Remove a background
Cut the subject out and keep the transparency — on your device, never uploaded.
How it works
Three steps, and nothing leaves your device.
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1
Drop in the photo
A clear subject against a distinguishable background works best — a person, a product, a pet. JPG, PNG, WebP and iPhone HEIC are all accepted.
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2
The model runs on your device
A segmentation model compiled to WebAssembly separates subject from background. Expect around ten seconds — and, unusually, that barely changes with image size, because the model works at its own fixed resolution. There is no point shrinking the photo first.
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3
Download a transparent file
The result is a PNG (or WebP) with the background gone. Drop it onto any colour, or send it straight to Product Placement to composite it into a scene.
Getting a clean cutout
- A clean edge depends on the original, not the tool. Segmentation works from contrast between subject and background. A dark jacket against a dark wall gives the model nothing to separate, and no amount of processing invents an edge that was never visible. If you can choose the shot, put the subject against something plainly different in brightness or colour.
- Hair and fur are the hard case. Fine strands are smaller than the model's output resolution, so they come back partly merged with the background or partly cut away. Portraits with tied-back hair cut far more cleanly than loose, backlit hair. This is the honest limit of every automatic cutout, not a setting you can turn up.
- Save as PNG or WebP, never JPG. JPG has no transparency channel. Saving a cutout as JPG fills everything you just removed with white, which is why this tool does not offer it. If you need a JPG, composite the cutout onto a background first and convert afterwards.
- Semi-transparent things do not survive. Glass, veils, smoke and motion blur need partial alpha that the model does not produce reliably. Expect them to come back either fully opaque or fully gone.
- Nothing is uploaded, and you can check. The model and the image both stay in the tab. Open your browser's network panel while it runs, or disconnect from the internet once the page and model have loaded — the cutout still works.
Frequently asked questions
Is the photo uploaded anywhere?
No. The segmentation model is downloaded to your browser and runs there, so the photo never leaves your device. That is also why the first run takes longer than the ones after it.
Why does it take about ten seconds?
Most of it is the segmentation itself, which runs on your own processor rather than a server — measured at roughly eight seconds whether the image is 512 pixels wide or 2000. The very first run adds a few seconds more to download the model, which your browser then caches. A server-side tool would feel faster here; the trade is that this one never sees your photo.
Can I get a JPG?
Not directly, because JPG cannot store transparency and would fill the removed area with white. Use the converter afterwards if you need one, once the cutout sits on a background.
Why is the edge rough around hair?
Fine strands fall below the resolution the model works at. Subjects with well-defined outlines cut out cleanly; loose or backlit hair is the hardest case for any automatic tool.