Make a Pure Black Background in Photoshop
In this tutorial, you’ll convert any photo’s background into a clean, solid black in just a few steps. You’ll learn to rough-select your subject, invert and feather the selection, darken the background with a Curves adjustment, and clean the edges with a brush. Finish by cropping and optionally creating a black-and-white version.
Step-by-step instructions
Duplicate your base image
Open your photo and unlock the Background layer if needed.
Duplicate the layer by dragging it to the + icon in the Layers panel (or press Ctrl/Cmd+J).
Roughly select the subject
Choose the Lasso Tool (L).
Zoom out so the subject fits well on screen.
Draw a loose selection around the subject; hold Shift to add to the selection as needed.
Invert and feather the selection
Go to Select → Inverse to select the background instead of the subject.
Go to Select → Modify → Feather and set Feather to 100 (a heavy feather), then click OK.
Black out the background with Curves
With the selection active, add a Curves adjustment layer (Layer → New Adjustment Layer → Curves).
In Curves, drag the shadows (left) point straight down to the bottom to turn the background pure black.
Clean up halos and edges on the mask
Select the Curves layer mask thumbnail in the Layers panel.
Choose the Brush Tool (B), set Hardness to about 50%, Foreground color to black.
Paint along the subject’s edges to remove any halo and restore clean contours. If you hide too much, switch the brush to white to reapply blackening.
Crop for composition
Select the Crop Tool (C).
Set ratio to 4 × 6 (if desired), adjust the crop to taste, then press Enter/Return.
Optional: Create a black-and-white copy
Add a Black & White adjustment layer above everything.
Fine-tune sliders to taste and save a color and a B&W version.
