Photoshop Selections & Background Swap
- Learn to use Photoshop’s selection tools: Magic Wand, Quick Selection, Lasso
- Practice selecting and isolating objects
- Replace a background to change the image’s setting or message
Scripture
Isaiah 64:8 (HCSB) – “Yet Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hands.”
- How is creating in Photoshop similar to shaping something from clay?
- What kind of “visual story” can you tell by changing a background?
Course Content
Tool Overview – Selection & Isolation
- Magic Wand Tool – great for selecting solid-color backgrounds
- Quick Selection Tool – brush-like tool that intelligently selects
- Lasso / Polygonal Lasso – manual/freeform selections
- Refine Edge / Select & Mask (optional for advanced)
Demo: Background Replacement
Walk students through:
- Opening a stock photo or personal photo
- Using selection tools to select the main subject
- Copying selection to a new layer
- Inserting a new background image underneath
- Blending edges with feathering or eraser
Layer Panel—moving, organizing, locking layers
Homework
Students create a “Before & After” image:
- Select a subject (person, object, or pet)
- Remove the background
- Insert a new background (funny, surreal, or realistic)
- Make the swap look natural using resizing, shadows, or filters
Example ideas:
- A friend in space
- A cat surfing
- Yourself in a jungle or on the moon
- What challenges did you face?
- Did your final image tell a story or just look cool?
- How did changing the background change the feel?
Upload Before and After images (JPG format)
What is one thing you learned about Photoshop this week, and one thing you want to get better at?