How To Change Image Background Using Paint.NET

12/26/2009 | by Casmir

See the Part 2 of How To Change Image Background Using Paint.NET (the easy way)

Paint.NET is an Open Source freeware Image and Photo editing software that comes with many different tools. "It also features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools". Find out more about Paint.NET here.

OK! before we get started, I would like you to add this Plug-ins on your Paint.NET. Get It Here, The Feather Effect in the plug-ins will help in softening the edges of the image, The other effects in it could be useful for you too. Just download it and make sure you unzipped the files in this folder C:/Program Files/Paint.NET/Effects on your computer. Simple!

After you have installed the paint.net and the plug-ins, follow the steps below to change the background of an image/photo.

Removing the background:

Open paint.net and go to File Tab then open to open the image...Or right click on the image and choose open with>>>>>paint.NET.

I am going to change the background of this picture below, I captured this beautiful image with my digital camera in South Korea.

You might prefer using the line or Magic Wand tool or other tool to select the image area you want in this step, But i prefer using the Lasso Select tool now. Maybe by the time you get used to paint.NET you'll find out which one is best for you. Using the Magic Wand is easier and faster, but might be difficult with some image.

Click the Lasso select tool from the tools window (Go to windows tab and click Tools or hit F5 to bring up the tools window if it's missing)
Draw line around the place you want to keep on the image (incase there's a space where the unwanted background has appeared in the middle of the image, just draw line around those areas and hit delete from your keyboard first.)
As you have drew the line around the area you want to keep, Go to Edit and click on Invert Selection and hit Delete from your keyboard.

Now zoom the image as bold as you can see the edges very clearly and use the Eraser tool to erase the remaining unwanted background at the edges of the image. (remember to increase or decrease the brush width to suit your need)

Note: You can actually use the eraser tool right from the beginning to erase the entire background.

Using the Feather Effect:

You don't have to use this effect if you don't want to.
Go to Effects>>>>Object>>>>Feather Watch the image while changing the feather effect setting, click OK when you are satisfied with the look.

You can use this effect now or after you have added the image in a new background, that must be before saving or flatten the image. You can crop the image to the size you want by using the Rectangle Select tool, Rectangle the size you want and go to Image>>>Crop to selection.

Adding the image to a new background:

You can open an image for the background or create a plain colored background from paint.NET.

To make a colored background:
Go to File>>>>New>>>> set the size and click OK. Choose a background color from the Colors window, Press CTRL+A or Edit>>>>Select All.

To open an image for the background:
Go to File>>>>Open and find the image and open it.
Don't worry about the first image you are working on, It wont close..The new will open in new window and you can always switch to any of your opened images at the top right corner of the window.

Whichever way, as long as the image you want to use as background is opened. Go to Layers>>>>Add New Layer make sure the new layer (layer 2) is the active one, not the background layer.

Switch back to the first image (the one you have removed it's background) Click on the image>>>>Copy it by pressing CTRL+C Switch again to your background window and press CTRL+V to paste it (for painless, make the new background to be the same size as the image you are pasting on it.)

When you are done, Go to Image>>>>Flatten (even if you do not flatten the image, It will prompt you to do so when saving it) go to File>>>>Save As>>>>type a name for your new image and choose a file type and save it.

I used one of the sample pictures in Windows 7 for this one...

Created this plain colored background with Paint.NET....

That's it!
See the Part 2 of How To Change Image Background Using Paint.NET (the easy way)

 

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