Congratulations to Javier Sotomayor, November 2023 PFRE Photographer of the Month! The theme this month was "Open." Javier Sotomayor - Entry #879 Dave Koch - Entry #877 Peter Wingfield - Entry #874 Here's what Javier has to say: Hello First of all I wa ...
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Even if the real estate photo is professional and high-quality, the wrong background color can reduce its overall aesthetics or even distract the viewer. Learning how to change the background color in Photoshop can help remove distracting backgrounds and attract the viewers' attention to the main subject.
Quick Navigation
Choosing the right colors for your background helps to change tones and communicate varying moods through the photo. For instance, if your listing has lots of warm tones, a cool background can help make your listing seem welcoming.
Photoshop is a complex photo-editing software that allows you to adjust varying elements in your image, including cutting out the background or changing its color. Depending on the complexity of the background you want to change color, you can use the following steps.
To open an image in Photoshop, navigate to File and choose Open. This will open a browser window to help you locate the folder holding your images. Highlight the image and click Open.
If it's your first time changing the background color of an image, it is advisable to use a photo with sharp edges and crisp background. Photos with motion blur effects where edges are out of focus or a background color that matches the subject can be challenging to select.
Duplicating a layer allows you to make edits without altering the original layer and make nondestructive edits. Navigate to the top menu layer and select Duplicate Layer. Alternatively, hit Control +J if you are using your Windows PC or Command +J if you are using a Mac.
Click on Create Adjustment or New Fill layer icon in the layers panel to create a solid layer. Choose Solid color and then choose the background color of your choice from the color picker that opens.
Make a selection of the subject by clicking on the Quick selection tool on the toolbar and choosing the Select Subject option on the top menu bar. Normally, Photoshop will use its Artificial Intelligence, Adobe Sensei, to instantly locate and highlight the edges of the main subject in the entire image.
A moving dashed line that looks like marching ants will appear, indicating the regions marked by this tool. If your selection lacks sharp edges, Photoshop notifies you that it cannot locate the main subject. In such cases, you can try other tools such as Object Selection, the lasso tool, or the Magic Wand.
If you opt to use the Magic Wand tool, drag around the top part of your subject, beginning from the top left of your image and then the bottom right. If there are smaller areas that the tool cannot select, hold down the Shift key and click.
If the subject you are working on is not razor-sharp, your selection might not be accurate. With the Quick Selection tool highlighted, click on the Select and Mask option on the menu bar above your image and then use the following steps to refine your selection.
Locate the Brush tool from the tools panel or press the B key on your keyboard. Use the brush tool to paint on the layer mask to ensure your subject blends well with the new background color.
Set the brush tool to 50% white to paint and remove the background and 50% black to paint on the subject and remove the regions you do not want to see.
Adjust the Blending Mode of the Color Fill layer to Multiply and the brush Opacity to 50% or low to provide more accurate control. Usually, this makes fuzzy or blurred parts of the edges appear more appealing.
Press the Control key if using a Windows computer or the Command key if using Mac, and then click on the layer mask to highlight the subject. Navigate to Layer and select Duplicate Layer to duplicate the selection. Alternatively, hit Control +J if you are using a Windows OS or Command +J if you are using Mac.
You can also hide the other layers by clicking on visibility icons, so you view the isolated subject and not the background. This step is crucial as it allows you to include some text on your image if you so wish, crop the image if you want to post it on social media platforms such as Instagram, or even resize the canvas.
Navigate to the layers panel, click on Adjustment Layer or Create New Color Fill and choose Solid color. Select your desired color from the Color Picker window that pops up and set a new background color.
If you want to change the background color again, double-click the solid color layer to open the Color Picker and choose a different color. You can also try adding more realistic background colors instead of limiting yourself to solid colors alone.
Once satisfied with the new background color, navigate to File and choose Save As. In the dialog box that pops up, type the file name and specify the location of the file. In the Format option, set the File format as either JPEG or TIFF, choose your desired quality, and click OK.
If you are planning to adjust the background in the future, you can save the image as a Photoshop PSD document with the Layers option checked.
Yes, you can blur the background in Photoshop by opening the image and creating a duplicate to avoid messing up with the original layer. Cut out the background from the main subject. With the background selected, launch the Filter menu, select the Blur tool, choose the type of blur you want to apply and then play around with the varying options to blur your background.
Open your image in Photoshop and duplicate the layer. In the Layers Panel, locate the background layer and then click on the Eye icon to hide it. In the Properties panel on the right side of your screen, locate the Quick Actions and click on Remove background to make the background transparent.
The best background color for a real estate photo is one consisting of a neutral tone, such as whites, blacks, and grays. Since most colors can end up matching with parts of the main subject, it’s advisable to use a white background. It’s also advisable to blur the background to reduce distractions and emphasize the main subject.
Knowing how to change background color in Photoshop during the post-production phase helps you to highlight the main subject in your photos while keeping the looks of your images consistent. Simply cut out the background using the selection tools and then replace it with a color fill.
