How to Delete Background in Affinity Photo

There are countless reasons why you might want to remove a background from an image. Perhaps you want to create a product mockup with a clean, white background. Maybe you're designing a custom t-shirt and need to isolate a graphic. Or maybe because you want to replace the background. Whatever your reason, removing background is a common task in photo editing.

So, how to remove background from image? Affinity Photo, a powerful and popular image editing software, can help. Whether you're dealing with a simple solid-colored background (like white or black) or a more complex one, Affinity Photo provides a variety of tools to help you achieve clean, professional results.

In this tutorial, we'll guide you through the process of removing background in Affinity Photo. Let's get started.

How to Remove White Background from Image in Affinity Photo

Many users need to remove a white background from an image and replace it with a transparent or different colored background. Here we’ll show you four different techniques in Affinity Photo to achieve this.

Method 1: Using the Built-In Filter

For vector images with simple white backgrounds, Affinity Photo’s built-in filter is a rapid solution. This method is swift and effortless, and it effectively handles shadows and gradients. However, it might struggle with images containing extensive highlights or whites.

1. Open your image in Affinity Photo.
2. Navigate to the Filters menu, select Color, then choose Erase White Paper.

Method 2: Using the Select Sampled Color Functionality

When your image has a white background and other colors, the Select Sampled Color tool offers more control. This method is versatile, allowing you to select multiple colors for removal, and it works well with complex backgrounds. However, it requires manual adjustments, and the initial mask might not be perfect.

1. Duplicate your original layer and then right click on it and select Rasterize.



2. Go to the Select menu and choose Select Sampled Color.



3. Click on white areas to select them. Adjust tolerance for precision.
4. Delete the selected white areas.

Method 3: Using the Flood Select Tool

The Flood Select Tool excels at selecting objects with similar colors, excluding shadows. This method allows for precise selection of the main object and provides options for fine-tuning. However, it requires manual adjustment of tolerance and may result in some white bleed.

1. Select the Flood Select Tool from the toolbar.



2. Click and hold the mouse button, adjusting the tolerance to create a rough selection of the object.
3. Release the mouse button and continue refining the selection by holding the Ctrl key and clicking on areas that were not initially selected.
4. Fine-tune the selection using other tools, such as the Lasso Selection.
5. Once you have the desired selection, invert it and apply a mask to remove the selected white areas.

Method 4: Using the Background Erase Brush

1. Select the background layer.
2. Find the Background Erase Brush in the Tools panel.



3. Customize brush size, hardness, and other settings as needed.
4. Carefully paint over the areas you want to remove. The brush will automatically sample and erase the target color.

How to Remove Complex Background from Image in Affinity Photo?

In most cases, the background is complicated. So, there is more work to do it. Here, we’ll introduce you 2 techniques for removing a busy background in Affinity Photo.

Method 1: Using Selection Brush Tool

Step 1: Open your image.

Launch Affinity Photo and open the image you want to edit.

Step 2: Unlock the background layer.

In the Layers panel, click the padlock icon next to the background layer to unlock it.

Step 3: select Rasterize and Trim.

Right-click the background layer and select "Rasterize & Trim" to convert it to a pixel layer.

Step 4: Create a selection.

Use the Selection Brush tool (W shortcut) to create a selection around the subject you want to keep.

Once you have a fairly good selection, click the Refine button in the Context Toolbar.

When you click the Refine button, a dialog box opens with an overlay mode where the selection is visible, and the non-selected areas are highlighted in red.

Start brushing from the areas you are sure should be selected, even if it overlaps slightly, and slowly hover around the edges. radually work around the boundaries, adjusting the brush size as needed. For delicate or detailed areas, use a smaller brush to ensure precision. Once you're satisfied with the selection, simply click Apply to finalize it. You will now have a precise selection of your subject (or background if that is what you selected).

Tips: For complex images, you might use a combination of selection tools and the erase brush.

Step 5: Invert the selection.

If you selected the subject instead of the background, go to Select > Invert Pixel Selection.

Step 6: Delete the background.

Press Delete to remove the selected area (background).

Step 7: Export the image.

If you want to export the image with transparent background, save the image as a PNG file. This will preserve transparency.

Method 2: Creating a Group and Applying Adjustments

For intricate background removal, this method offers granular control. It provides control over each step of the process, allowing for precise adjustments to remove the white background effectively. However, it is time-consuming compared to other methods and requires multiple steps.

Step 1: Duplicate the original layer.

Start by duplicating the original image layer to ensure you have a backup in case you need to revert any changes. To do this, right-click on the original layer in the Layers panel and select Duplicate. This creates an identical copy of your image on a new layer, which you can edit without affecting the original.

Step 2: Create a group and add the duplicated layer.

