How to Remove Background in Photoshop — And a Free Alternative

How to Remove Background in Photoshop

Photoshop offers several methods for background removal — from automatic one-click selection to precise manual masking. Here are the three main approaches, from fastest to most precise.

Method 1: Remove Background (One Click) — Photoshop 2020+

The fastest Photoshop method for simple backgrounds:

1. Open your image in Photoshop.
2. In the Properties panel (Window → Properties), click Remove Background. If you don't see the Properties panel, go to Window → Properties.
3. Photoshop automatically selects the subject and deletes the background.
4. File → Export As → PNG to save with transparency.

Best for: Portraits and product photos with clear subject-background separation. Fast but may miss complex edges like hair.

Method 2: Select Subject + Select and Mask

Better quality for portraits and complex subjects:

1. Go to Select → Subject. Photoshop uses AI to select the foreground subject automatically.
2. Click Select and Mask in the options bar at the top.
3. In the Select and Mask dialog, use the Refine Edge Brush (R) to paint over hair, fur, or soft edges. Photoshop will refine the selection.
4. Set Output to: New Layer with Layer Mask. Click OK.
5. File → Export As → PNG.

Best for: Portraits with hair, animals with fur, any subject where edge quality matters.

Method 3: Pen Tool (Maximum Precision)

The most accurate method, used by professionals for product photos:

1. Select the Pen Tool (P).
2. Click around the edge of your subject to create anchor points, building a path around the entire subject.
3. Right-click the path → Make Selection → set Feather Radius to 0.5–1px → OK.
4. Add a Layer Mask (Layer → Layer Mask → Reveal Selection).
5. Export as PNG.

Best for: Hard-edged products like electronics, bottles, shoes where pixel-perfect precision is needed. Very time-consuming (20–60 minutes per image).

The Problem with Photoshop for Background Removal

Photoshop is excellent — but it has significant barriers for casual users:

• Cost: $20.99/month for Photoshop alone, or $54.99/month for Creative Cloud. No lifetime purchase option.
• Learning curve: Understanding layers, masks, and selection tools takes weeks of practice.
• Time: Even the "fast" methods take several minutes per image. The Pen Tool can take an hour.
• Desktop only: No browser version — requires installation on Mac or Windows.

Free Alternative: AI Background Removal in 10 Seconds

For most background removal needs — portraits, product photos, logos, AI-generated images — a free AI tool produces equivalent quality to Photoshop's Select Subject method, in a fraction of the time:

1. Go to imgmend.com/remove-background — no account, no software.
2. Upload your image (JPG, PNG, WEBP, up to 10 MB).
3. AI removes the background in under 30 seconds.
4. Download a clean transparent PNG.

Free for 3 images per day. Small watermark on the transparent PNG output (removed on Pro).

Try free AI background removal →

Photoshop vs AI Background Remover: Side-by-Side

Feature	Photoshop	imgmend AI
Cost	$20.99/month	Free (3/day) or $9.90 one-time
Installation	Required (~4GB)	Browser-based, nothing to install
Speed	2–60 min per image	Under 30 seconds
Hair and fur quality	Excellent (with Refine Edge)	Excellent (AI-powered)
Manual control	Full control	Automatic only
Works on mobile	Limited (Photoshop app)	Yes, any browser
Output	PNG / PSD	PNG (transparent)

Which Should You Use?

Use Photoshop when: You need pixel-perfect manual control (Pen Tool precision), you're creating complex composites, you already pay for Creative Cloud, or you're a professional designer working on commercial product photography.

Use imgmend when: You need quick results for portraits, products, or logos, you don't want to pay $20/month for occasional use, you're on mobile, or you're removing backgrounds from AI-generated images.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free version of Photoshop for background removal?

Adobe offers a free trial of Photoshop (7 days). After that, it requires a paid subscription. For ongoing free background removal, browser-based AI tools like imgmend are the practical alternative.

Does Photoshop's Remove Background work on hair?

The one-click Remove Background is decent for simple hair. For complex, wispy, or flyaway hair, use Select Subject → Select and Mask → Refine Edge Brush for better results. AI tools handle hair automatically without manual refinement.

What Photoshop feature is best for product photos?

For hard-edged products (electronics, bottles, shoes), the Pen Tool gives the most precise cutouts. For soft or organic products, Select Subject + Select and Mask works well and is much faster.

Remove background free — no Photoshop subscription needed →