The Instant Alpha tool enables you to make parts of an image transparent in order to remove the image background.

You’ll get the best results removing solid colors with clear boundaries around them. To remove areas that are less distinct, select a smaller area and repeat the process.

To remove unwanted elements:

  1. Select the image.

  2. Click Alpha in the toolbar (or choose Format > Instant Alpha).

  3. Click the color you want to make transparent, and then drag slowly over it.

    As you drag, the selection grows to include the contiguous area that uses similar colors. You can control how much of the image is selected by dragging less or more.

    If you hold down the Option key while you drag, all instances of the color that you’re dragging over will be removed from the image.

  4. Repeat step 3 as many times as you like.

You can restore the parts removed from the image at any time. To revert to the original image, choose Format > Remove Instant Alpha. To restore parts of the image removed using Instant Alpha, choose Edit > Undo Instant Alpha until the parts have been restored.

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