How the background is removed
An AI matting model, MODNet, looks at the photo and decides, for every pixel, how much of it belongs to the person. It works at about 500 pixels across, so the tool then scales its mask up to your photo's full size and refines the edge against the photo itself: a blurry outline is pulled onto the real edge of the hair, shoulders and fingers. Only then is the background replaced. Your photo keeps its full resolution.
All of this happens in your browser. The model is a file like any other: it is downloaded once from Hugging Face, kept by your browser, and run on your own processor or graphics chip. The photo is never sent anywhere.
Choosing the right background
- Transparent saves a PNG with a see-through background, ready to place on a slide, a poster or a product listing.
- White saves a JPG on plain white, the background most Indian exam portals (SSC, IBPS, UPSC), passport and visa forms ask for.
- Colour puts the subject on any colour: light blue for some ID cards, a brand colour for a profile picture.
- Blur keeps the original background but softens it, like a portrait mode photo.
Getting a clean cut-out
- Use a sharp, well-lit photo with the person clearly separate from the background.
- Leave "Refine edges" on. Choose Soft for loose hair, Crisp for a neat outline on a passport photo.
- Drag the comparison slider over the edges before you download.
For an official photo, finish in the passport photo maker, which crops and sizes to each portal's rules, or bring the file under a limit with the image compressor.
Speed, and what it cannot do
After the one-time download the cut-out takes a few seconds on most phones and computers. Very large photos are worked at a reduced size (up to 12 megapixels on a phone, 24 on a computer) so the browser does not run out of memory. The model is made for people: for product photos, pets and objects the result is often poor, and the tool says so when it finds no clear subject.