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The GIMP is a simple yet powerful image editing tool. This free program provides several options for removing the background component of the image at once, which may well replace similar options in the expensive Adobe Photoshop.
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In this short tutorial, we’ll look at six simple techniques that will help you achieve your goal of removing or changing the background in a picture. Thanks to them, it will be possible to edit the photo, make its background transparent, or get rid of it altogether to transfer the picture from the foreground to other photos. Note that you should first update GIMP to at least version 2.10.
Download GIMP for free for Windows, Mac and Linux
Note: while installing the GIMP application on a Mac, the user may encounter a message:
“GIMP cannot be opened because the author is an unidentified developer.”
We described in detail how to fix this in this article.
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What image formats support transparency?
To begin with, not every image format can be transparent. This also applies to the most popular image files – JPG (JPEG). Of the most common image formats, only PNG and GIF support transparency. In more detail about the difference between the graphic formats JPEG, GIF, PNG, RAW, BMP, TIFF, we told in this material.
Based on the above, we can conclude that when you open a JPG or JPEG image in the GIMP application, transparency will not be supported by default. Its support is quite simple to add, after which the picture must be saved in PNG (recommended) or GIF format.
Fortunately, converting images from one format to another and adding transparency is easy. We will talk about this later in this material.
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How to add transparency support to an image in GIMP (alpha channel)
In order to add transparency support to an image, you need to add an “alpha channel”. For this purpose, the graphics editor offers a couple of simple techniques:
Right click on the image layer and select Add alpha channel or go to the menu Layer → Transparency → Add alpha channel…
When adding images in PNG or GIF formats, the alpha channel may already be present in them by default. Accordingly, if you right-click on the image layer, then instead of Add alpha channel the context menu will contain the item Remove alpha channel…
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How to quickly remove background (make it transparent) in GIMP
1. Open GIMP and drag the required image into the program window or use the command Open on the menu File…
2. Add an alpha channel. To do this, right-click on the image layer and select Add alpha channel or go to the menu Layer → Transparency → Add alpha channel…
3. On the left toolbar, select Eraser (adjust its size and shape) and erase unnecessary parts of the image.
4. For more precise detail use the tool Magnifier… To zoom in just click on the screen with the left mouse button, to zoom out – Left mouse button + CTRL or Left Mouse Button + ⌘Cmd on Mac…
When erased, the deleted parts of the image will look like a checkerboard grid.
Below we will look at alternative ways to more thoroughly edit the background in GIMP.
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How to make the background transparent when using the Foreground selection tool
Often the image has a fairly clear border between the foreground and background. The GIMP has excellent features for separating them and choosing one or the other. The editor has a tool Selecting the foregroundwhich will help to remove the background and get a new picture without it. This option allows you to simplify (not in all cases) the process of selecting the area containing the object in the foreground and then removing the background.
1. Open the image in the GIMP application.
2. Add an alpha channel (instructions above).
3. Activate the tool Selecting the foreground… In turn, this action will enable the option Free selection (in other programs it is often called Lasso).
4. Circle the desired object. Not necessarily a clear and uniform line, you can use segments. It is not necessary to stick closely to the boundaries, but the quality of the result will depend on the accuracy of all such.
5. When finished, press Enter…
6. The background area will turn blue and the tool will automatically turn on Brush (although the toolbar on the left will still have the Selecting the foreground).
7. Paint the foreground object with a large single line, which would intersect as much as possible of the greatest number of colors and tones in the image.
8. When finished, press Enter…
In a few seconds, GIMP will analyze the image and create a selection of the main fragment of the image (which is not planned to be deleted).
9. Now you need to select the main object as accurately as possible. To do this, click on the toolbar on the left Free selection (lasso icon). Set the mode depending on your needs Add to current selection or Subtract from current selectionand then just trace the areas you want to add or remove.
10. When the selection is complete, press Ctrl + I (⌘Cmd + I on Mac) or select Invert on the menu Highlightingto invert the selection, and only the background will be selected.
11. Click Delete to remove the background or use the command Clear on the menu Edit…
Now you need to save the image correctly so as not to lose transparency, or change the background color that will appear under the original image. How to do this about this further.
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Additional tools to remove background in GIMP
There are three other tools in GIMP that you can use to select and then remove the background of an image. Their use depends on how well the foreground is separated from the background, and whether you are using a graphics tablet with a stylus or a mouse.
Selection of adjacent areas (Magic wand). This tool allows you to select related parts of an image that contain the same color.
1. Open an image in GIMP and add an alpha channel to it.
2. Select a tool Selecting adjacent areas… Just click on the area of the picture you want to select and drag to the side. You will see how the selection area begins to change.
If desired, you can increase Threshold to include a wider range of similar colors in the selection, or lower it for greater accuracy.
3. When the selection is complete, press Ctrl + I (⌘Cmd + I on Mac) or select Invert on the menu Highlightingto invert the selection, and only the background will be selected.
