How to remove text from an image using Photoshop

Do you avoid using a beautiful image just because it has text? Don’t worry, Photoshop comes with great tools to help you erase the text. You don’t have to be a professional graphic designer to do this. Photoshop is quite user-friendly, even if you're new to it.

Understand that an image is made up of different layers that contain colors, effects, designs, and text. These layers together form the final image in Photoshop. These layers not only create the final JPEG file but also provide the complete PSD file. If you're new to the software, PSD stands for ‘Photoshop Documents’.

• Layers may or may not be visible in the image. You can also rasterize them to remove part of the layers. When you rasterize an image, it converts it into graphics so that you can manipulate it.

Open Photoshop from the Start menu. In the displayed interface, select File from the menu. Click Open from the visible dropdown menu. Locate and open the image in the Open window.

Press Command+J (on Mac) or Ctrl+J (on Windows) to create a duplicate of the image. This way, no changes will be made to the original image. The Layers panel will now have two layers with the same image. The original image remains safe on the Background layer, and any edits you make will appear on the duplicate in Layer 1 above.

Rename the duplicate image. Renaming is useful to avoid confusion between the copy and the original image. After renaming, you can easily distinguish the images. If you prefer to keep the original name, simply add 'REMOVE TEXT'.

• To do this, right-click on Layer 1. The Rename option will appear. Change the name and press Return (on Mac) or Enter (on Windows) to confirm the name change.

Select the Layers tab in the tool panel on the right side of the interface. In the tool panel, right-click on the layer and select Rasterize Layer. Choose the Lasso tool from the toolbar. Select the part of the image you want to remove. Press Delete. Then, select File and Save in the toolbar to save the changes made.

• Among all Photoshop tools, the Lasso tool is perhaps the most intuitive. Once selected, the cursor will show a lasso icon, and you simply click at a point along the edge of the text you want to erase. Continue holding the mouse button and drag to outline the text. When done, press Delete to remove the text.
• To better understand layers, think of it as placing one image over another. Imagine you have a red-colored piece of paper, then place a transparent sheet with a yellow circle drawn on it on top. Next, you place another transparent sheet with blue text on it over the yellow circle. In the end, you have a red background with two layers of yellow and blue above it. Each of these layers is considered a layer in Photoshop. Specifically, these are the separate elements that make up the whole image.

Open the image in Photoshop. Press Command+J (on Mac) or Ctrl+J (on Windows) to duplicate the image. This way, you won't make any changes to the original image. The Layers panel will now show two identical layers. The original image stays safe on the Background layer, and any edits you make will appear on the duplicate layer, Layer 1, above.

Rename the duplicate image. Renaming is helpful so you don't confuse the copy with the original. Once renamed, you can easily tell them apart. However, if you prefer to keep the original name, just add 'REMOVE TEXT' to the end.

• To do this, right-click on Layer 1. The Rename option will appear. Change the name and press Return (on Mac) or Enter (on Windows) to confirm the change.

Select the Lasso tool from the toolbar on the left side of the screen. Click near the edge of the text. Drag the tool until you create a rough outline around the text. Be sure to leave a thin border around the text. This will help Photoshop accurately fill in the background once the text is removed.

Click on Edit and select Fill from the dropdown menu. Alternatively, you can press Shift+F5. The Fill dialog box will appear on the screen. Select Content-Aware from the Use dropdown menu. Click OK. Wait for Photoshop to fill in the empty space after the text is removed.

Press CTRL-D to deselect the image once the fill process is complete. This will allow you to clearly view the image. Save the edited image. Once you become familiar with this process, removing text with this feature only takes a few seconds.

Open the image in Photoshop. Press Command+J (on Mac) or Ctrl+J (on Windows) to create a copy of the image. This way, no changes will be made to the original. The Layers panel will now display two identical layers. The original image stays intact on the Background layer, and your edits will appear on the duplicate layer, Layer 1, above.

Rename the duplicate image. Renaming is helpful to prevent confusion between the original and the copy. Once renamed, it will be easier to differentiate them. If you prefer to keep the original name, just add 'REMOVE TEXT' to it.

• To rename, right-click on Layer 1. The Rename option will appear. Change the name and press Return (on Mac) or Enter (on Windows) to confirm the change.

Click on the Clone Stamp tool in the toolbar. Alternatively, press CTRL-S. Choose a soft brush type with a size range between 10% and 30% (for most tasks). Start with an opacity of 95%. You can adjust the settings as needed.

Click on the Layers panel. Select the original layer in the Layers panel. Drag the original layer into the 'Create a New Layer' button, which is the icon to the left of the trash bin. Alternatively, press CTRL+J to create a new layer.

Place the cursor as close to the text as possible. Press the Alt key and left-click on the selection. This point is known as the source. Essentially, you'll 'paint' from this point to cover the text area.

Be careful not to get too close to the text, as the source will move when you paint over it. If you're too close, you may end up copying the area you're trying to remove. If the source is too far from the text, the color of the background won't match, leading to distortion as you paint over the text.

Open the Options menu and select Aligned. This option continuously samples pixels without losing the current source point. If you stop painting, uncheck Aligned before starting again. Reset this option after selecting a new sample point.

Release the Alt key and move the cursor over the text you want to cover. Left-click to paint the source over the text. Pay attention to the brightness of the background image, ensuring the areas you paint are blended with the background in the same direction.

Paint in small sections. Avoid dragging the cursor across large areas of text. This ensures that your edits look sharp and clean, rather than smudged. Continue this process until the editing is complete.

• For multi-layer files like PSD or PDF, the text may appear on a separate layer above the background image. Right-click on the Text Layers in the Layers panel on the right side of the window. Then, select Delete Layer and click Yes to confirm.
• Spend ample time on image editing, especially if you're new to it or using the Clone tool. If it's a large text section, making the background flawless can take a considerable amount of time.

• Always save your edited image as a new file with a different name. This way, if you're not satisfied with the changes, you can always revert to the original unedited image.

• Image
• Adobe Photoshop
• Computer