Background Remover
The Background Remover is a bulk image utility. Drop in photos, get back transparent PNGs with the subject cut out and the background removed. Optionally regenerate the background with a text prompt. Useful for product shots, character reference work, and cleaning up generated imagery.
How to reach it
App top bar: Create → BG Remover. Or the storyboard subnav's BG Remover chip inside a storyboard.
The workspace
A single-column job grid. Each job is one image. Upload in bulk, watch statuses fill in, download or keep iterating.
Uploading
Drag files onto the page or click the upload tile. Each file becomes a new job. Uploads happen in parallel.
- Formats: PNG, JPG, WebP.
- Size limit: 20 MB per image.
- Bulk: unlimited parallel uploads.
Job lifecycle
| State | Means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | Job queued, not yet processing. | Wait. |
| Processing | Background removal running. | Wait. Typically 2-4 seconds. |
| Done | Cutout ready. | Download, Generate BG, Add to Storyboard, Delete. |
| Failed | Job failed with an error message. | Retry or delete. |
What you get
For each completed job, two files:
- Source image: the original file you uploaded.
- Cutout image: a PNG with the subject isolated and full alpha transparency where the background used to be.
The cutout is what you download and use. The source is kept so you can retry.
Generate BG (regenerate background)
Once a job is Done, the Generate BG button opens a prompt input. Describe a replacement background, submit. The model preserves the foreground cutout pixel-for-pixel and generates a new background behind it based on your prompt.
Good prompts:
- "Sun-warmed terracotta courtyard at golden hour, soft shadows"
- "Neutral grey studio backdrop with soft overhead lighting"
- "Moody forest clearing, dappled light through pines, early morning mist"
Avoid prompts that try to change the subject. The subject is locked; only the background responds to the prompt.
Adding a cutout to a storyboard
Add to Storyboard opens a picker. Choose a destination storyboard, and optionally a specific scene (in which case the cutout becomes that scene's new image). Otherwise it lands in the storyboard's Library as a standalone asset you can drag onto the timeline.
Bulk actions
Once jobs complete, the Clear Done button removes every Done job from the grid in one click. Useful after a big batch.
Individual jobs have a Delete button in their three-dot menu.
Rate limits
The background removal backend (Bria via Replicate) sometimes rate-limits. When that happens, the job stays in Pending with a message like "Rate limited, retry in 12 seconds." Hit retry after the wait.
Typical uses
- Product shots: strip backgrounds from white-cyc studio photos for hero image composites.
- Character refs: clean up Compose-generated character plates before attaching as refs.
- Overlay assets: isolate subjects for use as picture-in-picture overlays in the Editor.
- Replacing backgrounds: place your subject in a different scene with Generate BG.
Generated cutouts preserve the exact pixels of the subject. Unlike a regenerated image, there is no identity drift. That makes BG Remove + Generate BG the most reliable way to recompose an existing image without losing the subject.
Where to go next
- Background Extender for extending a canvas rather than replacing the background.
- Image & Video Generation to generate a fresh image instead.