How to Use Backgrounds in Photoshop

Today we’ll show you the basic steps for using backgrounds in Photoshop. We’ll go over how to add a background image, transform the background image, and rearrange layers to move your background behind other images.

To create the beautiful design shown above, we used a wood digital paper as our background, along with a pastel watercolor flower frame and the fonts Vintage Culture and Better Grade.

Before we get into the tutorial, ensure that your files have been downloaded and unzipped to use. Then create a new document in Photoshop.

Step 1 - Open the Front Image

Select File > Open (Ctrl/Cmd + O). Then locate and open the image you’ll be using in front of the background.

Step 2 - Copy and Paste Front Image

The image file will open in a separate document tab. Click on Select > All (Ctrl/Cmd + A) to select the front image.

Once selected, you’ll see little marching ants around the image. Click on Edit > Copy (Ctrl/Cmd + C).

Go back to your new document tab, and click on Edit > Paste (Ctrl/Cmd + V). Your image will appear in the workspace of your new document.

Step 3 - Edit Front Image Using Free Transform

Select the front image layer and go to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T). Make sure the chain link icon is enabled in the Options bar to lock the aspect ratio.

Note: if the chainlink icon is not enabled while transforming, you can press and hold Shift to constrain the proportions.

Click + drag a handle on the bounding box to scale the image, and click + drag on the image to move it around if needed.

Notice how the numbers in the Options bar change as you’re scaling the image. You can change the numbers for W, H, X, and/or Y instead of clicking + dragging.

Note: we’re simply making our front image smaller and moving it to the center, but if you are doing a lot of edits to your image, you should probably convert it into a Smart Object first.

Step 4 - Add the Background Image

You can add the background image the same way we did the front image by opening the file, copying, and pasting it into the new document, but we’ll show you another way to add the background image easily.

Open the folder containing your background file in Windows Explorer/Mac Finder. Then click + drag the image from the folder onto the canvas in Photoshop.

Photoshop will fit the background image to the canvas and add it as a Smart Object.

To avoid possible errors, later on, we'll convert the background image layer into a Smart Object again.

Right-click on the background image layer and select Convert to Smart Object.

Step 5 - Rearrange Layers

Click + drag the background image layer below your front image layer in the Layers panel. The background image should now be behind your front image.

Step 6 - Edit Background Image if Needed

Because the background image is a Smart Object, there are a couple of extra steps when editing it.

Open the Smart Object Source Contents

To edit the background image and any Smart Object contents, for that matter, you need to double-click on the Smart Object layer thumbnail. The contents of the Smart Object will open in a separate document tab.

Transform Smart Object Source Contents

You want to edit the Smart Object contents in that separate document tab. Edit the background image the same way we did the front image by going to Edit > Free Transform (Ctrl/Cmd + T).

Save Smart Object Source Contents

After you’ve finished editing the background image, go to File >Save (Ctrl/Cmd + S). The changes can now be seen in your new document. You mustn’t forget this step when editing Smart Object contents.

Simply repeat this step to edit the background image some more if needed.

Step 7 - Lock Layers

If you’re happy with the background, select the background image layer and click on the padlock icon in the Layers panel to lock the layer. You can also lock any other layer you want to avoid accidentally editing them.

Step 8 - Add Text (Optional)

This step is optional, but you can add text to your design if you’d like. Select the Horizontal Type Tool (T), and change the font, font size, and text color as needed. Then click on the canvas and enter your text.

Our design is complete, and you can use it on all sorts of projects.

We hope you found this tutorial helpful! As you can see, backgrounds can help to elevate your designs. Sometimes a white background just isn’t enough.