Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
Being able to remove a background in images can offer a lot of flexibility in your blogs and videos. And although there are a lot of different ways to do this, sometimes you want a quick and easy process. Today, I’ll show you a quick automatic background remover that does wonders.
And the best part is that you can do it for free!
Before you ask, yes, I do have Photoshop and am capable of removing the background already. However, the method I’m going to teach you today is incredibly easier for beginners.[adrotate banner=”8″]
Remove a Background for Free
In this tutorial, I’m going to show a bit of what Remove.bg can do for you and your blog. It’s also a great tool to use if you want to create thumbnails for YouTube videos.
It’s probably one of the quickest and easiest automatic background remover apps on the Internet. You can take your photograph and put it in front of any backdrop without using a green screen.
First, go to remove.bg.
NOTE: remove.bg only supports images 625×400 in its free version. For higher resolutions, you’ll need to pay for a subscription or per image. I know…625×400 is kind of small depending on what you want to do with the image.
Selecting a Photo
The first thing we’re going to use to remove a background from an image is the web-based app itself. On the homepage, click, “Select a photo.”
You are then prompted to upload an image. Find the photo you want to edit and upload it to remove.bg.
In a matter of seconds, the app will convert your image and remove the background. In some cases, this may be all that you need. And if you’re happy with the conversion, click the “Download” button to save the image.
Keep in mind that the free version of this tool will shrink the image. So instead of having an 800×800, remove.bg will bring it down to a size more closely related to its 625×400 cap.
The photo is converted to a PNG file that you can use in a myriad of ways.
At this point, the image is either saved to your computer’s download folder or you can choose the destination.
And if you’re satisfied with the image, you’re done. See…quick and easy.
But, what about…
Making Edits
What if your image still has a few bits of the background? Sometimes the automatic background remover doesn’t absolutely get everything. This is actually pretty easy to fix as well.
From the converted image screen, click the “Edit” button.
This will open a smaller window with a variety of different options. You can add effects to the backgrounds, put a new image as the backdrop of your picture, and even change the color.
Today, we’re removing a remnant of the background. Click the “Erase/Restore” option.
In this screen, you will use a brush to delete any portion of the image or restore the background to the pic. Using the slider, you can change the size of the brush if you want to get the smallest of fragments.
You can also increase the size of your image so you have better control over what is getting deleted.
In my sample pick, I am removing a small area of my chair.
The tool lets you zoom in by 400%. So, you can get up close and personal with areas remove.bg missed. The only problem I have with remove.bg is how the control of the brush is a little tricky. It seems to drift slightly.
Still, it does an incredible job to remove a background from an image. This is especially true when you consider it’s a free app that doesn’t require registration to use.
When you’re done editing, click the “Download” button.
This will bring up another download button. Just click it save your image.
And if you need certain areas that were removed, you can switch to “Restore.” Using the brush, you can simply add those areas back into the photo.
What Can You Do with the PNG File?
Once you remove the background from an image, you can do all kinds of things. Although you can add your own background to the photo in remove.bg, you have a lot of flexibility to use other tools.
For example, you could:
- Use the photo in Canva.com to access a variety of other tools to make the image robust.
- Add the image into editing programs you have installed on the computer.
- Keep it as a regular image file and upload it to your website. I’ve seen a lot of people use their image as the blog’s favicon, but that requires a bit of tweaking.
Essentially, it’s a PNG file. You can treat it just as you would any other image file.
Personally, I like Canva simply because it has all of the current optimal image sizes for various social media…including YouTube thumbnails.
Importing from a URL
Perhaps you have an image on your blog or want to make a meme out of something online. In this case, you can use the background eraser tool online for free to grab images through web addresses.
Click the “enter a URL” link of the free online photo editor.
Enter the URL of the image and click, “OK.”
Now, you can edit as you would if you uploaded the image.
Desktop App
So, what if you don’t want to use the web-based app? Remove.bg has applications you can download and install directly onto your computer system. You can run the automatic background remover tool using Windows, Mac and Linux.
However, the system is a bit limited when it comes to using the free computer app. The program uses a credit-based system to process images. You’re given 50 credits free per month but have to buy extra if you need.
The pricing varies depending on how many credits you want and if you’re going to pay for a subscription account.
One feature that does stand out is the ability to drag-and-drop entire folders into the program for bulk editing. However, you would still need to go into each one for any fine-tuning.
Another drawback is the lack of high-resolution support unless you have a paid account.
Photoshop Extension
For you Photoshop users, you can also install remove.bg tool directly as an extension. You’ll have to download it from the Adobe Exchange.
One thing to note, though, is while the extension is free, you’ll still need a remove.bg account to use the feature, especially for high-resolution images.
While this might be a tempting addition for anyone who uses Photoshop, many developers feel that you can accomplish the same effects without the extension.
And when you consider the subscription cost for Adobe and remove.bg combined, it might be cheaper overall to just remove the background in Photoshop without the additional tool.
Since the Internet is full of tutorials for removing a background in Photoshop, it all comes down to time and whether you want to learn.
Be Creative When You Remove a Background from an Image
Removing the background is perhaps one of the most common methods for bringing yourself front and center in a photo. In fact, it’s one of the most common elements when you look at thumbnails on YouTube.
You can put yourself in front of a beautiful beach scene, in the Oval Office or in space…whatever your heart desires. And you can do it all without the use of a green screen.
What can you do with a photo of yourself to make your blog or YouTube thumbnails stand out more? Do you think a tool like this is worth the investment for higher-resolutions?
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