

While many people who use Adobe Photoshop know how to manipulate an image’s layers, some may not realize that the program also allows you to add and delete layers in an image. This is a beneficial feature because it will enable you to merge multiple layers into one to make your image easy to work with or prepare for print. It also makes it feasible for you to add a layer over top of your existing layers, which can be a quick way to create a new effect or text.

How to delete layers in Adobe Photoshop?
To delete one or more layers in Photoshop, follow these steps:
Open the file containing the layer(s) you want to remove.

Click on the “Layers” tab at the top of the screen and select “Layers,” if necessary.
Right-click on the layer you want to remove and select “Delete Layer.” If this option is not available, you may have chosen multiple layers as part of a group; in that case, you need to ungroup them before proceeding.
Use the delete key, Select “Layer from Background” to permanently delete the layer instead of simply hiding it from view until you delete it later.
At last, Click “Yes”.

Create your selection tools
Photoshop is an excellent program for creating selection tools. It has a few features that make the process relatively easy, and its layers feature can be used to create almost any shape you’d like.
Selection tools can be created within Photoshop by following these steps:
- Open your image in Photoshop.
- Create another layer.
- Draw your shape in black on that layer.

- Select your shape with the magic wand tool (your drawn shape should be selected now).
- Go to Select -> Transform -> Warp (this will open a new window titled “Transform”).
- Use the handles to adjust your shape into what you’d like it to look like.

Now you have your custom-shaped selection tool!
Delete the background
Deleting a background from an image in Adobe Photoshop is a skill you should have in your tool belt. It’s a skill that you can use in many ways, from creating amazing composite images to simply cleaning up your digital photos. You can get back to making beautiful images without the distraction of a background that doesn’t belong.
Steps to delete the background
- Open an image in Photoshop.
- Select the background.
- Enlarge it by using the “Ctrl+T” key.
- Use the tool “background erase” to delete the background of your selection.
Save your image in the proper file format
When you have finished editing your image, there are a few factors to keep in mind when saving in Photoshop. The first thing to consider is the file format that you are saving the file as.

It ensures you have the best quality image to work with, it opens up multiple avenues for sharing and distributing that image, and it can even make sure you can use that image in certain ways. By default, Photoshop will save files in .psd format.
This file type saves the layers that you edit in the program and the original photograph. It’s a good idea to save it as a “PSD” (or “Photoshop Document”)—this is like the rawest form of your image.
If you intend on making edits on another computer down the road, consider saving in Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF).

It is a good idea to save your files as .jpgs or .tiff if you are not going to be editing them further. While jpegs can be great for small images and thumbnails, it’s important that photographers
know when to use jpegs and when other formats are better suited for preserving their work. The .jpg or .tiff formats are much smaller than the original image size and they will load faster on the internet.
If you want to go even smaller, export your image file as a .png file or a .gif instead of a .jpg or a .tiff (You can choose it better according to the file size because larger file sizes will make your web page load more slowly). This will remain your entire image quality or entire background quality.

Conclusion
Knowing how to make a background in Photoshop, background transparent is an important skill, and it’s one that you can learn pretty quickly. If you’ve never done it before, this step-by-step guide will walk you through the process. It’s not difficult, but there are a few tricks and tools that can speed up the process.
The cutout tool is very straightforward, as it uses a single slider and a preview window to achieve transparency. Find the related guide for how to resize image in Photoshop.
All you have to do is select the area around the subject in your image that you would like to keep and then click the “OK” button. This will create a selection of the subject in your image and leave the rest transparent.
You can use these and many other tools/tricks to make the background transparent. Create your first gif in Photoshop with this guide.
