Updated
To remove an image background, drop the photo and click Remove background. A trained model finds the main subject, clears everything behind it and hands back a PNG with a transparent background after a few seconds.
By hand, the same job means tracing edges with selection tools in an image editor. Here a segmentation model does the tracing. It has learned to pick out the main subject in a picture and separate it from its surroundings, deciding for every pixel which side it belongs to.
How to remove a photo background
- Upload a photo in JPG, PNG or WebP format.
- Pick transparent or white as the new background.
- Click Remove background and give the model a few seconds.
- Save the cut-out as a transparent PNG, or as a JPG on white.
Transparent or white
Transparent is the default. The result is a PNG with the same pixel dimensions as your photo and nothing behind the subject. PNG is used because a JPG has no way to store transparency. Place the cut-out on a new backdrop in a slide, a web page or any image editor.
White suits marketplaces and online shops that ask for products on plain white. That option returns a JPG, ready to upload as it is.
Photos that cut out cleanly
The model does best when a single subject stands out clearly from what is behind it: a portrait, a pet, a car, an item on a table. Good light and a sharp boundary between subject and backdrop help most.
Expect rougher edges in crowded scenes with several subjects, where the subject's colors match its surroundings, and on fine detail such as stray hair or fur in front of clutter, where a few strands can go missing. For product shots, a plain wall or a sheet behind the item gives a cleaner cut than any correction afterwards.
The subject itself is not redrawn. Its pixels stay exactly as they were. Only the mask comes from the model, which makes the edges the one place to check.
Cutting out a whole catalog
Background removal counts as a heavy job, with its own smaller allowance: 3 images a day without an account, rising to 5 on a free account, each up to 50 MB. Past that, pay with credits or switch to Pro, which has no daily allowance and takes batches of up to 500 files of up to 500 MB each.
For a full product range, the pipeline builder is the better route. Remove the backgrounds and resize every photo in one run, then download the lot as a single ZIP. Pipelines are free to try on up to 3 files.
Where the photos are processed
On our servers rather than in your browser: the model is too big to ship to every visitor. Photos travel over an encrypted connection, are processed in Germany and are deleted along with the results automatically within two hours.
FAQ
Why did part of the subject disappear?
The model took it for background, usually where subject and backdrop share a color. A photo with stronger contrast between the two gives a better cut.
Can I tell it which object to keep?
No. The model chooses the main subject on its own.
Why is the transparent PNG heavier than the original JPG?
Because PNG is lossless and carries transparency, it outweighs a compressed JPG. Shrink it with Compress Image, or convert it to WebP, which keeps the transparency in a lighter file.
Does it handle logos and drawings?
It can, but it learned mostly from photos. For a simple logo on a flat color, the magic wand in an image editor is often cleaner.