Instructions to separate the background from the image using Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Separating the background of a photo requires ingenuity and the use of specialized graphics software. If you are not familiar with Photoshop, AI … then this may be a bit difficult. However, you can easily separate the background from the image using Word.

In Word you can remove the background from an image to highlight the subject or to remove unnecessary detail. Background removal is not available for vector graphics files. For example: SVG, AI, WMF, DRW.

To separate the image background with Word, you can use a tool called Remove Background. You can use the automatic background removal feature or you can draw lines to mark which areas of the image background to keep and which to remove.

The original image	The image is separated from the background

Instructions to separate the background from the image with Word

Important: Compressing an image to reduce its size changes the quality of the source image. This means that after compression, the image may be different from before compression. Before you remove the background from the photo, you should compress the image to retain the details in the original image.

1. Insert an image to remove the background into Word. Click on the image where you want to remove the background.
2. Under Picture Toolsabove tab Format, select Remove Background.If you don’t see Remove Background or tab Picture Tools, make sure you click on the photo. You can double click on the image to open the tab Format. (This feature is not available in PowerPoint 2007.)
3. Click on one of the circle buttons on the line and drag the line so that it contains the part of the image you want to keep and excludes the areas you want to remove.
   

   

   If the selection automatically selects the correct background separation, you don’t need to do anything else.

4. If necessary, do one or both of the following:
   • To indicate which part of the photo you don’t want to be automatically deleted, click Mark Areas to Keep.
   • To indicate which part of the image you want to remove other than those automatically marked, click Mark Areas to Remove.

     Tip: If you change your mind about an area you marked with a line. To keep or delete it, click Delete Mark and then click on the line to change.

     

5. Click Keep Changes to complete.

   Note: To cancel automatic background removal, select Discard All Changes.

Save Word image to Desktop

To save images from Word, you right click on the picture, select Save as Picture. You should save the format png to have a transparent background.

The background removal function can be used on Word, PowerPoint, Excel 2010 and later.