Remove an Image Background in One Click: Fast Cutout Techniques in Photoshop

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Home/ PS Tutorials/ Remove an Image Background in One Click: Fast Cutout Techniques in Photoshop

The newer Photoshop's Remove Background feature takes the background out in one click. The rest of the work is the edges: Select and Mask for hair strands, then touch up the mask by hand, and export a transparent PNG. In Online PS, transparent images are handy for stickers and posters alike.

1

Open the image and back up the layer

To keep the original safe, duplicate the layer first — if something goes wrong later, you can undo it in one step.

  1. Launch Photoshop, click File > Open in the menu bar, and choose your image.
  2. In the Layers panel, right-click the Background layer and choose Duplicate Layer (or just press Ctrl+J).
  3. Hide or delete the original Background layer and work on the duplicate.
2

Run the “Remove Background” command

This is the core step: the AI identifies the subject on its own, builds a mask for it, and hides the background.

  1. Make sure the layer you just duplicated is selected.
  2. Find Quick Actions in the menu bar (if it isn't there, open the Properties panel with Window > Properties).
  3. Click Remove Background, wait a moment, and the transparent background appears.
  4. If it looks good, skip ahead to step 5 and export; if not, carry on with the next step.

Note: the generated mask is editable, so you can correct it with the brush at any time.

3

Refine the edges (Select and Mask)

On complicated areas like hair and fuzzy edges, the AI doesn't always get it perfect. The “Select and Mask” workspace gives you proper edge-refinement tools.

  1. Click Select and Mask in the Properties panel (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+R / Cmd+Option+R).
  2. Use the Refine Edge Brush in the toolbar on the left and paint along the subject's edges, especially the hair.
  3. On the right, adjust the Edge Detection radius and watch the live preview to make the transition more natural.
  4. Tick Decontaminate Colors to remove the stray color left on the edges.
  5. Click “OK” when you're done and the mask updates.
4

Touch up the mask by hand

Even after the automatic and semi-automatic passes there may be small flaws left. Painting directly on the mask with the brush is the most flexible fix.

  1. Click the layer mask thumbnail (the white square) to make sure you're in mask-editing mode.
  2. Set the foreground color to black (hide) or white (show).
  3. Pick a normal soft-edged brush, zoom in (Ctrl++), and paint carefully over the area that needs correcting.
  4. Paint out the leftover background with black, and bring back mistakenly removed parts of the subject with white.

Note: at 100% opacity and flow the brush paints a hard edge; lower the values for a semi-transparent transition.

5

Export the transparent-background image

The last step is saving the result. Only formats that support transparency keep the removed background, so PNG is the one to use.

  1. Click File > Export > Export As.
  2. Choose PNG as the format and make sure Transparency is ticked.
  3. Resize if you need to, then click “Export” to save.
  4. Your image now has a fully transparent background and can be dropped into any other design.

Practical tips

  • Tricky backgrounds: if the subject and background are similar in color, roughly select the subject with the Quick Selection tool first, then click “Remove Background” — the result is better.
  • Keep the original layer: always hold on to one backup of the original layer so you can start over.
  • Shortcut roundup: duplicate layer Ctrl+J; Select and Mask Ctrl+Alt+R; invert selection Ctrl+Shift+I; fill with foreground color Alt+Delete.
  • Online alternative: if you don't have Photoshop handy, go to www.zaixianps.cc, upload the image, and remove the background in one click — just as simple.

Note: “Remove Background” requires Photoshop CC 2020 or later. If you're on an older version or the feature isn't available, use the “Quick Selection” + “Select and Mask” workflow instead, or try the online tool at www.zaixianps.cc for a similar result.

With these steps in hand you can turn out a professional-grade cutout in a few minutes. Practise a little and even complicated hair edges stop being a problem. If anything trips you up, reread the tutorial or just use the online tool to get there faster.

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