Start with the file you need to finish with
For a subject you will reuse in several designs, aim for a transparent PNG. For an image that is ready to publish on a particular background, make a separate solid-color version. Keeping those two purposes separate prevents a common mistake: flattening the only useful cutout onto white, then removing white again for the next design.
Check the required pixel dimensions before uploading. Cutout Lab accepts non-animated JPEG, PNG, or WebP images up to 25 MB and 40 megapixels and exports at up to 16 megapixels. A 600-pixel source does not become a detailed 2400-pixel product image through background removal. If the destination requires more detail than the source contains, find a better original first.
Worked example: a 4032 by 3024 phone photo
A 4032 by 3024 image contains 12,192,768 pixels, under the 16-megapixel working limit, so it is edited and downloaded at its full size. Your browser sends a smaller copy to the removal service, then applies the returned mask to your full-size original. The edges are drawn from your original pixels rather than from the smaller copy.
A 48-megapixel image from a high-resolution camera mode exceeds the 40-megapixel upload limit. Export a smaller version from your photo app first. A 24-megapixel image is accepted, but it is scaled to 16 megapixels in your browser, so the download will be smaller than the original. This is a worked dimension calculation, not a quality recommendation for every destination.
| Example file | Pixel count | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 4032 by 3024, 3 MB | 12,192,768 | Accepted. Edited and downloaded at 4032 by 3024. |
| 6000 by 4000, 14 MB | 24,000,000 | Accepted. Scaled to about 4899 by 3266 (16 MP) before editing. |
| 8064 by 6048, 30 MB | 48,771,072 | Rejected: over 25 MB and 40 megapixels. Export a smaller copy first. |
Remove once, then inspect in a deliberate order
Select the file and confirm the preview is the right image. Removal starts automatically and sends the image to the processing service, so this is not an offline workflow. Use only images you have permission to process and avoid private documents you are not comfortable transmitting.
After processing, check the overall subject before zooming into individual pixels. There is little value in polishing a sleeve if the cutout has removed an entire hand. The sequence below keeps the biggest errors visible and makes later brush work easier to judge.
- Check the complete silhouette in Compare. Look for missing subject parts, included props, and areas cropped out of the original frame.
- Inspect enclosed spaces such as bag handles. An opening should be transparent only where it actually shows the background, not where it shows the inside of the product.
- Use Cutout on light and dark backgrounds to identify small leftovers and fringes. Use Erase for unwanted pixels and Restore area for real source detail that was removed.
- Reduce brush size near the outline and use short strokes. Restore area brings back the original background too if your stroke crosses into it.
Know when another source photo is the better fix
A missing detail can mean two different things: the mask excluded a visible part of the original, or the original never recorded that detail clearly. Restore can help with the first case. It cannot reconstruct a blurred label, an obscured finger, or a strand of hair outside the frame. Repeating removal is not a substitute for a sharper source.
Glass, veils, mesh, and reflections deserve a separate judgment. Some background is visible through the subject rather than around it. If the result must look convincing over a very different scene, a dedicated masking and color-correction editor may be necessary.
Verify the download, not just the preview
Choose Transparent and Download PNG for your master. Place that file over a colored layer in the destination editor. The background should show through outside the subject, and the checkerboard should be gone. If a white rectangle appears, check whether the export was flattened or converted to JPEG before running removal again.
Save a separate color version if you need it, and inspect the final image at its actual display size. Keep the transparent master and original photo together. Download before refreshing or closing Cutout Lab; it does not provide a saved-image library.