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How to remove the background from a photo
Open the photo in Plate, choose AI → Remove background, and in a few seconds the background is hidden behind a layer mask — 2 credits, nothing deleted. Prefer free? Click the subject with the Object select tool and add a mask from the selection. Either way, export as PNG to keep the transparency.
- Open the photo in Plate. Go to colurvist.com/photo and drop the photo on the page, or press the + button. JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, TIFF, camera RAW and PSD files all open.
- Choose AI → Remove background. The subject is found and everything else is hidden by the layer’s mask. Your pixels are not deleted — the mask only hides them. It costs 2 credits; “fine edges” (3 credits) is better for hair and fur.
- Check the edge. Zoom in on hair, fingers and see-through parts. For a cleaner edge, open Select → Select and mask (Alt+Ctrl+R), paint over the hair with the Refine edge brush and turn on Decontaminate colours to remove the old background’s tint from the fringe.
- Fix anything it missed. Click the mask thumbnail in the Layers panel and paint on it: black hides, white brings back. Undo works on every stroke.
- Export with transparency. File → Export (Ctrl+E) and choose PNG or WebP. Those keep the transparent background; JPEG has no transparency and fills it with white.
The free way, with no credits
Pick the Object select tool (it shares a button with Quick select in the tool strip — hold the button or right-click it). With “Find objects” on, it highlights whatever is under the pointer — a person, a product, the sky — and a click selects it. It runs on your computer: the first time it downloads a small model (about 14 MB), after that it works offline and costs nothing. Then choose Layer → Layer mask → Add mask from selection.
For a quick touch-up, Quick select (Shift+W) paints a selection that snaps to edges. Hold Alt to take away.
Put something else behind it
- Drop another photo onto the page — it lands as a new layer. Drag its row below your subject in the Layers panel.
- AI → Replace background… (3 credits) makes a new scene from words or from a photo you give it, lit to match.
- AI → Harmonize a pasted layer… matches a pasted subject’s colour and brightness to its new background, and can add a contact shadow. It runs on your computer and is free.
Because the background is hidden by a mask rather than erased, you can change your mind at any time: turn the mask off, or paint parts back.
Questions
Is removing a background free?
Editing in Plate is free. The one-click AI → Remove background costs 2 credits (3 for fine edges). The Object select tool, Quick select and Select and mask are free and run on your computer.
Does it delete the background?
No. The background is hidden by a layer mask. Paint white on the mask to bring any part back, or delete the mask to undo it completely.
How do I keep the transparent background when I save?
Export as PNG or WebP. JPEG cannot store transparency and fills it with white.
Does it work on hair?
Use “Remove background — fine edges”, then Select → Select and mask with the Refine edge brush over the hair. Decontaminate colours cleans the old background out of the strands.
Do my photos get uploaded?
Only when you use a server AI tool such as Remove background, and only for that job. Opening, editing, the free selection tools and exporting all happen on your computer.
Read next: Plate, the photo editor · Replace a sky · Remove objects from photos · Retouch a portrait · Color grade a video · All models
Last reviewed 1 October 2026. Prices are in Colurvist credits and show on each button before anything runs.