Let’s go through the entire background-cutting process – don’t worry, it won’t take long! All tools are intuitive, and for most photos, the automatic background removal is all you'll need.
How to Remove Background From an Image | Background Remover from Movavi
AI tool removes backgrounds in a few clicks
Dozens of presets for instant fine-tuning
AI-powered automatic photo enhancement
By clicking the download button, you're downloading a trial version of the program.*
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The background is sometimes the one flaw holding back an otherwise solid photo. For example, a messy desk, a wall that clashes with everything, or a flat gray backdrop that just isn't doing the shot any favors. Such things can drag down a photo that's fine in every other way. This is where background remover software earns its keep: it takes a photo you can't use and makes it one you can.
Bloggers and YouTubers might need a background remover in several cases.
- A channel avatar or profile photo needs a backdrop that fits your branding.
- A product shot or merch photo for a store page has to sit on a plain white or transparent background to look store-ready.
- A photo for an About page or sponsor pitch often needs the subject lifted cleanly out of its original setting.
Wondering how to remove image background? Try Movavi Photo Editor! Its one-click background removal lets you cut out backgrounds in your pictures with AI like it’s nothing. You can also replace your photo background and apply anything from a cityscape to the Andromeda galaxy to make your shots even more spectacular. And it’s not just background removal – Movavi Photo Editor features AI retouching to make your portraits shine: smooth skin, whiten teeth, apply makeup, and more. The final image will have a perfectly balanced, realistic look. Automatic photo enhancement handles light and color balance on its own, and when a shot just needs a small lift, there are more than 100 filters and atmospheric effects along with a set of color correction presets to reach for.
There’s a free download option for both Windows and Mac users, the app works fully offline, and the free version lets you test the entire background remover workflow.
Read to learn how to remove background from an image with Movavi Photo Editor.
How to remove image background with Movavi Photo Editor
Step 1. Install the program and add your photo
Download Movavi Photo Editor, install the program, and launch it. Click Add image or just drag the file into the workspace.
Step 2. Remove the background
Automatically
Head to the Background change tab. For the majority of photos, the automatic background removal will be the perfect option.
Click Automatically – the AI picks out your subject and separates it from the backdrop on its own, flyaway hairs, cluttered bookshelves, and all.
If something isn't quite right, you can add some manual edits on the Edit tab. On the Restore and Erase tabs, you can mark the objects that need to stay in the photo or should be removed. Click Apply once the photo looks the way you want.
Manually
On the Background change tab, click Manually. Select the objects you want to keep – click on an object several times, and it will be selected automatically. Hold Ctrl and click an area to remove the selection. Once everything's selected the way you want, click Continue.
Step 3. Change the background (optional)
Now, you can replace the background with another image or a solid color. Click Add photo to bring in a new backdrop or choose one of the built-in options.
Step 4. Save the edited image
Click Finish, then Save. Pick your format, adjust the quality setting, and click Save one more time.
How to remove a white background from an image
Plain white happens to be the easiest case for the automatic tool – high contrast between subject and backdrop is precisely what the AI is looking for. Here’s how to remove a white background from your image: run through the same automatic removal step described above, and a white background will be replaced with a transparent one. To save a photo with no background, e.g., for a logo or a sticker, choose PNG as the output format.
What makes the best background remover software
"Best" really comes down to what you're doing with the photo, but a handful of things separate a background remover you'll actually keep using from one you'll abandon after the first file or two.
What to look for in background remover software
Movavi Photo Editor is a solid background removal tool for PC and Mac. It offers both fast AI background removal and more precise manual editing. The free version lets you try out the full workflow, background remover included, and export up to 10 watermarked images before you decide whether to buy. Join 70 million+ people across 190+ countries already creating with Movavi.
Built for talking-head channels
If your setup is a desk, a ring light, and whatever's on the wall behind you, a background remover solves one very specific problem: the background you actually filmed against is rarely the one you'd choose for the shot.
- Thumbnails: pull yourself out of a plain recording backdrop and swap in a bolder scene or a solid brand color, so your thumbnail doesn't disappear next to the ten other videos surrounding it.
- Channel art and overlays: export a transparent PNG of yourself for an About page graphic or a merch mockup – no green screen needed.
- Gear and product shots: if unboxings or reviews are part of your channel, the same tool cleans up product photos for a store listing or a side-by-side comparison graphic.
What a cleaner thumbnail does is let people see the video you actually made, rather than guess at it from a cluttered background. Once the background's sorted, Movavi Photo Editor's retouching and color correction presets are right there in the same workspace if the shot needs a quick fine-tuning.
File formats and quality
Movavi Photo Editor opens a wide range of image formats – JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP, and BMP among them – so whatever your camera or phone produces should open without any conversion step first. Going out, you can save as PNG with transparency, JPEG, TIFF, BMP, and a few more, with a quality setting you control at export time, so a file headed for a website doesn't end up heavier than it needs to be.
Movavi Photo Editor
Easily enhance images and get professional-grade results in a snap.
*The trial version of Movavi Photo Editor has the following restrictions: you can save up to 10 images with added watermark, screenshots are disabled.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove the background from an image for free?
How do I remove the background from an image for free?
Download the free version of Movavi Photo Editor, open your photo, and use the Automatically option under the Background change tab. The free version saves up to 10 background-removed images, watermarked, before you need to purchase the full version.
How do I remove a white background from an image?
How do I remove a white background from an image?
Reach for the same automatic background remover. Plain white backgrounds are the simplest for the AI to pick out cleanly, since the contrast against most subjects is so high. Click Automatically, and only bring in the Lasso or Selection Brush if an edge needs touching up.
What is the best background remover software?
What is the best background remover software?
To remove photo background on Windows and Mac, try Movavi Photo Editor. The tool lets you remove the background with one click, retouch skin and apply makeup, remove unwanted objects, and more. Have fun with atmospheric filters and AI-powered tools to create scroll-stopping photos in a snap.
Can I use a background remover without an internet connection?
Can I use a background remover without an internet connection?
Yes – once Movavi Photo Editor is installed, it runs entirely offline, so there's no upload step and no file-size limit tied to a server queue.
What image formats does the Movavi background remover support?
What image formats does the Movavi background remover support?
JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and WebP are among the supported input formats, along with BMP. On export, you can choose PNG for transparency, plus JPEG, TIFF, and BMP, with a quality setting you set yourself at save time.
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