If you checked out my tutorial on creating SVGs from photos, you’ll know that it’s important to start your design with an image that has the background removed. Whether you’re creating a cut file or an image for print & cut, many projects require images without backgrounds.
I remove the background from a *lot* of photos to make all kinds of image files, and I still prefer using online tools to other design software. This article takes you through the 5 tools I use for easy background removal for Cricut projects (yes, I use ALL of them regularly).
What to look for in a background remover tool/app
Here are the things that I prioritize when evaluating background removers:
- Does it actually, reliably remove the entire background?
- Is there an editing option to refine results, i.e. a restore tool to bring back mistakenly deleted pixels, and an eraser tool to get rid of unwanted residual pixels?
- Can the image be saved as a PNG file with a transparent background?
- Is the resulting image large/high resolution, or a small/low res version of the original?
- Do I have to create an account or buy credits?
There are a ton of background remover apps out there, you don’t need to pay for one.
video: My 5 fave background removers for crafting projects
pin this post for later:
pixelcut.ai
Pixelcut is my top choice for removing image backgrounds. The interface is very basic, you drag and drop your photo into the app, there is a brief analysis, and the image is outputted and ready to be downloaded or edited. Pixelcut is primarily a tool for editing photos for social media, reels and ecommerce, but it can also be used by crafters looking to clean up their images.
This is one of the few tools that includes erase and restore functions in the free version, so I highly recommend Pixelcut as your first stop for removing image backgrounds.
pros
- simple setup. It’s easy to figure out exactly what to do and how to download the result
- you can use the background remover for free without creating an account
- free version allows you to download a large-ish (1080 pixels on the longest side) image
- free version includes erase and restore functions to refine images
- there is a selection of “Canva-like” editing tools that let you apply alternate backgrounds, filters, shadows, reflections, etc.
cons
- paid membership required to unlock advanced functions
Adobe Express
Adobe Express is a suite of free image editing tools and templates geared for social media creators. It is free but an Adobe account is required. This is the same account that lets you take advantage of every other Adobe service, like downloading free fonts from Behance.com. It looks and functions a lot like Canva. One of the many tools available is a background remover tool that works well, but touchup tools are behind a paywall.
pros
- I usually get really good results
- the default download option is a transparent PNG
- no size or resolution reduction
cons
- there is a foreboding “free for limited time” tag on the background remover, suggesting that this will someday be a premium feature
- ditto transparent PNG download
- the erase and restore tools for post-removal edits are premium paid features only
remove.bg
Remove.bg was the first AI-powered background remover that I started using regularly a few years ago. It has since been acquired by Canva, but it doesn’t automatically integrate with your Canva account. Interestingly, remove.bg lets you remove backgrounds for free, even if you don’t have an account, whereas Canva requires you to purchase a premium account to use the background remover tool, even though this is the same tool.
The big downside for me is that using this as a free tool, the download option is significantly smaller than the original image. Other than that, I still like remove.bg and I still use it in certain situations.
pros
- easy drag and drop interface
- restore and erase manual tools for touchups/cleanups, also tools to add alternate backgrounds
- download file as transparent PNG
- service available without login or account
- integrates with your Canva account (can open the image directly in Canva)
cons
- free download is much smaller than original file (~30% of the original size)
- paid option is available via credits, not subscription
Photopea background remover
Photopea is my favorite online image editor that functions very much like Adobe Photoshop. Among its many features (that require no signup!) is an automatic background remover. When you use this tool, Photopea isolates the subject of the image by creating a raster mask to “delete” the background. In practice, the background pixels are hidden behind the mask and can be restored and edited if needed.
pros
- Easy to adjust the mask to edit the results (add or subtract using the paintbrush)
- non-permanent way to remove the background of your image
- using Photopea also includes a full suite of tools to edit your image in hundreds of ways
- image is available at the original resolution and can be saved in multiple file formats, including transparent PNG and as a Photoshop document
cons
- Background remover tool is a “freemium” feature of Photopea (paid account holders have unlimited use of this tool, but free users can use it only once every 4 hours, or watch a short ad to use it again)
Cricut Design Space background remover
Cricut Design Space’s suite of tools includes an automatic background remover for uploaded JPG or PNG images. The catch is that it’s only available to Cricut Access subscribers. Subscribers get access to thousands of images, fonts and projects, and access to Design Space tools like background remover, text warp, create sticker, and convert to layers is a bonus.
I tend to only use this one for images I’m uploading to make quick print & cut stickers. I never use this background remover if I plan on using my image as part of a more complex design.
pros
- built into Design Space, don’t have to juggle multiple apps to create a project using an image
- easy one click solution
- manual tools to allow touchups
cons
- for paying subscribers only
- can’t export the finished file for other applications. This is the biggest problem for me, because I primarily use design software outside of Design Space
Why use more than one tool?
So if all of these background removers do essentially the same thing, why do I use 5 instead of just one?
Each of these tools creates slightly different results, so if I don’t get the result I want from one tool, I move on to the next. It’s that simple. I’d rather just move on to another quick one-step tool than edit and optimize for background removal.
Case in point: for my tutorial on converting a photo to an SVG, I used a snapshot of my friend’s dog resting his head on a pillow as the base image.
Most of the background remover tools wanted to delete the pillow as part of the background, but I wanted to include it. I ended up using the version of this image created by Pixelcut because it recognized the pillow as part of the main image and not the background, plus I could save the edited image at a large size.
Remove.bg also included the pillow, but the download option was too small for my project.
I could have used one of the other tools to remove most of the background and then restore the pillow, but I was in the mood for the most simple and low effort option, even if it meant using 4 apps to get it.
Before you go…
Thanks for reading this rundown of my favorite background remover tools! I hope it helps answer your questions and provides clarity on the big number of options available. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below.
And since you’re still here, you might be interested in checking out some of my other popular design-related articles…