How to Remove Backgrounds in Affinity Photo (For Beginners!)

If you're looking to master Affinity Photo, one of the essential skills you'll need is the ability to remove backgrounds from your photos. Follow these three simple steps and you'll be well on your way to becoming an Affinity Photo pro. Let's dive in!

Step 1: Make a Rough Selection of Your Subject

To start, you'll need to make a rough selection of your subject. Here's how:

Download the Photo: If you'd like to follow along, download the photo from the link provided.
Select the Brush Tool: Get out the selection brush. You can paint a selection across your subject, and Affinity will try to figure out what you're selecting.
Adjust Brush Size: Depending on your subject's size, you might want to increase or decrease the brush size using the context toolbar or the bracket keys on your keyboard.
Paint Your Selection: When you have a good brush size, paint your selection to make it faster.
Refine Your Selection: Zoom in to fix parts of the background that were accidentally selected.
Switch Modes: Change your brush from add mode to subtract mode or hold down the Alt/Option key.
Refine Hair Selection: Press "Refine" at the top and use the "Matte" option to better select details like hair. Press "Apply" once done.

Step 2: Masking

After selecting your subject, follow these steps to apply a mask:

Apply a Mask: Press the mask icon at the bottom of the layers panel.
Deselect: Press Command or Control + D to deselect the selection.
Understanding the Mask: The white parts of a mask are visible in the main photo area, while the black parts are hidden.
Masking Tips: Masks work like day (white) and night (black). With practice, using masks becomes second nature.

Step 3: Refining Your Mask

Finally, you'll need to refine your mask to improve the selection quality:

Evaluate the Mask: Check areas like hair and clothing that might not be accurately selected.
Painting on the Mask: Use the paintbrush tool (shortcut: B) to paint white for revealing or black for hiding parts of the photo.
Select the Mask Layer: Ensure you're painting on the mask layer, not the photo itself.
Fix Imperfections: Paint with a soft brush (hardness: 0%) and use black or white to hide or reveal parts of the mask, respectively. Use the shortcut key X to switch between colors.
Zoom and Adjust: Zoom in for smaller details and adjust as needed.

Saving Your Photo with a Transparent Background

File Export: Go to File > Export.
Select PNG: Choose PNG format as it supports transparent backgrounds, unlike JPEG which turns transparent areas white.

You have successfully removed the background from your photo using Affinity Photo's three-step method. If you want to learn more techniques, check out the free course linked in the video description.

Keywords

Affinity Photo
Background Removal
Masking
Selection Brush
Photo Editing
Transparent Background
Refine Tool
PNG Export

FAQ

Q: What tool should I use to make a rough selection of my subject?
A: Use the selection brush tool to make a rough selection of your subject.

Q: How do I adjust the brush size?
A: You can adjust the brush size using the context toolbar or the bracket keys on your keyboard.

Q: How can I fix parts of the background that were accidentally selected?
A: Switch your brush from add mode to subtract mode, or hold down the Alt/Option key to remove parts of the selection.

Q: What is the purpose of applying a mask?
A: Applying a mask hides parts of the background while keeping your subject visible, allowing for a non-destructive way to edit your image.

Q: How can I save my photo with a transparent background?
A: Export your photo as a PNG file, as this format supports transparent backgrounds, unlike JPEG.

Q: What is the shortcut key to switch paint colors while refining a mask?
A: Use the shortcut key X to switch between black and white paint colors while refining a mask.