Removing Image Backgrounds Using Photoshop and Canva

April 12, 2022 / in How To / by Jason Terry

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Hi there! This week’s technical tip is about removing backgrounds from an image so that you can use a certain part of that image as a layer over another image. For example, let’s say you wanted to put a photo of yourself on top of a photo of one of your projects.

There are lots of ways to get this done. Traditionally, people do this the hard way… by carefully cutting out the portion of the image they want to use with lasso tools, etc. But most strong image editing programs have the ability to automatically remove the background for you.

Photoshop

If you have access to Photoshop, the simple steps to remove an image background are to select a layer, click on the Properties tab, scroll down to the Quick Actions menu and click the “Remove Background” button. Watch the video to see exactly how to do this step by step.

Cost? I subscribe to the full suite of Adobe software products via Creative Cloud subscription. This currently costs $52.99/month when paid annually.

Canva

Canva is a web based graphics editing tool that lots of people use to create marketing graphics. There is a background removal tool in Canva, but you have to have a paid version to use it. (Totally worth the price by the way.) Again, watch the video to see exactly how to do this step by step.

Cost? The paid version of Canva currently costs $119.99/year.