4. Remove the selected background using the key Delete or commands Clear on the menu Edit…
5. Save the image in PNG format so that the transparency does not disappear (instructions for saving at the end of the article).
This tool works well when the image has large areas of uniform color. This happens most often with logos and icons, less often with photographs.
Clever scissors. This tool allows in semi-automatic mode to select and isolate the subject in the foreground from the subsequent removal of the background.
1. Open an image in GIMP and add an alpha channel to it.
2. Select a tool Smart scissors, and then in its parameters, click on the option Border preview…
3. Click a point at the edge of the foreground object you want to select. This will create an anchor point in the image.
4. Move the cursor further along the edge of the object, periodically releasing and pressing the left mouse button. In this case, new lines will appear, connected with the previous anchor points.
It is worth noting that Smart scissors automatically define the background by drawing a selection line along its outline.
If the line has passed through the boundaries of the selected object, release the mouse button to create a new anchor point. If the line deviates from the edge, drag it back or sideways until it is in the desired location. It is best to make the gaps between the anchor points shorter, this will allow you to achieve the result faster.
5. Trace the entire object in a circle (the first and last points should converge in one place) and press Enter…
6. Select the background to remove using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + I (⌘Cmd + I on Mac) or select Invert on the menu Highlightingand then delete it using the key Delete…
7. Save the picture in PNG format (instructions for saving at the end of the article).
Contours. Like a tool Smart scissors tool Contours allows you to define an object by creating a line between a series of points.
1. Open an image in GIMP and add an alpha channel to it.
2. Select a tool Contours and click on the edge of the object you want to select. This will create the first point.
3. Move the cursor further along the edge of the object and press the left mouse button again to create a new anchor point. Moving the cursor while holding the left mouse button will create a line for its subsequent bending. The angle of the curve and its depth can be determined by the direction the pointer moves.
4. With such actions it is necessary to outline the entire object in the foreground. After finishing this work press Enter…
5. Invert the selection using the combination Ctrl + I (⌘Cmd + I on Mac) or select Invert on the menu Highlighting, and then the background just remove the background with the key Delete or commands Clear on the menu Edit…
6. Save the picture in PNG format (instructions for saving at the end of the article).
When choosing to use this or that tool, it is worth considering the state of the foreground or background, which will minimize the work.
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Removing white background (or any uniform) in GIMP
This graphics editor also has a special tool that allows you to remove a uniform background (by default – white). This is especially convenient for graphic elements – logos and icons, where the background is usually solid and uniform.
1. Open an image in GIMP and add an alpha channel to it.
2. Click on the image with the right mouse button and the menu Colors select team Color to alpha channel… A new dialog box will appear.
3. Near the section Color click on the eyedropper icon, and then click on the white background in the image. This will make the background transparent, which may already be sufficient.
If the background in the picture is of a different color, click on the white background to the right of the Color inscription, in the window that appears, click on the eyedropper icon and specify the background color on the image that you want to remove. Click on OK…
4. To fine-tune the selection, select the eyedropper next to the section Transparency Threshold and click on the darkest area of the background you want to remove. This can be used to remove areas of light shadow, such as in portrait photographs.
5. Select an eyedropper in the section Opacity Threshold and click on the lightest foreground area. This ensures that the desired part is not removed.
6. Click OK to save the result.
7. Save the picture in PNG format (instructions for saving at the end of the article).
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Change background color in GIMP
To change the background color in the editor, an algorithm similar to the above is used. But it will take one extra step.
1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 of the instructions above.
2. Create a new layer by right clicking on the panel Layers…
3. Click on the tool Flat fill and select the color you want.
4. Drag the resulting color onto the newly created layer, which should be placed below the original one. This action will set the new color as the background.
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Removing the background in GIMP using masks
When stitching multiple images together, you may need to erase the background of one of the top layers to reveal what is underneath. This can be done very quickly with the Masks function.
1. Open several images at once (in our case two) and combine their layers in one working window of the editor.
2. Select the layer that will be on top, right-click on it and select Add layer mask…
3. Click Add to to add a mask.
4. Select a tool Brush with black color.
5. Start painting on the top layer. Where black appears, the top layer is removed and the bottom one becomes visible.
6. Save the picture in PNG format (instructions for saving below).
In case of an error, you just need to change the brush color to white. After painting over the black areas of the mask, the top layer will become visible again.
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How to save an image correctly so that it does not lose its transparent background
We mentioned at the beginning of this article that not all image formats support transparent backgrounds. This means that after removing the background, you need to save the picture in the correct format. For these purposes, we recommend using PNG. So:
1. When all the actions to remove (edit) the background have been done, go to the menu File and press Export as …
2. Specify the location (folder) on your computer to save the file.
3. In the window that appears, click “Select file type (By extension)”, which is in the lower left corner.
4. Select format PNG image… Check that the extension “png” appears in the name of the saved image.
5. Press the button Export…
The image in png format (with a transparent background) will be saved to the specified path.
See also:
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