Understand the basics of photo editing
Before diving into putting a background behind a portrait photo, it’s important to understand some basics of photo editing. There are a few key things to know:
- Layers – Most photo editing software uses layers to separate different elements in an image. The background, subject, and any overlays will usually be on separate layers. This allows you to edit each element individually.
- Masking – Creating a selection or mask around your subject allows you to isolate it from the background. This makes it easy to drop a new background behind the subject without affecting it.
- Blending modes – These determine how layers interact with each other. The most common are normal, multiply, screen and overlay. Play around with these when compositing your subject onto a new background.
- Transform tools – Being able to move, scale and rotate layers gives you flexibility when compositing images. Use these tools to get the angle and perspective right.
Having a grasp of these tools and techniques will make the process of changing backgrounds much easier. Look up some tutorials on YouTube to see them in action.
Choose an appropriate background
The background you choose can dramatically affect the look and feel of your portrait. Here are some things to consider:
- Color – Choose a background color that complements your subject. Warm skin tones often look good against cool blue or green backgrounds. Play around and see what colors make your subject pop.
- Texture – Try using backgrounds with interesting textures like weathered wood, concrete, water, etc. This can make your image look more dynamic.
- Lighting – Match the intensity and direction of light in the background to your subject. This helps integrate the two and look more natural.
- Style – Pick a background that fits the style you’re going for – romantic, moody, whimsical, etc. Let this guide your choice.
You can find all sorts of backgrounds online or create your own custom ones. Think about what will complement your portrait subject best.
Extract the portrait subject
The first step is to isolate your portrait subject from the existing background. Here’s how to do it:
- Open the image in Photoshop and create a duplicate layer of your portrait. Turn off the original layer’s visibility.
- Go to Select > Subject to use Photoshop’s subject selection tool. This will attempt to automatically select your subject.
- Refine the selection using Select and Mask to get it as accurate as possible around hair, edges, etc.
- With the selection active, add a layer mask to the duplicate layer. This hides the existing background, revealing transparency around your subject.
You now have your subject extracted and ready for a new background. The selection doesn’t have to be 100% perfect at this point since you can clean it up later.
Drop in the new background
With your subject isolated, you can now add a new background:
- Add the background image to a layer below your portrait subject layer.
- If needed, use the Transform tools to position, scale and rotate the background to fit the canvas.
- Set the background layer blending mode to Screen or Multiply to darken or lighten it.
- Add adjustment layers above the background layer to get the exposure and color looking right.
Play around with different blending modes and adjustments to integrate the background. The goal is to make it look natural behind your subject.
Blend and refine the final image
With the new background in place, the last step is blending and refining the final image:
- Use layer masks on the subject and background layers to paint back in any details lost in the selection.
- Try different blending modes like Hard Light, Soft Light or Overlay on the subject layer to blend with the background.
- Dodge and burn the edges of the subject with Overlay layers to better integrate it with the background.
- Add stylistic color grading adjustments if needed to create a mood or style for your image.
Take your time and pay attention to the little details. With some practice this process will start to feel intuitive and you’ll be able to swap out backgrounds easily.
Conclusion
Putting a new background behind a portrait subject may seem complex, but it’s quite straightforward once you learn a few simple photo editing techniques. The keys are making a good selection, choosing an appropriate background, and then blending the elements together with layers, masks and adjustments. With some practice you’ll be able to easily customize the look of your portraits by dropping in creative backgrounds.
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Understand photo editing basics like layers, masking, blending modes and transform tools |
| 2 | Choose a background that complements your portrait subject |
| 3 | Use Select Subject to extract the portrait from the existing background |
| 4 | Add new background layer below subject and adjust blending |
| 5 | Refine the composition with layers, masks and color adjustments |
