Turn a selection into a layer mask to replace a photo background.

What you'll need

This sample file contains assets provided by Adobe Stock for your tutorial practice purposes only. Check out the ReadMe file in the folder for the terms of use for this file. Adobe Stock has millions of royalty-free images and videos for your commercial use.  You can get 10 images with a free month trial.

What you learned

How to automatically select a subject
Select the main subject on a layer automatically using Select > Subject.

How to turn a selection into a layer mask
You can turn any selection into a layer mask by creating a layer mask while the selection is active. When you make a layer mask from a selection, Photoshop automatically adds black to the layer mask where there was no selection, and Photoshop leaves the area where there was a selection white.

How to replace a background nondestructively
One use for creating a layer mask from a selection is to replace a background. The black that Photoshop adds to the layer mask hides the area around the selection, without deleting that area permanently. This causes layers below to show through and appear as a new background for the subject.

Instructor

Jan Kabili

Adobe Stock Contributors

Newroadboy

Bnenin

Get help faster and easier

New user?