How to Change the Background Color in Photoshop: 3 Different Ways

The great thing about photo-editing software is that it lets you change almost every element of an image if you're not happy with it. Don't like the lighting? You can change it. Dislike the background? Switch it.

In this step-by-step guide, we'll explain how to change background color in Photoshop, which is by far the most popular image editing tool out there. There are several ways to do that, and we'll go over all of them in detail.

How to Change the Background Color of a Photo With a Solid Background

It's easiest to replace the background in Photoshop when the picture already has a white background or a solid color that's distinguishable from the main object.

You can follow the steps below with the same picture we used, which you can download for free from Unsplash.

After opening the image in Photoshop, choose the Quick Selection tool from the left menu.
At the top of the screen, click Select Object. Photoshop uses its AI, Adobe Sensei, to recognize the main object in the picture. This usually works quite well.
Inevitably, there will be some parts that the AI misses. Zoom in (Cmd +, or Ctrl +) and use the Quick Selection tool to complete the selection. When you hold down Alt, you can use the brush to remove parts of the selection that you picked by mistake.
To get the pixels that the tool cannot catch, hit Q on your keyboard. This brings you into Mask Mode. Everything in red is a part of the mask.
Switch to the Brush tool, and use white to add to the mask, and black to subtract. Don't spend too much time on being precise, as you can always come back to this after you change the background color.
Once the mask is done, go to the Adjustment Layer button (the circle at the bottom of the Layers panel) and pick Solid Color. It doesn't matter what color you choose there, as you can always change it.
Your object will be filled with that color. To switch it to the background, click on the icon for the mask that was created. After that, hit Invert in the Properties panel.
From this point on, it's all about fine-tuning the result. First, go to Blending Mode in the Layers panel, and choose Multiply. This creates a more realistic outcome. It shows off any shadows the image has, as well as other fine details. You can also play with the Opacity to create a more natural result.
You can zoom in again to check if you need to adjust the mask. If you feel that the subject's edges are too sharp against the background, you can refine them. To do this, double-click the mask layer.
On the new screen, choose Refine Edge Brush from the left menu. Go over all of the edges to smooth them out. You can also play with the Smooth and Feather tools to get a better outcome. Click Ok when you're satisfied.
Finally, you can pick a different background color. Double click the solid color layer and see what works best.

How to Change the Background Color of a Photo With a Complex Background

Not all images are created equal, and most pictures have a more complex background. But don't worry—you can change the background color of a photo, even if the main object is set in front of a scenery.

To do that, you need to first make the background transparent in Photoshop. While there are several ways to do this, we'll go over the quickest one. Download the image we used from Unsplash to follow along with the steps.

As before, use the Quick Selection Tool and Select Object to create a mask. Go over it manually to make sure all of it is marked.
Go to Select > Select and Mask.
On this screen, use the Refine Edges tool to make sure that things like strands of hair don't get cut off.
In the Properties Panel, pick Output to > New Layer with Layer Mask and click Ok.
Now that the object is isolated, you can add a new layer underneath with your desired color. To do that, click Create a New Layer in the Layers panel and drag it below your object.
Pick the Paint Bucket tool, and choose the color you want for the background. Next, fill in the new layer with the desired color.
As we explained in the previous section, you can go back to the mask and make the edges blend in better. To do that, double-click the mask. And make sure you select Output to > Selection, so you don't create a new layer.

How to Change the Color of the Existing Background

There is also a way for you to keep the original background but change its color. This comes in handy if you want to make your photo look like it was shot at a different time of day, or if you want the picture to have a fantasy feel to it.

Go through steps one through four in the previous section to isolate the main subject from the background.
Press the Eye icon next to the background layer to make it visible.
Make sure that you are on the background layer. Go to Adjustment Layer and pick Color Balance.
Under Properties, you can play with the colors until you find something you like. You can also play with different blends to find a nicer lighting effect.
With the same method, you can also make the background black and white. Just pick Black & White instead of Color Balance from the Adjustment Layer.

Create a Whole New Background in Photoshop

You can change much more than just a background's color in Photoshop. Once you learn how to isolate the main object from the picture, there is so much more you can do with the background.

You can create a gradient-colored background, instead of a solid one, or even choose a pattern. You can apply creative filters, change the lighting, and add effects. Or you can paste a whole new image as the background and blend the object onto it.