# How to remove a background in Photoshop

> To remove a background in Photoshop, unlock the image layer, open the Discover panel → Browse → Quick Actions → Remove Background, touch up the layer mask with a brush, then File → Export → Quick Export as PNG. For hair, use Select → Subject followed by Select and Mask with Decontaminate Colors.

URL: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-remove-background-in-photoshop
Publisher: Kenerate AI (https://kenerateai.com)
Last updated: 26 September 2026

## Key facts
- 1-click: Quick Actions → Remove Background
- Hair: Select Subject + Select and Mask
- Products: Pen tool → Make Selection → mask
- Save as: Quick Export as PNG

## Steps
1. Select the layer — Open the photo and select the image layer in the Layers panel. Make sure it is unlocked.
2. Open Quick Actions — Open the Discover panel (the search icon, or Help → Photoshop Help) and choose Browse → Quick Actions.
3. Run Remove Background — Select Remove Background. Photoshop isolates the subject and masks out the background.
4. Refine the mask — Paint on the layer mask with the Brush tool — black hides, white reveals — to fix any edges.
5. Export as PNG — Choose File → Export → Quick Export as PNG to keep the transparency.

## In depth

### From Refine Edge to Select and Mask
Select and Mask arrived in Photoshop CC 2015.5 (June 2016), replacing the old Refine Edge dialog as the place to perfect hair and soft edges [1].

### Sensei-powered one-click selections
Select Subject came in Photoshop CC 19.1 in January 2018, powered by Adobe Sensei [2]. The Object Selection tool and the Remove Background quick action followed in Photoshop 21.0 in November 2019 — “in a single click, you can now remove the background” [3][4].

### Filling instead of cutting
Content-Aware Fill, introduced in CS5 in 2010, is built on the PatchMatch algorithm [5]; Generative Fill, powered by Adobe Firefly, was released commercially in September 2023 [6]. They're for removing objects inside a photo — for a clean cut-out you still want a mask.

### Why hair still needs refining
Every edge pixel is a mix of subject and background colour, which makes hair a mathematically ambiguous problem [7]. That's why Select and Mask's edge tools — or a dedicated HD cut-out — beat a plain selection on flyaway strands.

References:
[1] Adobe — What's new in Photoshop CC 2015.5 (Select and Mask): https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/whats-new-cc-2015.html
[2] Julieanne Kost (Adobe) — Select Subject in Photoshop CC 19.1 (2018): https://jkost.com/blog/2018/01/adobe-announces-selections-improvements-advanced-support-for-windows-high-density-monitors-and-more-in-photoshop-cc-19-1.html
[3] Adobe — What's new in Photoshop 21.0 (November 2019): https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/whats-new/2020.html
[4] Adobe — Remove background in your images: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/desktop/repair-retouch/remove-objects-fill-space/remove-background-in-your-images.html
[5] Princeton — PatchMatch powers Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill: https://eqn.princeton.edu/2010/06/patchmatch/
[6] Adobe — Commercial release of Generative Fill (September 2023): https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2023/Adobe-Unleashes-New-Era-of-Creativity-for-All-With-the-Commercial-Release-of-Generative-AI/default.aspx
[7] Levin, Lischinski & Weiss — Closed-Form Natural Image Matting (TPAMI 2008): https://webee.technion.ac.il/people/anat.levin/papers/Matting-Levin-Lischinski-Weiss-PAMI.pdf

## FAQ
Q: How do I remove a background in Photoshop?
A: Select the unlocked image layer, open the Discover panel, choose Browse → Quick Actions → Remove Background, refine the layer mask with a brush if needed, and export as PNG.

Q: How do I remove a background in Photoshop in one click?
A: Use the Remove Background quick action, or the Remove background button in the Contextual Task Bar that appears when an image layer is selected.

Q: How do I cut out hair in Photoshop?
A: Use Select → Subject, then Select → Select and Mask. Paint over the hair with the Refine Edge brush, tick Decontaminate Colors to remove the old background's colour, and output to a layer mask.

Q: Why is Remove Background greyed out?
A: The layer is probably locked (a “Background” layer) or not selected. Unlock it by clicking the lock icon in the Layers panel, select it, and try again.

Q: How do I remove a white background in Photoshop?
A: For plain white backgrounds, use the Magic Wand or Select → Color Range on the white, press Delete (on an unlocked layer), then export as PNG. For logos, Blend If on the layer style is another option.

Q: Why does my Photoshop export have a white background?
A: It was saved as JPG. Use File → Export → Quick Export as PNG, or Export As and choose PNG with transparency.

Q: Can I remove a background without Photoshop?
A: Yes. Upload the photo to Kenerate's free background remover and download a transparent PNG a few seconds later — 25 free credits on sign-up.

Q: Does Photoshop's Remove Background use generative credits?
A: Remove Background isolates the subject with a mask. Adobe's generative features, such as Generate Background, are separate and are what use generative credits.

## Related pages
- Free AI background remover: https://kenerateai.com/free-ai-background-remover
- Transparent background maker: https://kenerateai.com/transparent-background-maker
- Free PNG maker: https://kenerateai.com/png-maker
- White background: https://kenerateai.com/white-background
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- Make an image transparent: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-make-an-image-transparent
- Remove background in Canva: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-remove-background-in-canva
- Remove background in GIMP: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-remove-background-in-gimp
- Remove background on iPhone: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-remove-background-on-iphone
- Remove a person from a photo: https://kenerateai.com/how-to-remove-a-person-from-a-photo
- All background remover alternatives: https://kenerateai.com/background-remover-alternatives
- remove.bg alternative: https://kenerateai.com/remove-bg-alternative
- Photoroom alternative: https://kenerateai.com/photoroom-alternative
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- Canva BG Remover alternative: https://kenerateai.com/canva-background-remover-alternative
- Adobe Express alternative: https://kenerateai.com/adobe-express-background-remover-alternative
- erase.bg alternative: https://kenerateai.com/erase-bg-alternative
- removal.ai alternative: https://kenerateai.com/removal-ai-alternative
- Picsart alternative: https://kenerateai.com/picsart-background-remover-alternative
- Pixlr alternative: https://kenerateai.com/pixlr-background-remover-alternative
- Clipping Magic alternative: https://kenerateai.com/clipping-magic-alternative
- PhotoScissors alternative: https://kenerateai.com/photoscissors-alternative
- PicWish alternative: https://kenerateai.com/picwish-alternative
- Slazzer alternative: https://kenerateai.com/slazzer-alternative
- Fotor alternative: https://kenerateai.com/fotor-background-remover-alternative

## Sources
- Adobe — Remove image backgrounds in Photoshop: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/desktop/repair-retouch/remove-objects-fill-space/remove-background-in-your-images.html