How to Change the Background Color in Photoshop

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: August 29, 2021 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to alter the background color in new and existing Adobe Photoshop files.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

In a New File

1
Open Adobe Photoshop. It's a blue app icon that contains the letters "Ps."
2
Click on File. It's on the left side of the menu bar at the top of the screen.

Advertisement
3
Click on New…. It's near the top of the drop-down menu.
4
Click on the "Background Contents:" drop-down menu. It's near the center of the dialog box.
5
Choose a background color. Click on one of the following:
- Transparent for no background color.
- White if you'd like the background to be white.
- Background Color if you'd like to use the preset background color.
6
Name your file. Do so in the "Name:" field at the top of the dialog box.
7
Click on OK. It's in the upper-right corner of the dialog box.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

In the Background Layer

1
Open Adobe Photoshop. It's a blue app icon that contains the letters "Ps."
2
Open the image you want to edit. Do so by pressing CTRL+O (Windows) or ⌘ +O (Mac), selecting the image file you wish to open, and then clicking Open in the lower-right corner of the dialog box.
3
Click on Windows. It's in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
4
Click on Layers. The "Layers" menu window will appear in the lower-right corner of the photoshop window.
5
Click on Layer. It's near the left side of the menu bar at the top of the screen.
6
Click on New Fill Layer. It's near the top of the menu.
7
Click on Solid Color….
8
Click on the "Color:" drop-down menu.
9
Click on a color. Select the color you want the background to be.
10
Click on OK.
11
Refine your color choice. Use the color picker tool to adjust the color to the shade you like.
12
Click on OK.
13
Click and hold on the new layer. Do so in the "Layers" window in the bottom-right of the window.
14
Drag the new layer until it's immediately above the layer labeled "Background" then release the click.
- If the new layer is not still highlighted, click on it.
15
Click on Layer. It's near the left side of the menu bar at the top of the screen.
16
Scroll down and click on Merge Down. It's near the bottom of the "Layer" menu.
- The background layer should be the color you chose.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

In the Photoshop Workspace

1
Open Adobe Photoshop. It's a blue app icon that contains the letters "Ps."
2
Open the image you want to edit. Do so by pressing CTRL+O (Windows) or ⌘ +O (Mac), selecting the image file you wish to open, and then clicking Open in the lower-right corner of the dialog box.
3
Right click (Windows) or control-click (Mac) on the workspace. It's the dark border around your image in the Photoshop window.
- You may need to zoom out to see the workspace. To do so CTRL+ - (Windows) or ⌘ + - (Mac).
4
Select a color. If the available options don't appeal to you, click on Select Custom Color, then choose your color and click on OK.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

In an Image

1
Open Adobe Photoshop. It's a blue app icon that contains the letters "Ps."
2
Open the image you want to edit. Do so by pressing CTRL+O (Windows) or ⌘ +O (Mac), selecting the image file you wish to open, and then clicking Open in the lower-right corner of the dialog box.
3
Click on the Quick Selection Tool. It looks like a paintbrush with a dotted circle around its tip near the top of your tool menu.
- If you see a tool that looks like a magic wand, click and briefly hold on it. When you release the click, a drop-down of available tools should appear. Click on the Quick Selection Tool.
4
Place your cursor at the top of the foreground image. Click and drag across the body of the image.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- If the image is very detailed, click and drag small sections, rather than trying to move over the entire image.
- Once you have selected a portion of the image, you can click at the bottom of the selection and drag further to increase the selection.
- Continue until there is a dotted line around the perimeter of your foreground image.
- If the Quick Selection Tool highlights an area outside of the image, click on the “Subtract from Selection” brush at the top-left corner of the window. It looks like the quick selection tool, but has a "minus" (-) next to it.
5
Click on Refine Edge. It's at the top of the window.
6
Check "Smart Radius." It's in the "Edge Detection" section of the dialog box.
7
Adjust the radius slider left or right. Pay attention to how it looks on your image.
- When you have the edge refined, click on OK.
8
Right-click or control-click on the background of the image. A menu will pop-up.
9
Click on Select Inverse. It's near the top of the menu.
10
Click on Layer. It's near the left side of the menu bar at the top of the screen.
11
Click on New Fill Layer. It's near the top of the menu.
12
Click on Solid Color….
13
Click on the "Color:" drop-down menu.
14
Click on a color. Select the color you want the background to be.
15
Click on OK.
16
Refine your color choice. Use the color picker tool to adjust the color to the shade you like.
17
Click on OK. The background of the image should be the color you chose.
- Click on File in the menu bar and Save or Save As... in the drop-down menu to save your changes.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I copy characters into a new document in Photoshop?

Community Answer

Have both files open. Use the magnetic lasso tool to select the part you want to place in the other photo. Use the move tool to drag the image into the other tab.