AUTOMATED Vector Masks: EASY Photoshop Background Removal Trick!
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Automated vector masks in Photoshop remove a background with one click and leave a clean, sharp vector edge, all from a short action you record once.
The video was recorded in Photoshop 2020 (version 21.0), the release that added the Remove Background quick action. Every step works the same way in the current version.
That button uses Adobe’s artificial intelligence to select the subject and hide everything else with a Layer Mask.
A Vector Mask is often the better choice for a shoe, a product, or any other man-made object. Its Bezier curves give you more precise, sharper edges.
This trick is for anyone who cuts out hard-edged objects and wants the speed of AI with the precision of a vector.
Photoshop has no one-click button for a vector mask, so you will record a short Photoshop Action that builds one. By the end, you will have an action that runs with one click or one function key, plus the skills to fine-tune the result with the Curvature Pen Tool.
Key Takeaways
- The Remove Background quick action always creates a Layer Mask. Photoshop has no built-in button that creates a Vector Mask.
- Vector Masks are built from Bezier curves, so they give cleaner, sharper edges than a pixel mask on man-made objects.
- A Photoshop Action can record Select Subject, Make Work Path, and Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path, then replay all three with one click.
- Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) while clicking Make Work Path from Selection to set the tolerance. Stick to 3 to 5 pixels.
- Select Subject is the same AI the quick action uses, so the recorded action is just as fast but ends with a vector edge.
- The action gives you a strong starting point, not a finished mask. Expect to delete and nudge a few anchor points with the Curvature Pen Tool.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Automated Vector Masks Keyboard Shortcuts
- Step 1: Try the Remove Background Quick Action
- Why Use a Vector Mask Instead of a Layer Mask?
- Step 2: Create a New Action for Automated Vector Masks
- Step 3: Select the Subject and Make a Work Path
- Step 4: Convert the Work Path Into a Vector Mask
- Step 5: Remove a Background With the Vector Mask Action
- Step 6: Edit the Vector Mask With the Curvature Pen Tool
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How the Remove Background quick action works, and why it is not ideal for hard-edged objects
- How to record a Photoshop Action and give it a function-key shortcut
- How to turn a Select Subject selection into a work path with the right tolerance
- How to convert a work path into a Vector Mask
- How to apply the action to a new image with one click or ShiftF4
- How to clean up the path with the Curvature Pen Tool
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2020 (version 21.0 or later) or the current version
Practice Files
Download the shoe photo and the finished Remove Background and Vector action, then follow along step by step.
Automated Vector Masks Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Run the Remove Background and Vector action | Shift F4 | Shift F4 |
| Open the Make Work Path dialog (hold the key while clicking the Make Work Path from Selection icon) | Alt click | Option click |
| Undo the last step | Ctrl Z | Command Z |
| Show the anchor points on a path | Ctrl click the path | Command click the path |
| Delete the selected anchor point | Backspace | Delete |
| Turn the vector mask off to see the original image | Shift click the mask thumbnail | Shift click the mask thumbnail |
Step 1: Try the Remove Background Quick Action
Open the photo of the shoe from the practice files, or any image with a clear subject.
Go to the Properties panel. If you do not see it, go to Window > Properties. Under Quick Actions, click the Remove Background button.
Photoshop analyzes the image using artificial intelligence. It makes a selection around the shoe and applies a Layer Mask. The mask keeps the contents of the selection and hides everything else.
That is the whole quick action. The background is gone with one click.
Note: In the current version of Photoshop, the Remove Background button also appears in the Contextual Task Bar. It is the same quick action, and it still creates a Layer Mask.
Why Use a Vector Mask Instead of a Layer Mask?
A Layer Mask is made of pixels, and it does a fine job on organic subjects. If your subject is organic rather than man-made, the layer mask method in How To Remove a Background in Photoshop is the better fit.
Vector Masks use Bezier curves to create the mask. They let you be more precise and give you sharper edges, especially on man-made objects, anything that is not organic. Vector masks allow you to create cutouts with clean, smooth, and well-defined edges.
The Remove Background button only creates a Layer Mask. To get a Vector Mask that still takes advantage of Adobe’s artificial intelligence, you will record a Photoshop Action. Once it is recorded, you can apply it with one click or a keyboard shortcut, much like the built-in button.
To start from scratch, right-click the Layer Mask thumbnail in the Layers panel and choose Delete Layer Mask.
Step 2: Create a New Action for Automated Vector Masks
Go to Window > Actions to open the Actions panel.
Note: If the panel shows a row of colored buttons instead of a list, open the panel’s flyout menu and turn off Button Mode. You need the list view to record.
Click the Create New Action icon at the bottom of the panel. In the New Action dialog, give the action a name. You can call it whatever you like. The video names it Remove Background and Vector.
Store it in the Default Actions set. Then give it a shortcut: choose F4 from the Function Key menu and check Shift. From now on, ShiftF4 runs this action.
Pick a color so the button is easy to spot in Button Mode. The video uses red. Click Record.
Photoshop is now recording every step you make. Stick to the next two steps until you press Stop, since each one becomes part of the action.
Step 3: Select the Subject and Make a Work Path
First, tell Photoshop to analyze the image with artificial intelligence. Go to Select > Subject. Photoshop quickly makes a selection around the shoe, and it does a really good job.
