data
The guards
| Guard | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | JPEG or PNG |
| Max file size | 8 MB |
| Max dimensions | 4000 px per side — larger photos are downscaled on this device |
Remove Background
Upload a photo, cut out the background on your device, preview the result, and download a PNG that keeps transparency. Nothing is uploaded — the photo never leaves this browser.
Studio
Choose a photo to remove its background. JPEG or PNG, up to 8 MB.
choose
JPEG or PNG up to 8 MB. The file stays on this device — nothing is uploaded. You can also drag a photo here, paste one from the clipboard, or use the camera.
waiting for a photo
No photo yet. Choose a photo first.
Original
The original lands here once a photo loads in stage 1.
Result
Run removal to see the cutout here.
Background removal
Loads with a photo in stage 2 — waiting for a photo.
waiting for a photo
Waiting for a photo — download unlocks after a cutout exists.
The cutout keeps its alpha channel: the exported PNG stays transparent — nothing is flattened. The download starts the moment you press the button, and the affordance stays for a deliberate re-download.
Unlock after a successful removal in stage 2.
How it works
Every number below comes from the shipped code — the same constants the tool imports. The evidence lives here, next to the artifact.
alpha
The transparency contract
- The cutout keeps its alpha channel end to end — nothing flattens it.
- The download is a PNG at the photo's own size; the preview sits on a checkerboard so transparency is visible, not implied.
- Need the cutout framed into a print-ready square instead? The ID Photo Studio adds the framing and export step.
on-device
The privacy model
- Removal runs on this device via @imgly/background-removal-js (AGPL-3.0, WASM + ONNX, runs fully in the browser).
- The model download (~40 MB, first run only) is disclosed and confirmed before it starts, and can be cancelled while it runs.
- No image bytes ever reach the server. Telemetry is metadata only: an event name, the preset, and elapsed milliseconds.
sources
Where the evidence lives
The Lab note records the decisions behind this tool — the thin backend, the on-device removal model, and what was learned building it. The ID Photo Studio is the sibling tool that frames the same cutout into a print file.
Read the Lab notesLooking for the write-up? Read the Lab notes for the privacy model and backend contract. Need a framed ID photo instead? Use the ID Photo Studio.