CUTOUT LABS
Notes on better cutouts
Practical ideas for image workflows, background removal, and the details that make a clean cutout.
Can Gemini or GPT image models replace a background remover? We tested 50 photos
We ran 50 product and lifestyle photos through Cutout Labs, two Gemini image models, and two GPT image models. The AI image models were 2–7× slower, cost $39–68 per 1,000 images, and the ones that returned real transparency did it by redrawing the product.
Where automatic background removal fails, and how to fix it: 33 tested requests
We ran 23 photos through the Cutout Labs API to find where automatic cutouts go wrong: hands, competing subjects, plated food, cropped furniture, glass, mesh, motion blur, and low resolution. Each case shows the real result and a fix.
The Ghost Hand Problem: Why AI Background Removers Strip Hands from Product Photos
Why background removal can omit the hand holding a product, how foreground ambiguity contributes, and what developers can try.