Next, turn that selection into a vector. Open the Paths panel. If you do not see it, go to Window > Paths.
At the bottom of the Paths panel is the Make Work Path from Selection icon. Do not click it yet. Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) and then click the icon, so the Make Work Path dialog opens and shows the Tolerance.
The tolerance determines how many points Photoshop creates to follow the selection. Generally speaking, stick to 3 to 5 pixels. The video uses 3. Click OK.
Tip: A lower tolerance follows the selection more closely but creates more points to edit. A higher tolerance creates fewer points and a smoother path, which is why the video stays between 3 and 5 pixels.
Photoshop generates a path along the edge of the selection. Look at the Actions panel and you will see both steps listed under your new action.
Step 4: Convert the Work Path Into a Vector Mask
Go back to the Layers panel. Then go to Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path. Photoshop turns the work path into a Vector Mask on the shoe layer.
Back in the Actions panel, click the Stop icon. That completes the action.
You can now remove the background with a Vector Mask any time you want. The three recorded steps, Select Subject, Make Work Path, and the vector mask command, replay in order every time you run it.
Step 5: Remove a Background With the Vector Mask Action
Open the Actions panel flyout menu and turn Button Mode back on. Your Remove Background and Vector button appears in red, with the keyboard shortcut next to it.
Open a new image and click that button. Photoshop removes the background using a vector mask, with just one click, much like the Remove Background quick action built into Photoshop.
Press CtrlZ (Windows) or CommandZ (macOS) several times to undo. Now press ShiftF4. Photoshop performs the same action, this time from the keyboard.
That is the whole promise of automated vector masks. One click, or one shortcut, and the vector edge is done.
Note: The Practice Files box near the top of this post includes the finished action along with the shoe photo, so you can download it instead of recording your own.
Step 6: Edit the Vector Mask With the Curvature Pen Tool
The action gives you a very good starting point, but you will need to fine-tune the mask. Go back to the shoe image and collapse the Actions panel to make room.
To edit a Vector Mask, select any vector tool. The Curvature Pen Tool is the easiest to work with. As soon as you select it, the path line activates around the shoe.
If you do not see individual points you can click and drag, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) and click the blue line. The anchor points appear.
To delete a point, select it and press Backspace (Windows) or Delete (macOS).
Tip: Hold Shift and click the Vector Mask thumbnail to turn the mask off and see the original image. Shift-click it again to turn the mask back on.
Look at the bottom of the shoe. The original has a nice smooth line there, and you want to keep it in the mask. Delete the extra point along that curve, then drag the remaining point to match the curve.
If you need to, add another point and drag it up so the path sits as close as possible to the edge. Adjust any other points the same way.
Double-click a point to create a sharp corner. Double-click it again to smooth it out.
With just a few clicks you get a pretty good Vector Mask. You will still fine-tune, but this technique saves a lot of time.
If you are new to vector masks, watch Removing Backgrounds with Vector Masks. It covers them in depth.
For organic subjects that need a soft edge, the two-step method in the Select and Mask workspace is the better route.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Vector Mask hides part of a layer using a path made of Bezier curves instead of pixels. Because the edge is a curve, it stays clean, smooth, and sharp at any size. It is the best choice for man-made objects with well-defined edges.
A Layer Mask is made of pixels, so it can hold soft edges and works well on organic subjects. A Vector Mask is made of a path, so its edges are always crisp and easy to reshape by moving anchor points. Use a layer mask for organic edges and a vector mask for products and other hard-edged objects.
No. The Remove Background quick action in the Properties panel runs Select Subject and applies a Layer Mask. To get a vector mask from the same AI selection, record an action that adds a work path and Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path after Select Subject.
Go to Select > Subject to select the object. In the Paths panel, open the Make Work Path dialog, set a tolerance of 3 to 5 pixels, and click OK. Then go to Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path to turn that path into a Vector Mask.
Tolerance controls how closely the path follows the selection, and how many anchor points Photoshop creates to do it. A low value hugs the selection with many points. A high value gives a smoother path with fewer points. For a subject selection, 3 to 5 pixels is a good range.
Select the Curvature Pen Tool or another vector tool, and the path on the vector mask becomes active. Click an anchor point to move it, remove it with the Backspace or Delete key, or double-click it to switch between a sharp corner and a smooth curve. Click on the path to add a point where you need one.
Yes. In the New Action dialog, choose a Function Key such as F4, and check Shift if you want a two-key combination like Shift F4. Pressing that combination runs the action from anywhere in Photoshop. The shortcut also shows next to the action’s button in Button Mode.
Yes. Select Subject, the Paths panel, and Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path all work the same way they did in Photoshop 2020. A recorded action runs without changes. The Remove Background quick action is also still in the Properties panel, and it now appears in the Contextual Task Bar as well.
Conclusion
You started with the Remove Background quick action and ended with your own version that builds a Vector Mask instead. Select Subject makes the selection, the Paths panel turns it into a work path, and Layer > Vector Mask > Current Path finishes the job.
Recording the action takes a couple of minutes. After that, automated vector masks are one click or one press of ShiftF4 away, on any image with a clear subject.
Watch the video above to see every click, then comment on the video to let me know whether you plan to create or download this action.
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Next, learn 5 Pro Photoshop Masking Tricks, including how to convert any selection into a vector mask for sharp edges.
