Do you want to get rid of an image background without using complex computer software? Luckily, there are a few mobile apps that make the process easy.
An image with a transparent background has multiple uses, and there are several methods you can use to achieve a transparent background on a mobile device. We’re going to discuss some of the best ones, and give you a guide on how to use them.
Why Make a Background Transparent?
There are several reasons why you might want to create an image with a transparent background. Let’s have a look at the most common ones.
Logos
Logos aren’t supposed to look like photographs, but they can contain certain subjects that you’ll see in a photograph—such as a person’s face or an item of clothing. By removing the background of a photo and isolating a subject, you can easily edit it into a logo.
Aesthetic Purposes
You can also add a transparent image with an isolated subject over any background. This is useful for business and personal image editing.
Use It as an Added Effect
When editing photos on our phones, we often add effects to enhance the look or concept we’re aiming for. You can import an image with a transparent background just like you would add a sticker.
This can help build on the elements of your edited photo. After all, stickers are essentially images with transparent backgrounds.
Get Rid of Unwanted Objects
Photographers can employ background removal techniques to get rid of unwanted objects in a photograph. By removing the object, the transparent portion can be filled in with a section of the surrounding area.
1. How to Create a Transparent Background With PicsArt
There’s more than one way to get a transparent background on the PicsArt image editing app—it will come down to the type of edit and your preferred method of editing.
Here’s how to erase your background using PicsArt:
- Open your image in the PicsArt app and locate the Draw tool at the bottom.
- Select the icon that looks like a stack of squares at the bottom right.
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Tap on the first layer in the popup window (it will be an empty-looking image at the top), and delete it by tapping the recycling bin icon. Tap away to close the window.
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- Open the Eraser tool by selecting the Eraser icon at the bottom. Tap it again to open the brush settings. From here, customize the settings to your liking. Remember that a big brush size with sharp edges quickly gets rids of large areas, while a smaller size with softer edges is ideal for erasing around crevasses.
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Once you’re happy with your settings, start erasing by dragging your finger over the image. Zoom in or out by pinching with two fingers.
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- When you’re satisfied with the result, hit Apply at the top-right. Back in the home screen, select the arrow icon at the top to save the image.
But what if you want to isolate a subject, and then add a new background image? Here’s how to do that in PicsArt:
- After uploading a background image, locate Add Photo at the bottom and import the image you want to render transparent.
- At the bottom toolbar, there will be several editing options for the imported image. Select Cutout.
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Choose a cutout method. Select gives you multiple automated cutouts that you can neaten up with the Erase tool, while Outline lets you manually outline the subject that you want to isolate.
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Once your subject is selected, hit Save at the top-right corner of the screen. Simply position the cutout over the background image that you’ve already imported.
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The latter method is ideal for importing multiple images to edit in one sitting. This way, there’s no need to create and export transparent images one by one.
Download: PicsArt for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
2. How to Make a Background Transparent With Eraser
Eraser is a simplified editing app that comes with a few basic photo editing features, as well as two methods for erasing an image background. Let’s show you how to use them.
Here’s how to manually erase the background with Eraser:
- Upload your image, and select Erase from the menu at the bottom.
- In the Erase window, make sure you’ve got Erase selected from the tools at the bottom.
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Customize the size of the eraser with Width. Offset lets you change the distance between your finger and the eraser for a clearer view.
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- Drag your finger over the areas that you want to remove. Zoom in or out by pinching with two fingers.
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When you’re pleased with the result, hit Done at the top-right. You’ll be directed back to the home screen.
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- To export the image, tap the Share icon at the top-right, select the image resolution and format. Then, tap Save to save it to your photo library.
If you don’t want to remove the background by hand, you can have the app do it for you. Here’s how:
- From the Erase window, select Target Area from the tools at the bottom.
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Adjust the Threshold to control how much of the background to remove.
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- Move your finger over the area that you want to remove, and let go. An entire section of the background will be removed automatically. You might have to repeat this step several times.
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Once you’ve got the majority of the background removed, use the Erase and Restore tools to erase parts that weren’t fully erased, or to restore sections that were mistakingly erased.
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- When done, save and export your image in the same way we described above.
Download: Eraser for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
3. How to Remove a Background With Remove.bg
If you don’t want to use an editing app, there is a multitude of online editors that can generate a transparent background. Remove.bg is one of our favorites due to its speed and simplicity.
Here’s how to remove an image background on Remove.bg:
- Navigate to Remove.bg using the mobile browser of your choice, and select Upload Image.
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From the popup, choose whether you want to upload from your Photo Library, Take Photo, or Browse for a photo.
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- The AI will automatically detect the focal subject, and will remove everything but the subject from the image.
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Now, you can either download the image in its preview size or in HD. Just keep in mind that the HD download will require you to pay for credits to use on the site.
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Unlike with editing apps, an AI background remover doesn’t give you as much freedom. It’s best suited for images with one subject that has a clear outline.
Create a Transparent Background on Your Phone
If you have a social media account, a business, or simply enjoy taking and editing photos, you will need to create a transparent background at some point. And knowing how to do it on your phone gives you a skill that’s quick and easy to tap into.