*Program Basic
PROGRAM BASIC: Removing a Solid Color Background from an Image
By Zee Helmick 2005
Apr 30, 2005, 22:07

This tutorial will demonstrate how you can remove a solid color background from a photo, leaving the background transparent.  For this tutorial, I’ve used a photo of a daisy (by Davide Guglielmo, a.k.a. brokenarts at Stock.Xchng).  The original photo by Davide had a white background but for this example I’ve re-colored the background to magenta.

1.  Open your .jpg file. (File > Open)

2.  In the Layers palette, right-click on the layer titled “Background” and click “Promote Background Layer.”  The layer name should switch from “Background” to “Raster 1.”

3.  Choose the Magic Wand Tool.

4.  Left-click on the solid color you want to remove then press the Delete key on your keyboard.  This will leave the daisy with a transparent background.

5.  When saved as a .PNG file (File > Save As > “File Name” > Save As Type “Portable Network Graphics”), the image can be used as an element for future layouts.