How to Remove Background in Adobe Illustrator

Open Illustrator. The Illustrator program has a yellow icon with the letters "Ai." Click on the icon to open Adobe Illustrator. You need a paid subscription to download and use Adobe Creative Cloud. The individual Adobe CC subscription costs $20.99 USD (approximately 480,000 VND) per month for one app. The full suite subscription for individuals is $52.99 USD (approximately 1.2 million VND) per month. You can try the program for free for 7 days here. Additionally, there are options for business and student subscriptions.

Open an image in Adobe Illustrator. Follow these steps to open an image in Illustrator:

• Click on File in the menu at the top of the screen.
• Click Open to open a new image or Place to insert an image into the current file.
• Select the file you want to open.
• Click Open.

Zoom in on the image. To zoom in, click the magnifying glass icon in the toolbar or press Z. Click on the area of the image you want to enlarge. To remove the background of a photo, you need to create a path around the part of the image you want to keep. Using the zoom tool is the best way to achieve a high-precision path.

• If the image doesn’t have many details, such as containing only a single shape or line, consider using the Magic Wand tool.

Select the Pen tool. Click the pen icon in the toolbar on the left or press P. This tool allows you to create shapes and lines with multiple clicks. Each click creates an “anchor point.” As you add more anchor points, you’ll see a straight line connecting the new point to the previous one.

Click once on the edge of the zoomed-in object. This action sets the first anchor point. The ultimate goal is to create a path around the object. You’ll see a line extending from the first anchor point to the cursor.

Click on another point along the edge of the object. This action adds another anchor point on the edge of the object, creating a straight line between the two anchor points.

• Create a curve: To create a curve with the Pen tool, click and drag while placing an anchor point. This creates a curve in the opposite direction of the drag. The curve will continue to expand as you add more anchor points. To create a straight line or change the direction of the curve, click on the previous anchor point before adding a new one. Don’t worry if the curve isn’t perfect, as you can adjust it later.

Use the Pen tool to create a path around the object in the image. Click to create straight lines and anchor points, or click and drag to form curves, ensuring the path accurately outlines the object.

• Press the spacebar to move the image and view off-screen areas. This is particularly useful when zoomed in, as the cursor turns into a small hand, allowing you to drag the image in any direction without interrupting the Pen tool's path.
• If colored areas obscure the image, click the fill color box in the top-left corner. Select the white box with a red diagonal line to disable the fill color.

Click the first anchor point again to complete the path. You will now see a dotted outline surrounding the object.

Use the Direct Selection tool to refine the path around the object. Click the white cursor icon or press A to activate the tool. This allows you to adjust anchor points and Bezier curve handles, which appear as dotted lines extending from each anchor point. Click and drag these handles to modify the curve's shape.

Select the Selection tool. This tool is used to select and move objects. Click the black cursor icon in the left toolbar or press V to activate it.

Select both the image and the path around the object. Hold the Shift key and click the image, then click the path created with the Pen tool to select both elements.

Right-click the path and select Create Clipping Mask. The clipping mask will remove everything outside the outlined object.

Save the image. Adobe Illustrator allows you to save images in AI, EPS, SVG, or PDF formats. The .EPS format is widely compatible with most graphic applications and word processors. You can also save the image as a PDF. Follow these steps to save:

• Click File.
• Click Save As.
• Enter a name in the "File name" field.
• Use the dropdown next to "File format" to select the desired format.
• Click Save.

Export the image as a PNG file. PNG is a high-quality web format that supports transparent backgrounds. This format is ideal for photographs as it supports up to 16 million colors and allows for transparent backgrounds. You can also save the image as a JPEG, but this format does not support transparency. Follow these steps to export:

• Click File.
• Click Export.
• Enter a name in the "File name" field.
• Use the dropdown next to "File format" to select PNG.
• Click Save.

Determine if Image Trace is suitable for your image. This method works best for images with a few basic colors, such as logos or cartoons. Complex images with many colors, like photographs, are harder to outline in Adobe Illustrator. For such images, consider using clipping masks to remove the background. Alternatively, Photoshop can be used for background removal.

Open Illustrator. The Illustrator program features a yellow icon with the letters "Ai." Click the icon to launch Adobe Illustrator. A paid subscription is required to download and use Adobe Creative Cloud. The individual Adobe CC subscription costs $20.99 USD (approximately 480,000 VND) per month for one app, while the full suite subscription is $52.99 USD (approximately 1.2 million VND) per month. You can try the program for free for 7 days here. Additionally, business and student subscription options are available.

Open an image in Adobe Illustrator. Follow these steps to open an image in Illustrator:

• Click File in the menu at the top of the screen.
• Click Open to open a new image or Place to insert an image into the current file.
• Select the file you want to open.
• Click Open.

Click the Selection tool and select the image. The Selection tool is represented by a black cursor icon in the left toolbar. Click the tool or press V, then click the image in the canvas to select it.

Open the Image Trace panel. Follow these steps to open the Image Trace window:

• Illustrator CC:
  • Click Window in the menu bar at the top.
  • Click Image Trace.
• Older versions of Illustrator:
  • Click Object in the menu bar at the top.
  • Click Live Trace.
  • Click Tracing Options.

Select the "Color" mode. To do this, click the dropdown menu next to "Mode" and select Color.

Set the maximum number of colors in the image. Use the slider next to "Colors" to define the maximum number of colors in the image. You can also manually enter the number in the field beside the slider. If the image contains too many colors, the process will take longer, and the computer may struggle to convert all colors into vector objects.

• In older versions of Adobe Illustrator, click Max Colors to access the slider.

Click Trace. This option is located at the bottom-right corner of the panel. It will scan the image and create an outline that can be converted into vector objects.

Click Expand. This option is found in the panel at the top of the screen. It converts the image into vector objects. You will now see outlines around the different colors in the image, which can be selected using the Selection tool.

Ungroup the objects in the image. The shapes in the image have now been converted into vector shapes. However, you must ungroup all shapes to select them individually. Follow these steps to ungroup the shapes:

• Click the image with the Selection tool to select it.
• Click Object in the top toolbar.
• Click Ungroup.

Select the background objects using the Selection tool and press Delete. Click the Selection tool in the toolbar or press "V." Click on the background objects and press Delete to remove them. If the background is a single color, simply click it and press Delete. For detailed backgrounds, you may need to select and delete multiple objects.

• To select multiple objects, hold the Shift key while clicking on each object.
• If the background has objects of the same color, use the Magic Wand tool to select them all at once. This tool is represented by a sparkling wand icon in the left toolbar.

Save the image. Adobe Illustrator allows you to save images in AI, EPS, SVG, or PDF formats. The .EPS format is widely compatible with most graphic design and word processing applications. You can also save the image as a PDF. Follow these steps to save your work:

• Click File.
• Click Save As.
• Enter a name in the "File name" field.
• Use the dropdown next to "File format" to select the desired format.
• Click Save.

Export the image as a PNG file. PNG is a high-quality web format that supports transparent backgrounds. This format is ideal for photographs, as it supports up to 16 million colors and allows for transparent backgrounds. You can also save the image as a JPEG, but this format does not support transparency. Follow these steps to export:

• Click File.
• Click Export.
• Enter a name in the "File name" field.
• Use the dropdown next to "File format" to select PNG.
• Click Save.