[Tutorial] Quickly remove a solid color background from an image

Discuss and share Pixelmator Pro resources such as templates, mockups, and tutorials.
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2019-07-17 11:38:36

When you download images of various objects from the web, they’ll often come with a solid white background. If you want to combine these objects with other images, you’ll need to remove the background. Luckily, Pixelmator Pro has just the tool for the job — the Smart Erase tool.

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Read the full tutorial here.
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2019-07-17 20:00:53

Great work, nice introduction very useful, learning as I go..
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2019-07-18 11:30:13

by CirculairPixel Great work, nice introduction very useful, learning as I go..
Glad to hear it! :blush:
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2019-08-12 01:13:36

This looks easy enough. I'm really just starting to learn photo editing and decided to buy Pixelmator. Where would you recommend I go for very basic photo editing tips and tricks? Thanks.
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2019-08-12 16:41:31

What kind of tips and tricks are you looking for? How to get the hang of basic editing techniques specifically for photos? For example, adjusting the colors of photos, and so on? Or are you looking more for techniques similar to the ones in this tutorial, which are generally more for creating graphics and designs?
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2019-08-12 18:58:21

by Andrius 2019-08-12 16:41:31 What kind of tips and tricks are you looking for? How to get the hang of basic editing techniques specifically for photos? For example, adjusting the colors of photos, and so on? Or are you looking more for techniques similar to the ones in this tutorial, which are generally more for creating graphics and designs?
I’m moving into this brave new world of picture editing. My previous tools were mostly the magic wand in iOS Photos. So, I’m looking for the basic X steps that any Pixelmator user would take. From there, I could gain confidence and start looking into more advanced features.

Like I said, I’m a newbie and I want to learn. Thanks for the quick response.
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2019-08-14 16:04:44

by Francois 2019-08-12 18:58:21
I’m moving into this brave new world of picture editing. My previous tools were mostly the magic wand in iOS Photos. So, I’m looking for the basic X steps that any Pixelmator user would take. From there, I could gain confidence and start looking into more advanced features.

Like I said, I’m a newbie and I want to learn. Thanks for the quick response.
For now, I'd maybe start with our Help guide and the section of adjusting colors. Maybe one of the next tutorials could cover basic photography editing steps...
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2019-12-04 02:26:07

Do you have a video tutorial..I tried it and it removes everything..pixelmator worked better with the lasso tool...does pro have this?
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2019-12-04 14:00:17

by Herman Drost 2019-12-04 02:26:07 pixelmator worked better with the lasso tool...does pro have this?
It does indeed — it's called the Free Selection tool and you can select it by pressing the L key on your keyboard or from the Tool menu. :wink:
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2020-04-06 22:06:33

Hello - I am getting deeper into Pixelmator Pro and my addition to this conversation is: Instead of removing the background you could also select, say the bird in this picture, then coping and pasting it to another background. Would the end result be the same?
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2020-04-07 08:09:16

Yep, the end result would be identical — it's kind of down to personal preference for the most part, whatever feels more natural. Sometimes, you might want to select the object rather than the background because it might be easier to select. Often, that might be because the object is more of a solid color while the background is more varied. But even so, the end result will still be the same.
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2020-07-08 23:12:35

by Andrius 2020-04-07 12:09:16 Yep, the end result would be identical — it's kind of down to personal preference for the most part, whatever feels more natural. Sometimes, you might want to select the object rather than the background because it might be easier to select. Often, that might be because the object is more of a solid color while the background is more varied. But even so, the end result will still be the same.
Hi Andrius,

I'm wondering if you had any tips for how to make the background removal process faster. I'm following all the recommend practices but I still find myself spending around 30 minutes each on my more complex images. I'm supposed to be editing dozens of photos per day for an online clothing store and would love some sort of bulk functionality - or anything really to help me save time.
Attached is a photo of what I end up with after I use smart erase and take out any remaining chunks with the standard eraser. Once I remove all the remaining marks, I still have to go through and clean up the edges. Either smart erase doesn't get them all or, it takes out too much (see second photo), in which case i have to either start over or try and repair them. I shoot my photos on a white background, which I understand is close to the pattern on the dress in the attached photo. But this happens with other colors as well. Even black on white requires a good but of finessing. I feel like there has got to be a faster, less manual way to do this :weary: .

Image Image
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2020-07-09 11:03:16

Hey Laura, would you be able to share an example image with me? Several images would be even better, actually — I could use them to see if there are more efficient ways to do this!
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2022-03-29 10:32:01

@lincolncassaundra Then you haven´t tried Pixelmator Pro´s "Remove Background" feature yet.
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2022-04-28 20:38:22

Hi Andrius,

I love this feature! That being said, I do have a question. Are we able to refine the background removal? For example, when I run the background removal action, part of my face is removed. Is it possible to adjust that in order to show those parts of my face again?

Thank you.
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2022-04-29 14:47:27

Hi midnitedelusion, it definitely is! If you hold down the Option key when you click Remove Background, the background will be masked instead of deleted and you'll be able to edit the mask manually. An alternate way of achieving the same is using Select Subject, refining your selection and outputting it to a mask via the Select and Mask tool.
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2022-07-01 21:25:22

What about removing trapped white space?
I sometimes have text that is a logo on a color background, but often letters (P,A,O, etc) are closed forms that leave the color in the middle. Is there any way to say "just get rid of all this"?
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2022-07-01 23:13:10

@ Kirk Is
I´d use "Color Selection" (W)->"Select Color Range". Either select the color of interest and "Invert" then delete or select the Background - then Apply and hit Backspace to delete. The first option works best imho.