Illustrator Change background colour without effecting photograph

[ryanlikealion]

HelloI am new to the forum - I cant find an existing post that matches this exact inquiry, so Im creating a new thread.I am new to using Adobe illustrator and want to use it to make simple posters for events i'm organising.I have placed a photo into my project but when i change the background colour using document setup (to turqoise in this particular example) it is affecting my photograph. How do i change the background colour using document set up, without changing the colour of the photograph?I hope ive worded that correctly - seems like a mouthful for what is probably a simple issue!Thanks

 

[hawkeye]

Make a rectangle the same size as the document and set the fill color as you wish, then move it to the back.

 

[ryanlikealion]

Thankyou for the reply - i know how to make the rectangle. How do i put it in the back ground. Also, should i have the same range of colours to choose from. Thankyou.

 

[hawkeye]

With the rectangle selected, right click-Arrange-Send to back, or use the shortcut shift+ctrl+[. You pick any color you wish.