Elena Rossi
While the traditional MS Paint program does not allow you to create a transparent image, there are several ways to change the background colour of an image. One way is to fill in the image with a solid colour that can be replaced with a different image later. You can also use Paint 3D to crop out the section of the image you want to use and then paste the resulting image onto a new background. Another method is to enable Dark Mode in the settings of the Windows 11 Paint app.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Software | MS Paint, Paint 3D |
| Platforms | Windows 10, Windows 11 |
| Image format | JPG, PNG, etc. |
| Process | Open image in Paint, select image outline, fill in background with a solid colour, open in another editor to remove background |
| Alternative process | Use Paint 3D, select image, use Magic Select tool, refine selection, save as a sticker |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Ctrl + Shift + B |
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What You'll Learn
Using MS Paint
MS Paint has a few different methods for changing the background colour of an image.
One method involves using the traditional MS Paint program to create a green screen background. First, open the image you want to edit in MS Paint. Then, using the draw tool, select a bright colour that is not in the image already and trace the outline of the subject. Next, colour in the rest of the background to block it out. You can then save and open this image in another image editor to remove the background.
Another method is to use Paint 3D to crop out the section of the image you want to use and then paste it onto a new background. To do this, open the image in Paint 3D and click on the "Canvas" tab in the upper-right corner. Then, click on "Magic Select" and drag the edges of the canvas to surround your subject. Once you have selected the portion of the image you want to keep, click "Next" and add or remove any sections as needed. Finally, click "Background" and select the new background colour or image you want to use.
Additionally, if you are using the Paint app on Windows 11, you can change the background colour by opening the app and using the Layers feature to add a new tile that lets you change the background colour on demand.
It is worth noting that MS Paint does not support transparent images. If you want to create a transparent background, you may need to use a different program, such as Paint 3D or Microsoft Designer.
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Using Paint 3D
To change the background colour of an image in Paint 3D, follow these steps:
First, launch Paint 3D on your Windows 10 PC. You can do this by typing "Paint 3D" into the Start menu and clicking on the Paint 3D option. Once the application is open, click on the "Menu" icon in the top-left corner of the window and select "Open".
Next, you will need to select the image you want to edit. Click on "Browse Files" and navigate to the location of the photo you want to use. Click on the image once to select it, and then click "Open" in the bottom-right corner of the window.
Once your image is open in Paint 3D, you need to cut out the area whose background colour you want to change. To do this, use the selection tool to create a box around the portion of the image you want to keep. You can drag the sides of the box to enclose the desired area, and use the "Add" or "Remove" options to modify your selection if needed.
After you are satisfied with your selection, click "Done". The selected part of the image will now be separate from the background. You can now change the background colour by selecting a new colour from the sidebar and clicking anywhere on the white background to fill it with the new colour.
Finally, when your image is ready, click on the "Menu" icon and select "Save As". Choose "Image" as the file type and save your edited image to your desired location.
You can also make the background of your image transparent in Paint 3D. To do this, follow the same steps as above, but when pasting your cut-out image, paste it into a blank section of the canvas. You can then delete the background to make it transparent.
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Using the Layers feature
The Paint app included in Windows 11 features a Layers panel that allows you to change the background colour of an image. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:
- Open the Paint app on your Windows 11 device.
- Once the app is open, select an image by dragging and dropping the squares. Resize the image to fit the area you want to work with.
- Go to the colour chart and choose the colour you want for your background.
- Select the "Fill" box to fill the background with the chosen colour. Alternatively, you can select your colour and then click on the small icon of a paint can in the tools section. Then, click on the background to fill it with the selected colour.
- Right-click on the bottom tile in the Layers panel.
- Click/tap on "Change colour" in the Layers panel.
- Select or enter a custom RGB or HSV colour for your background and click/tap "OK".
- The background colour in Paint will now change to your selected colour.
Please note that this method may not work for all versions of Paint, as the Layers feature with the colour change option seems to be a recent update.
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Using the Draw tool
To change the background colour of an image in Paint, you can use the 'Draw' tool. This tool allows you to select a specific colour and trace the outline of the subject of the image. You can then fill in the rest of the background with that colour, effectively blocking out the original background.
- Open the image you want to edit in MS Paint.
- Select the "Draw" tool from the toolbar.
- Choose a colour for the new background that is not already present in the image. This can be done by clicking on the desired colour from the colour palette, or by using the eyedropper tool to select a specific colour from the image.
- Adjust the width of the drawing tool to match the thickness of the outline you want to create. This can be done by clicking on the size drop-down box and selecting the desired thickness.
- Carefully trace the outline of the subject of the image that you want to keep. This will create a boundary between the part of the image you want to save and the background you want to replace.
- Zoom in on the image by clicking the "+" icon in the lower-right corner of the window to ensure a more precise selection.
- Fill in the surrounding area with the chosen colour. This can be done by selecting the fill tool, usually represented by a paint bucket icon, and clicking on the area you want to fill.
- Save your changes and close the image.
By following these steps, you can effectively change the background colour of an image in Paint using the "Draw" tool. This allows you to create a solid-coloured background that can be further edited or replaced with a different image if desired.
It is important to note that the traditional MS Paint program does not support transparent images. However, by using the "Draw" tool to create a solid-coloured background, you can save and open the image in another image editor to remove the background and make it transparent.
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Making a transparent background
Microsoft Paint is a great tool for basic image editing and offers a user-friendly interface. Even if you're new to graphic editing, Paint's intuitive design makes creating transparent backgrounds easy and enjoyable.
To get started, open Paint and select 'File' and then 'Open' to browse and select the image you wish to edit. The image you select should have a solid background colour or a white background. Next, select 'Color 2' on the toolbar and choose the background colour for the image. If your background colour is white, set 'Color 2' to a similar shade of white.
Now, hit the 'Eyedropper Tool' on the toolbar and click on your image background to select the background colour. This action will set 'Color 2' to your image background. To separate the image from its background colour, hit the 'Select Menu' on the toolbar appearing in the top-left corner. From the drop-down menu, select 'Transparent Selection'.
Now, use the 'Free-form selection tool' to select the area of the image you want to keep—the rest will become transparent. Right-click on the selected area and press ''Cut' to remove it from the image. You can now copy and paste the image into another MS Paint window.
Unfortunately, saving images with a transparent background is not possible on Microsoft Paint. When you try to save such an image, the background area turns into a solid colour, usually white. However, there is a workaround for this issue. You can use Microsoft PowerPoint to save the image with a transparent background.
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Frequently asked questions
You can't change the background colour of an image in MS Paint. However, you can create a green screen background by filling in your image with a solid colour that can be replaced with a different image later. Open the image you want to edit in MS Paint. Using the draw tool, select a bright colour that's not in the image already and trace the outline of the subject of the image. Then, colour in the rest of the background to block it out. You can then save and open this image in another image editor to remove the background.
Open Paint 3D and select Browse Files. Choose the file you want to remove the background from. On the top bar, select Magic Select. Bring the borders of the selection closer around the image. Click Next. Use the tabs Add/Remove to refine your selection. If Paint removed too much of your image, use the Add function to fix it. If the tool didn’t remove a particular part of the image, select the Remove tab and use the mouse to select those image areas.
Press the Ctrl + Shift + B keys. Click/tap on the bottom tile in the Layers panel. Right-click on the bottom tile in the Layers panel and click/tap on Change colour. Select or enter a custom RGB or HSV colour you want for the background, and click/tap on OK.
