Make your image background transparent

Transparency is a property of the file format, not of the picture. That one fact explains almost every problem people run into with cutouts, so it is worth thirty seconds.

Only some formats can hold transparency

A JPG stores three numbers per pixel: red, green and blue. There is nowhere to record that a pixel is empty, which is why exporting a cutout to JPG silently fills the background, usually with white and sometimes with black. PNG stores a fourth number per pixel, the alpha channel, and that is what makes the background disappear. WEBP supports alpha too, and AVIF as well, but PNG is the safe default because everything opens it.

This is why the result here is always a PNG, whatever you upload. You can convert it afterwards, but the moment you convert to JPG the transparency is gone for good.

Why a transparent background looks white, black or checkered

Nothing is wrong with your file. A transparent pixel has no colour, so every program has to invent a way to draw it. Photoshop, GIMP, Figma and this site draw a grey checkerboard, which is the convention for "there is nothing here". Windows Photos and Preview on macOS often paint it white. Some Android galleries and a few PDF viewers paint it black, which is where the panicked "the tool ruined my photo" reaction usually comes from.

The honest test is to place the file on a coloured surface: a coloured slide, a browser page, or a layer of solid colour in any editor. If the subject sits on that colour with no rectangle around it, the cutout is correct.

Where a transparent PNG actually goes

• PowerPoint and Google Slides. Insert, then Picture or Image from file. The cutout sits on the slide background with no white box, which is the main reason people want transparency in the first place.
• Figma. Drag the file onto the canvas. Keep it as an image fill in a frame if you plan to resize it, so it scales cleanly.
• Canva. Uploads, then drag it onto the design. A transparent PNG layers over templates without the white rectangle that a JPG brings.
• Word and Google Docs. Both accept transparent PNGs, but text wrapping is what makes it look right: set wrapping to Square or Tight rather than In line with text.
• Web pages and email. A PNG cutout works everywhere, though a photographic cutout is often several times heavier than the same picture as JPG. If page weight matters, export a WEBP with alpha instead.

What resolution you get, in plain numbers

Images are scaled so the long side is at most 2200 px before the background is removed. A square image at that size is roughly 5 megapixels. In practice that is comfortable for a website, a slide, a marketplace listing or a social post, and it is comfortable for a small print such as a postcard. It is not enough for a large poster, a full page at high print quality, or anything that will be viewed close up at A3 and beyond.

The limit exists because the model runs on a shared server and a larger image means a longer wait for everyone in the queue. If you need the original pixel count preserved, a desktop tool is the right answer, and there is no shame in saying so.

When the cutout will disappoint you

Automatic segmentation is good at solid subjects against a clearly different background. It struggles in three places, and no online tool is exempt: fine hair against a busy background, genuinely transparent material such as glass or a veil, and heavy JPG compression that has already smeared the edge before the model ever sees it. If your photo has all three, expect to touch up the edge in an editor afterwards.

Questions people actually ask

Why is the download always a PNG and not a JPG?

JPG has no alpha channel, so it cannot store transparency at all. Saving a cutout as JPG fills every transparent pixel with white or black. PNG and WEBP both support transparency, and PNG is the format every editor, browser and office suite reads without surprises.

I opened the file and the background looks white. Did it work?

Probably yes. Many image viewers paint transparency white, and some paint it black. Check the file in a program that shows a grey checkerboard, such as Figma, Photoshop, GIMP or a browser tab, or drop it onto a coloured slide. On the result page here, the checkerboard behind the preview is the transparency itself.

How large is the transparent PNG I get?

Up to 2200 px on the long side. Anything larger is scaled down before processing, so a 6000 px photo comes back at 2200 px. That is enough for websites, slides, social posts and small print, and not enough for a large poster or a full page at high print quality.

Can I put the cutout on a white or coloured background instead?

Yes, on the result page. The background switcher offers transparent, white, black or any colour you pick, and the composite happens in your browser, so the file you download already has the background you chose.

Next: put the cutout on a white background for a CV photo, or read what happens to your photo after you upload it.