How to Change Background Color of an Image in Mac’s Preview

To change the background of a picture on a Mac, first remove its background and then replace the background with a color of your choice. All of this is possible using the Mac’s Preview. Here are the steps for the same.

Step 1: Remove Background From Picture Using Preview

You can remove the background in two ways:

Method 1: Using Remove Background (For Simple Backgrounds)

1. Open the image in Preview on MacBook.
2. Click on Tools and select Remove Background. Select Convert in the pop-up that shows up. The background will be automatically deleted from the picture. Go to step 2.

Method 2: Using Instant Alpha Tool (For Complex Backgrounds)

1. Open the image in the Preview app.
2. Click on Markup and select the Instant Alpha tool.

3. Now, while holding the mouse, drag it slightly down to select the area you want to remove. You will see a solid color, followed by dotted lines or moving ants in the selected area. Do not select too much, as it will also select the actual area. You must do it a couple of times to get the perfect result.

4. So, once you have selected an area, press the Delete key on your keyboard. A pop-up will appear. Select Convert. Repeat the step to remove other parts of the background.

Other methods to remove background

• Right-click on the picture’s thumbnail in Finder and select Quick Actions > Remove background. A copy of the image will be created without its background.
• You can also use the Smart Lasso tool inside the selection tools to remove the background from the picture.

Step 2: Copy the Image to Clipboard

Once you have removed the background from the picture, press Command + C to copy the image to Mac’s clipboard. Or go to Edit > Copy from the menu bar.

Step 3: Add Color to Background Using Shapes

1. Go to File and select New from Clipboard. The same image with a transparent background will open.

2. Click on Markup and select the Shape icon, followed by Rectangle shape.

3. A rectangle box will be shown in the picture. Drag it using the corners to fill the entire area.

4. Use the Color tool at the top to choose the desired background color. Ensure to fill the entire space with color.

Step 4: Paste the Image on New Background Color

With the entire picture covered in the background color of your choice, press Command + V to paste the actual picture on this background. That’s it. Go to File > Save to save the image.

Few tips: 

• To change the background of a picture to something other than a solid color, like any other image, follow steps 1 and 2. Then, open the desired background picture in Preview and paste the copied picture on it.
• In step 3, you can also open any other image of a suitable size and fill it with color. Then, paste the copied image.
• You can also use remove.bg, an online tool to change the background color of a picture.

Before you go, learn another method to edit pictures on Mac.

Mehvish Mushtaq is a computer engineer by degree. Her love for Android and gadgets led her to develop the first Android app for Kashmir. Known as Dial Kashmir, she won the prestigious Nari Shakti award from the President of India. She has been writing about technology for 6+ years and her favorite categories include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for iOS/iPadOS, Android, social media, and web apps.