How To Change Background Color in Photoshop (Complete Process)
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- 0:00 Intro
- 1:34 Make a Selection
- 2:21 Add and subtract to the selection.
- 2:43 Refine the selection with Quick Mask Mode
- 4:27 Refine the selection edges with Select and Mask
- 5:36 Refine the hair with Select and Mask
- 6:20 Change the background with a Solid Color Fill
- 9:27 Create a Group to contain all the color change layers
- 9:57 Create a Levels adjustment to control the color brightness
- 12:38 Dodge and Burn the Mask to refine hair edges
Your choices stick across every tutorial on this device.
You can change background color in Photoshop without damaging the original photo by using a Solid Color Fill layer.
Change background color in Photoshop using a non-destructive Solid Color Fill layer, so you can swap in any color without damaging your original photo.
No matter your skill level, you’ll be able to follow along and apply this powerful technique to your photos.
If your image already has a plain white or light gray background, a faster trick works too: see Recolor a White Background in Photoshop: Fast Trick.
Key Takeaways
- Once it’s set up, you can change background color in Photoshop again anytime by double-clicking the Solid Color Fill layer.
- Inverting the Layer Mask is what moves the color from the subject onto the background instead.
- Setting the fill layer’s blending mode to Multiply keeps the original shadows and floor visible under the new color.
- A Levels adjustment inside the same group gives you five points of brightness control, more than a single Hue/Saturation slider.
- Hair edges usually need their own pass in Select and Mask, separate from the rest of the selection.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Change Background Color in Photoshop: Keyboard Shortcuts
- Tutorial Image
- Make a Selection
- Make a Selection Using Machine Learning Technology
- Refine the Selection with Quick Mask Mode
- Refine the Selection Edges with Select and Mask
- Refine the hair with Select and Mask
- Change the background with a Solid Color Fill
- Why Not Use the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer Instead?
- Create a Group to contain all the color change layers
- Create a Levels adjustment to control the color brightness
- Dodge and Burn the Mask to refine hair edges
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to isolate a subject with the Quick Selection tool and Select Subject
- How to refine tricky edges, including hair, in Select and Mask
- How to build a non-destructive Solid Color Fill layer that only affects the background
- How to group your color layers so one mask controls the whole effect
- How to add a Levels adjustment for full brightness control over the new color
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2020 (version 21.0 or later) or the current version
Practice Files
Download the image used in this tutorial and follow along step by step.
Change Background Color in Photoshop: Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Subtract from selection (Quick Selection tool) | Alt | Option |
| Deselect | Ctrl D | Command D |
| Toggle Quick Mask mode | Q | Q |
| Zoom tool | Z | Z |
| Brush tool | B | B |
| Decrease or increase brush size | [ or ] | [ or ] |
| Swap foreground and background colors | X | X |
| Invert the layer mask | Ctrl I | Command I |
| Fill with the background color | Ctrl Backspace | Command Backspace |
Tutorial Image
Click here to download the image of the woman on Roller Skates.
Make a Selection
Isolate the subject from the background by creating a selection.
If you’d rather remove the background completely instead of recoloring it, see our guide on how to remove a background in Photoshop.
One of the most useful ways of creating a selection is by using the Quick Selection tool.
Click-and-drag the tool all over the subject for Photoshop to automatically find the edges.
Tip: Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) as you click-and-drag on selected areas to deselect them.
Make a Selection Using Machine Learning Technology
If you’re using the current version of Photoshop, you can easily create a selection of the subject with a few clicks!
Choose Select > Subject and let Photoshop’s built-in AI identify the subject in the image and create a selection out of it.
Refine the Selection with Quick Mask Mode
Once your selection is set, press Q (Windows) or Q (macOS) to enter Quick Mask mode, which applies a red overlay over areas that are not selected.
You can then select the Brush tool from the Toolbar and set the Foreground color to white (#ffffff) and paint to add to the selection.
On the contrary, you can set the Foreground color to black(#000000) and paint to subtract from the selection.
Tip: Press X (Windows) or X (macOS) to swap the Background and Foreground colors.
When you’re happy with the mask, press Q (Windows) or Q (macOS) to exit Quick Mask mode.
Refine the Selection Edges with Select and Mask
With the Quick Selection tool active, head to the Options bar and click on the Select and Mask button to continue fine-tuning the mask.
For a deeper look at every tool in that panel, see our guide to the Select and Mask workspace in Photoshop.
Set the View option as Black & White so you can easily see the contrast between the background and the subject.
Then, use the Global Refinements’ Smooth and Contrast slider to improve the selection’s edges.
Refine the hair with Select and Mask
The Global Refinements adjustments weren’t applied to the hair since you can achieve a better result using a different technique.
Go back to Select and Mask.
Switch the View to Overlay.
Use the Refine Edge tool to brush over the edges of the hair. You may notice how it only reveals the individual hair strands but masks out the background.
Change the background with a Solid Color Fill
Click on the New Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and select Solid Color.
On the Color Picker window, you can select any color you want for the background.
