How to Remove the Background from a Product Photo

To remove the background from a product photo, open the Remove Background tool, choose the photo, tap Remove background, then choose White for a plain shop-style picture. A small AI model does the cutting on your phone, and your photo is not uploaded.

Clean product photos help items look tidy in an online shop or chat catalogue. This guide shows how to take a photo that cuts out well and how to finish it for selling.

What you need

• A photo of the product, ideally on a plain surface
• A little data the first time, for a one-off download of about 18 MB. The size is shown before anything downloads.
• A few minutes

Steps to get a clean product picture

1. Place the product on a plain surface, such as a sheet of white paper or a plain table, near a window. Take the photo from the front or slightly above, with the whole item in the frame.
2. Open the Remove Background tool, tap the box and choose the photo.
3. Read the size note and tap Remove background. The first time, the model and its engine download, then the tool finds the product and cuts it out.
4. Drag the before and after slider to compare. Zoom in on the edges and check for leftover background, missing parts or a kept shadow.
5. Under Background of the saved picture, choose White for a classic shop picture, My colour for a branded colour, or See-through to put the product on your own design later.
6. Tap Download. The picture is saved as a PNG.
7. If the file is too large for your shop, make it smaller with Compress Image. If the shop wants a certain pixel size, use Resize Image.

Take a photo that cuts out well

The tool works best when the product stands out clearly from what is behind it.

• Plain background. A plain surface gives the cleanest result. Busy patterns confuse the cut.
• Contrast. A light product on a dark surface, or the other way round, cuts better than a colour that matches the background.
• Even light. Avoid hard shadows. Soft daylight from a window works well.
• One main item. Several overlapping things can come out unevenly. Photograph them one at a time.
• Sharp focus. Tap the screen to focus on the product before you shoot.
• Some space around it. Leave a small border, so that no part touches the edge of the frame.

What the tool does well, and what it does not

The tool is a small model made to run on phones. It cuts out clear products well, such as bags, bottles, shoes, boxes and craft items on a plain background.

It can struggle with:

• Glass and see-through items, which may lose their clear parts
• Fine fur, loose threads and hair-like details
• Shiny items that reflect the background
• Shadows, which can be kept as part of the product
• A product the same colour as its background

Always zoom in and check the edges before you upload. For a shop, a clean photo taken on a plain background is better than a cut-out that looks rough.

Finish the picture for selling

• Crop it. Trim the empty space with Crop Image, so the product fills the picture.
• Make it the right size. Shops often want a square picture. A plain background makes it easy to fit the product inside a square.
• Keep the file light. A PNG can be large. Use Compress Image, or save a product on a white background as a JPG, which gives a much smaller file. Our guide on JPG, PNG and WebP explains why.
• Be truthful. Do not edit a photo in a way that makes the product look different from the real thing.

Common problems

A piece of the product is missing. Try a photo with a plainer background and better contrast.

Some background is left. Retake the photo against a plain surface, or crop closer to the product.

It says no clear subject was found. The photo may be too busy, or the product too small. Move closer and try again.

The phone runs out of memory. The tool shrinks large photos and tries again. If it still fails, close other tabs or use a smaller photo.

Frequently asked questions

Is my product photo uploaded?

No. The model runs on your own device. Your photo and the cut-out stay in your browser and are never sent to us or anyone else.

Can I get a white background?

Yes. After the cut-out, choose White under the background options. The Download button gives the picture you see above it.

Does it work for many photos at once?

One photo at a time. Do each product separately.

Why is there a download the first time?

The AI model and the program that runs it are about 18 MB together. They are saved on your device, so later cut-outs start straight away and also work offline.

Is the result perfect?

No. Check the edges and the shadows each time, and take a better photo if the cut-out looks rough.