Changing a Studio Background in Photoshop

Learn how to remove a subject from a studio environment and place her against a different background.

Studio portraits can sometimes benefit from the visual interest a new backdrop can provide. In this installment of Portrait Project, Chris Orwig shows how to remove a subject from a studio environment and place her against a different background. First, Chris shows how to crop the portrait and improve details in Camera Raw. Then, in Photoshop, he shows how to make a selection, refine its edges, and convert it to a mask, and combine it with another image. In the second half of the course, he covers how to make the subject look at home in her new environment using a hand-painted darkening effect, blur, and color and tone adjustments.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Using the exercise files

1. Change a Studio Background

• Quick overview of the project
• Using Camera Raw to crop and improve details
• Tips for how to remove the subject from the background
• Removing the subject from the background
• Combining multiple images together

2. Improving Details, Color, and Tone

• Creating a hand-painted darkening effect
• Adjusting the color and tone of the background
• Improving the edge detail with Refine Mask
• Modifying the color and tone
• Adding a blur with Smart Filters
• Project review and final color adjustments

Conclusion

• Next steps