How to Remove Objects in Photoshop
Ever wondered how to remove objects from a photo in Photoshop? Removing background objects in Photoshop is a great skill to have, and it will help you take your photos to the next level. There are so many reasons to learn how to remove objects in Photoshop, and I'll walk you through the technique step-by-step in this Photoshop tutorial.
One strategy is to remove distracting objects so you can overlay text on the photo. This is great if you are creating marketing or promotional materials, and I use this technique all the time when I'm overlaying my licensing partners' logos on my photos.
Removing objects can help declutter the composition and make it feel more clean and professional - especially if the object you're removing is distracting.
Here is another example of how I remove background objects from my photos. In just a few clicks I was able to remove the tourists in the background of this travel photo. This took my image to the next level and helps draw attention to the main part of the image - the beautiful Mayan ruins!
Removing objects in Photoshop might seem tricky and complex, and it's actually more simple than you'd think. We'll only be using one Photoshop tool to do this - the Clone Stamp tool. I can't wait to see the impact that this technique has on your photos!
Supplies:
All you'll need to follow along on this tutorial is Adobe Photoshop, and an image that you want to remove an object from. Don't have Photoshop yet? No problem! You can sign up for a free trial here.
Are you ready to learn how to remove objects in Photoshop? Let's do this!
How to Use the Clone Stamp Tool to Remove Objects in Photoshop:
With the clone stamp tool, you're able to sample one part of your image and "stamp" it in a different part of the image. I'll show you what I mean. In this example, I'm using a photo of a face. I sampled the area around her eye with a large brush and can now stamp that section in another part of the photo. You wouldn't realistically want to stamp a copy of her eyeball in a new different part of the photo, but this is a good illustration of how the clone stamp works.
We will be using this tool by sampling an area near the object we want to remove and stamping the sample over it. In the example I'll walk you through, we are going to remove the plant from this image so we are left with a clean, white, background.
To start, open up the photo you want to edit in Photoshop. Then select your background layer and make a copy of it by using the keyboard shortcut cmd + J. You can also right click on the layer and select Duplicate from the drop down menu.
You'll be doing all of your edits on the new layer. This ensures that you are editing the photo non-destructively, meaning you always have a copy of the original photo just in case.
Now, make sure you're on the new layer, and then select the Clone Stamp tool. You can find this tool by using the keyboard shortcut "S" or by going over to your menu bar and selecting the clone stamp icon.
You can change the settings of the Clone Stamp to fit the needs of the photo that you're editing, but to start you'll want to keep the Mode at Normal and Opacity at 100%. You can change the size of your brush in the settings bar, or you can also change the size using the bracket keys on your keyboard.
Once you have the brush to a size that feels right for your photo, you can start sampling and stamping over the object that you're trying to remove.
Hover over the area you want to sample, then hold down alt or option on your keyboard and click the area to sample it.
Now you can simply click and draw over the object you want to remove.
You'll notice in my example, that when I go too far it starts repeating the plant instead of painting over the white wall. My biggest tip when using the Clone Stamp is to be constantly resampling as you're working. This ensures that you'll get the most natural looking object removal possible.
Lastly, I want to show you how to work in more detailed areas when removing objects. The majority of this example was painting the white wall over the plant, but what about the area where it meets the couch?
To keep crisp lines when working in detailed areas like this, make sure to sample the detail you want to replicate. In my example, I sampled the area where the wall and the couch met to the left of the remaining part of the plant. It's kind of hard to tell since there is so much white in the photo, but you'll notice how the shadowy area gets removed and the line of the couch stays intact.
Congratulations! Your object is removed! I told you it'd be pretty simple, right? This is the final before and after of the photo I used for my example.
No matter how big or small of an area you are removing, the clone stamp tool is super flexible and will allow you to remove even the tiniest objects. The past example was a fairly simple one, but the technique can be used no matter what you're trying to remove.
I hope this quick tutorial was helpful! I'd love to see how you use it to transform your photos. Share your photo edits on Instagram with the hashtag #CreateWithCatCoq and tag me @catcoq so I can see them!
Want to learn more Photoshop skills?
I teach in-depth Photoshop tutorials in my classes. The best part? You can take these classes for free when you sign up for a free trial with Skillshare!
