You might have noticed that we have some pretty bad ass header images on our articles at TNW.
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Ormaybe even this one, for example.
People seem to really like them.
It might look like it occasionally, but trust me when I say we workreallyhard on these.
I suspect most of us wont be fully appreciated until we die.
Method 1.
Its web-based so you dont need any specialist software, and it does all the work for you.
Head to Remove.bg, upload your image, click go, and let it do all the heavy lifting.
Then just press download, to get a new background-less copy of your image.
Method 2.
Given that it costs nothing and is available on various platforms, its pretty great.
All those complex features come with a learning curve, though.
Removing a background with GIMP will yield better results, but requires more skill.
First off, open your image in GIMP.
Once youve done that, you want to add an alpha channel.
Add the alpha channel by right clicking your image in the layers menu on the right.
Use the fuzzy select tool to opt for parts of the background that you want to remove.
You should get the special marching ants again, to signify the edges of your selection.
Then its as simple as clicking delete on your keyboard no, not backspace, the actual delete key.
Youll then be left with the cut out figure and a transparent background.
Save the image, and away you go.
Method 3.
Adobe Photoshop
By far the ultimate photo-editing tool is Photoshop.
Of course, this one comes with the most substantial cost too.
Firstly, open your image.
Then choose the quick selection tool, it looks like a paintbrush with a dotted circle.
(Its fourth from the top in the toolbar on the image above.)
Then use this tool to pick the object or person you want to cut out of the image.
Photoshop will highlight your selection with a trail of marching ants.
Once youre happy with your selection, go for the refine edge button.
Youre then free to save the image as you like.
But theres something really important to note with all these techniques.
Be sure to back up your output image as a PNG file.
Otherwise, the background will be filled in, and all your hard work will be lost.
Story byMatthew Beedham
Matthew is the editor of SHIFT.
He likes electric cars, and other things with wheels, wings, or hulls.
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