Then, press OK to exit the window.
Select the Layer Mask thumbnail and press CtrlI (Windows) or CommandI (macOS) to invert the effect. This applies the Solid Color Fill layer on the background instead of the subject.
You can achieve the same effect if you go to the Properties panel and click on the Invert button.
With the color finally applied to the background, you may lose the background’s shadows and texture.
To change that, set the Blending Mode of the layer to Multiply as it retains the original shadows of the image.
The floor is affected by the blue Solid Color Fill layer, unmask by using the Rectangular Marquee tool and selecting the area of the floor.
With the Layer Mask thumbnail selected, fill the active selection with black.
One way of doing it is choosing Edit > Fill.
Then, set the Contents > Black.
The second way of doing it is by setting black(#000000) as your Background color and pressing CtrlBackspace (Windows) or CommandBackspace (macOS).
With that part of the image unmasked, you can deselect by pressing CtrlD (Windows) or CommandD (macOS).
Take this time to fine-tune elements in the mask such as the shoelaces, hair strands, or small parts of the garment. Use the Brush tool and paint with black(#000000) to unmask them.
Reversely, paint with white(#ffffff) to reveal the Solid Color Fill layer.
Why Not Use the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer Instead?
Unfortunately, using the Hue/Saturation only allows you to control one slider to control the color in the image.
For more on that adjustment layer, see our guide to the Hue and Saturation adjustment layer in Photoshop.
In contrast, the Solid Color Fill layer enables you to change the color on a wide array by double-clicking the layer thumbnail to bring out the Color Picker window.
Create a Group to contain all the color change layers
Go to the Layers panel and click on the New Group icon to and name the group as “Color Change.”
Then, drag the Solid Color Fill layer towards the group.
For the Color Change group to have the same Layer Mask as the Color Fill layer has, click-and-drag the Layer Mask thumbnail onto the group and then release your mouse.
This will separate the two, and you need this so that only one Layer Mask controls that group’s contents.
Create a Levels adjustment to control the color brightness
Click on the New Adjustment Layer icon and select Levels.
Then, click-and-drag the Solid Color Fill layer above the Levels layer.
Right-click on the Levels layer and select Delete Layer Mask.
With the Levels adjustment layer, you gain full control of the luminosity in the image using 5 points.
If you want to make the shadows darker but retain the color, create a New Layer outside the group. Use the Eyedropper tool to click on the current background color, and set it as the Foreground color.
Then, select the Brush tool and paint on the New Layer to use it as a reference.
Go back Levels adjustment layer and on the Properties panel, make the shadows darker by dragging the middle point to the right.
This should make your painted color on the New Layer stand in contrast with the darker background color.
Drag the white point to the left to brighten the background color until it matches the new layer’s sampled color. That helps you retain the same color but with darker shadows.
Then, delete the New Layer as it is now unnecessary.
Dodge and Burn the Mask to refine hair edges
Hair is the most difficult to mask, and it becomes evident when you switch to a darker color, and it reveals the mask’s inconsistency.
On the Toolbar, use the Dodge tool to paint parts of the hair to make the background color come through.
Whenever you want to change the background color again, just double-click the Color Fill layer thumbnail. That brings out the Color Picker window so you can select a new color!
And that’s how you can change the background color in Photoshop in manner that is efficient and realistic!
Frequently Asked Questions
Select the subject with the Quick Selection tool or Select Subject, then refine the edges in Select and Mask. Add a Solid Color Fill layer and invert its mask so the color lands on the background instead of the subject.
A Solid Color Fill layer lets you pick any color directly from the Color Picker. The Hue/Saturation adjustment layer only gives you one slider to shift the existing color.
Set the Solid Color Fill layer’s blending mode to Multiply. It blends the new color with the layer below, so the original shadows and floor stay visible.
A new Solid Color Fill layer’s mask starts out selecting your subject, not the background. Click the Layer Mask thumbnail and press Ctrl I (Windows) or Command I (macOS) to invert it, or click Invert in the Properties panel.
Go back into Select and Mask, switch the view to Overlay, and brush over just the hair with the Refine Edge tool. Handling hair separately from the rest of the selection gives a cleaner result.
Put your Solid Color Fill and Levels layers in one group, with a single mask on the group itself. That way, one mask controls every layer that affects the background color.
Yes. Double-click the Solid Color Fill layer’s thumbnail at any time to reopen the Color Picker and choose a new color.
This works in Photoshop 2020 (version 21.0) and every version since, including the current release. Older versions like Photoshop CS6 can still make the selection manually with the Quick Selection tool.
Conclusion
You can change background color in Photoshop with a single Solid Color Fill layer, one inverted mask, and a Multiply blend to keep the shadows.
Group the color layers together and add a Levels adjustment whenever you want more control over the brightness than one Hue/Saturation slider gives you.
Watch the full video above for every step at full speed, and comment on the video with the color you used.
Selections and Masking Mastery
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Keep going
Next, see 3 clean ways to change a background color in Photoshop.
Related Links
Final Image
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