Next, organize your layers by creating a group to contain the duplicated layer. Go to Layer > New Group from the top menu (or use the shortcut Ctrl+G on Windows or Cmd+G on Mac). Then, drag the duplicated layer into this new group. Grouping the layers helps you keep your workspace tidy and makes it easier to manage multiple adjustments.

Step 3: Create a new layer above the group and set blend mode to 'Overlay'.

Create a new blank layer by selecting Layer > New Layer from the menu. Position this new layer above the group in the Layers panel. Set its blend mode to Overlay, which allows you to paint on the layer while enhancing contrast and maintaining the underlying texture of the image.

Use the Brush Tool (B) and select a soft, round brush. Set the brush color to White, and carefully paint over the shadow areas of the image. The white paint will lighten the shadows, reducing their intensity without affecting the rest of the image too much.

Step 4: Add a black & white adjustment layer.

To remove any remaining color information and focus purely on the tonal aspects of the image, add a Black & White Adjustment Layer. This will convert your image into grayscale. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black & White. In the properties panel, you can fine-tune how different color channels (like red, yellow, and green) convert into grayscale, which can help highlight or reduce specific areas of the image as needed.

Step 5: Create another layer above the group and set blend mode to 'overlay'.

Now, create another new layer and set the blend mode to Overlay again. This additional layer will allow you to further refine the shadow removal process. Once again, select the Brush Tool (B), and paint with White to lighten any remaining darker areas. By layering multiple "Overlay" layers, you gradually smooth out shadows, making the background easier to remove.

Step 6: Add a curves adjustment layer.

At this point, it’s time to enhance the image’s contrast by adding a Curves Adjustment Layer. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. This adjustment will allow you to tweak the brightness of the image’s highlights, midtones, and shadows. To create a stronger contrast between the subject and the background, slightly darken the shadows by adjusting the lower part of the curve. This will help the subject stand out more clearly against the white background.

Step 7: Create a new layer above the group and set blend mode to 'Overlay'.

Once again, create a new layer above the group and set the blend mode to Overlay. On this new layer, paint with White to remove any last lingering impurities or shadows. This step ensures that the image looks as clean as possible before merging the layers.

Step 8: Merge visible layers.

After all the adjustments are made, it's time to simplify the image by merging the visible layers. Go to Layer > Merge Visible or press Shift+Ctrl+E (Windows) / Shift+Cmd+E (Mac). Merging the layers consolidates all the edits into a single layer, making it easier to apply further changes or to finalize the image.

Step 9: Add a mask to the merged layer.

Once the layers are merged, add a mask to the new, single layer. Click on the Add Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers panel. A mask allows you to hide or reveal parts of the image non-destructively. You can now use the mask to refine the edges of your subject or further erase unwanted areas of the background.

Step 10: Use the 'select color' dialog to refine the mask.

With the mask selected, go to Select > Color Range. This opens the Color Range tool, where you can select specific colors (such as the white background) that you want to remove. Adjust the Fuzziness slider to refine the selection. This tool will help you isolate the subject from the background with precision, allowing for a cleaner separation between them.

Step 11: Apply the refined mask to the original layer.

Finally, go back to the original (unmodified) image layer. Add a mask to it by clicking the Add Layer Mask button again. Copy the refined mask from the merged layer by selecting it, pressing Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (Mac), and then paste it onto the original layer mask by pressing Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac). This will use the precise, refined mask as a guide to finish the background removal process.

By following these steps and experimenting with different techniques, you can effectively remove backgrounds in Affinity Photo and achieve professional-looking results.

Alternative Method to Affinity Photo: Using Aiarty Image Matting for Quick and Easy Background Removal

While Affinity Photo offers a variety of methods for background removal, it can be a bit overwhelming for beginners. It requires a lot of time to master these techniques, and the results may not always be ideal.

If you're looking for a faster, AI-powered solution to remove backgrounds without the complexity of manual selection tools, Aiarty Image Matting could be the perfect option for you. This tool utilizes four advanced AI models to automatically detect and remove backgrounds, making it a great choice for users who need quick results without a steep learning curve. Perfect for beginners, Aiarty requires no prior photo-editing experience. The four different AI models are tailored for various image types, ensuring optimal results for both simple and complex images. Additionally, Aiarty supports batch background removal, saving you time when working with multiple images.

How to Use Aiarty Image Matting to Remove Background?

Step 1: Download and install Aiarty Image Matting.

Step 2: Open Aiarty Image Matting and upload the image you want to remove the background from.

Step 3: Select the appropriate AI model based on your needs and adjust any additional settings.

Step 4: Click "Start" and then Aiarty will automatically begin removing the background from your image.

As you can see in the comparison image below, Aiarty automatically performs a clean background removal.

Step 5: If necessary, use the manual drawing options on the left to further refine the result.

Step 6: Once you're satisfied with the results, click "Single Export" or "Batch Export" to save the image with the background removed.