Remove background

How to remove a background

1. Drop in a photo.
2. Press Remove the background. The first run downloads the model; after that it is a second or two.
3. Drag the divider to compare. Adjust the edge and the trim if the cut needs it — those are instant, the model does not run again.
4. Download a transparent PNG, or put a colour behind the subject first.

Is my photo uploaded?

No. The model is downloaded to your browser and the photo is processed there. Every site that removes backgrounds without a download is doing the work on a server, which means sending it your picture. Here it is the model that travels, not the photograph.

What is it actually doing?

It runs a neural network trained to find the salient object — the thing a picture is of. That is why it copes with a busy background, which colour-based tools cannot: it is not looking for a colour to delete, it is looking for the subject to keep.

When it struggles

Fine detail at the edges — flyaway hair, fur, netting, chain-link — is where any automatic cutout is weakest, and this is a small, fast model rather than the largest available. It is also built around there being one clear subject: a crowd, or a scene with no obvious focus, will give an unconvincing result. Softening the edge slightly usually looks better than a hard cut.

Halos and missing pieces

A faint outline of the old background around the subject is the usual complaint, and Trim cuts further in to remove it. Push it too far and the subject starts losing its own edges — it is a trade, and the comparison slider is there so you can see which way you have gone.

Limits

One photo at a time, up to 40 MB. The output is a PNG, because that is the format that carries transparency; if you have put a solid colour behind the subject and want a smaller file, Convert image will turn it into a JPG.