Make Background Transparent See-through PNG in seconds.

Why this page sticks to PNG

Transparency lives in an extra channel, called alpha, that records how see-through each pixel is. PNG stores that channel without loss, and design tools, slide apps and website builders read it reliably, so it is the safe choice when the file is heading somewhere you do not control.

WebP can carry alpha as well and usually makes a smaller file, which is handy on a website. Some older programs still cannot open WebP, though, which is why it is not the default here.

JPEG has no alpha channel at all. A cutout saved as JPEG has to have its empty area filled with something, normally white, which defeats the point. That is why JPEG is unavailable while the result is transparent.

Catching halos before they travel

The checkerboard hides a lot. A soft rim of the old backdrop is easy to miss over gray squares and very obvious once the cutout lands on a dark slide or a bright web page. Cycle through the edge previews:

• On white reveals dark fringes and leftover shadow.
• On black reveals light fringes, such as a pale wall that stood behind someone.
• Mid-gray sits between the two and shows blotchy, half-transparent patches.

Partial transparency is normal

Not every pixel is simply in or out. Hair, fur, feathers and soft-focus edges are partly see-through, and keeping that gradient is what stops a cutout looking as if it was done with scissors. Hair detail protects those in-between pixels, and Feather adds a little softness to an outline that is too crisp.

Remove fringe is the control to reach for when those soft pixels still carry the old color, such as a green cast from grass along the bottom of a dog's coat.

Trimming the empty space

A transparent file still has a canvas size. If the subject is small in a large frame, the PNG carries a lot of nothing around it. In Compose you can fit the subject to the canvas, reduce the padding or choose a tighter canvas, so the file is easier to place in a layout.

The opposite case matters too. A drop shadow added in Finish extends beyond the subject, and a tight canvas can clip it. If you plan to keep a soft shadow in the transparent file, leave some padding so its fade is not cut off at the edge. The shadow is stored as semi-transparent pixels, so it will darken whatever the image is placed on, which is usually what you want.

Subjects that resist a clean cutout

Windows, bottles, veils and wisps of smoke are translucent in the original photo, so an honest result is a partial mask rather than a crisp one. Plan on refining them by hand, and judge the outcome over the color the image will actually sit on.

If you know the final destination, do one last test before you finish: export the PNG, place it on the real slide, page or design, and look at it at the size people will see. Problems that are invisible at full zoom in the editor sometimes jump out at their true size, and the reverse is also true.

Step by step

1. Open the photo. Drop, browse for or paste the picture you want to isolate.
2. Let the subject separate. Detection removes the backdrop and leaves empty pixels behind.
3. Preview on white, black and gray. Switch inspection views and look closely at the outline.
4. Clean up fringes. Use Remove fringe, Shift edge or the brushes on any halo.
5. Export the PNG. Choose a size and save the file with its transparency intact.

Questions people ask