How to make an image background transparent in Photoshop

When putting together graphic designs or editing photos, opaque backgrounds on images can be a hindrance – so knowing how to make the background transparent in Photoshop is a useful trick. Whether it’s a plain white background, or you’ve been caught out with some fake grey and white squares, we’ll be covering all bases in this step-by-step guide.

Sometimes Adobe Photoshop can be a finicky software to get the hang of, so we’ve been sure to boil this down to basics so even those who are just starting out with the software can learn how to make an image background transparent in Photoshop.

Tools and requirements

PC or Laptop
Adobe Photoshop

Steps for how to make the background transparent in Photoshop

Upload your image into Photoshop and then click Window and then check Layers if it doesn’t already have a tick next to it
Rasterize the layer if required
Open the properties panel, select Quick Actions, and then hit Remove Background
Hide the background layer
Save the image as a PNG to retain the transparency

Step by step guide on how to make the background transparent in Photoshop

1. Create a new file

(Image: © Adobe)

To begin with start with a brand new file in Photoshop, you can do this by selecting File and then New.

2. Open your chosen image

Upload the image you want to remove the background from to Photoshop. You can do this by dragging and dropping it from your File Explorer into Photoshop.

3. Rasterize the layer (optional)

You may be required to Rasterize the layer based on what image type you have uploaded. Right-click on the layer in the layers window and then hit Rasterize Layer

4. Remove the background

In the properties tab, scroll down to the quick actions section and then hit Remove Background. You might have to confirm your action if you have something else selected. You can then hide the background layer if you need to. You can do this by pressing the Eye icon by the Background in the layers tab.

5. Export the image as a transparent PNG

Once done, export the image as a PNG to retain the background transparency. You can now place the image on top of other images without a background or use it for any other purpose.