Removing the background of images (advanced mode)

If you haven't yet checked out our article on removing backgrounds, we recommend reviewing that first so that you can better understand how our background removal tool works. Our algorithm should work 99% of the time, but if you need to refine what is removed, follow the steps below for added customization and flexibility.

Only certain templates support this feature. Click here to browse templates that use cutouts.

Once you are editing your graphic, click the Edit Clipping Mask button


You will see the original image with the preview of the current cutout selection:


There are a lot of tools, so we'll focus on the ones relevant for your workflow. The top left toolbar is where you'll send most of your time:


The Green + lets you paint on the image what you want to keep (in case the algorithm removed something it wasn't supposed to)

The Red - lets you paint on the image what you want to remove (for example, if there are two people in the image and you want to remove one of them)

The Yellow / lets you refine the background behind hair - helping create clear separation from the background. Use this tool to paint over hair that might still have the background showing

The Eraser allows you to remove any added or removed paint brush marks on your image

The Scalpel Tool allows you to manually draw straight lines and curves to add parts of images that may be too faint for the paint brushes

The Hand allows you to reposition the image

In the above example, the automated tool missed the letters on the basketball and the jersey, so we'll select the Green + tool and paint on the image:


Once we are happy with the result, click Done > at the top to return to editing your graphic.

To exit without saving changes, simply click the X on the top right to exit.

To see the changes in the preview, click Update Preview

Keyboard Shortcuts

There are a number of keyboard shortcuts that can make your refinement editing even quicker:

Updated on: 07/12/2023