Make the background transparent
Transparency is a property of the file, not of the picture. This makes one, and shows you how to confirm it survived.
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A real alpha channel
Edges are partly transparent rather than hard-cut, so the subject blends onto whatever colour you place it over.
Checkerboard preview
The grey squares behind your image are not part of it. They are how transparency is displayed, so you can see exactly what was removed.
Format guidance built in
Pick JPEG and the tool asks for a background colour, because JPEG has no way to store transparency at all.
How to make a background transparent
- 1
Load your image
Any common format works as input, including one that already has transparency.
- 2
Mark the subject
Draw around what should stay opaque. Everything outside becomes transparent.
- 3
Check the edges
Look at the result over the checkerboard. Soft edges should fade rather than end in a hard line.
- 4
Export as PNG or WebP
Both keep the alpha channel. Avoid JPEG unless you actually want a solid colour behind the subject.
What a transparent background really is
Every pixel in an image has colour values. In formats that support transparency, each pixel also carries an alpha value: fully opaque, fully transparent, or somewhere between.
Making a background transparent means setting the alpha of those pixels to zero. Nothing is painted white or black — there is simply nothing there, and whatever the image is placed on shows through.
Partial alpha is what makes a cutout look convincing. A single strand of hair covers part of a pixel, so that pixel ends up half transparent instead of fully one or the other.
How to check your transparency actually worked
Place the file over a coloured background — a slide, a canvas layer, or a coloured div on a web page. If the corners show your colour, the transparency is intact.
A white box around the subject usually means the file was saved as JPEG, or that an app flattened it on export. Some image viewers also display transparency as white, which is why checking over a colour is more reliable than trusting a preview.
Where transparent images are worth the trouble
Logos and icons, because the same file then works on light and dark surfaces.
Product shots that get composited onto seasonal backgrounds, so the photograph is taken once and reused.
Any graphic that overlaps another element — a person stepping over a heading, an object breaking out of a frame.
Common jobs this handles
Logos on any surface
One transparent file works on white pages, dark headers and photo banners.
Overlays and composites
Place a cut-out subject over a different scene without a visible rectangle.
Stickers and print
Cut lines follow the subject when the background carries no pixels.
Frequently asked questions
Can a JPG have a transparent background?
No. The JPEG format has no alpha channel. Saving a cutout as JPEG always places a solid colour behind the subject — white unless you choose otherwise.
PNG or WebP for transparency?
PNG is lossless and supported everywhere, which makes it the safe default. WebP also supports alpha and produces much smaller files, which is worth it on the web when you know the target supports it.
Why does my transparent PNG have a white edge?
That halo usually comes from the original image: light background pixels blended into the subject's edge before you ever cut it out. Erasing a pixel or two along the edge with the brush removes it.
Can I make only part of the background transparent?
Yes. Run the cutout, then use the Restore brush to paint specific areas of the original back in.