A Complete Guide to Removing a Black Background From Images

More often than not, capturing perfect shots involves worrying about the background as much as the subject of your photo. However, some backdrops, like the black ones, can occasionally ruin the entire composition, making details indistinguishable. In that case, you might want to remove black backgrounds from your images.

Learn the importance of backgrounds in photos and why removing black backgrounds can be ideal. You’ll see how to remove them, and we’ll give you the best tools for the job. Moreover, we’ll review background-generating tools for those wanting to explore AI-generated backgrounds.

The Importance of Backgrounds in Photos

Backgrounds are vital to many photography styles as they set the tone, convey a grander message, complement the subject, and add detail to the overall image.

However, they’re not always necessary, especially if you’re doing product photography. Some ecommerce platforms even require users to only use one specific generic type of background before posting photos.

Why Remove a Black Background From Photos

There are other reasons for removing black backgrounds from your images, such as the following:

• Focus – depending on the subject of your photos, black backgrounds can blend with it too well, stealing attention from it. Your viewers won’t be able to see any details of your product.
• Consistency – people working in marketing often remove black backgrounds to maintain a consistent style. Brands are also more easily recognizable when they’re consistent.
• Professional look – eliminating a black background from your product photos makes them appear much better and look professional, which can help if you’re running an ecommerce store.

How to Remove a Black Background From Photos

A few years ago, black background removal was exclusively manual, and you could use various image editing applications to complete the task. These apps included the likes of Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Pixlr, and many others, where you could use a magic wand, lasso, pen, brush, and eraser tools to deal with black backgrounds.

However, apps that simplify this process exist nowadays, and they come in the form of AI-powered tools, significantly reducing the amount of work to remove a black background.

Best Black Background Remover Tools

When it comes to automatic background removal, these seven top-of-the-line tools will help you eliminate that annoying black background in seconds.

Fotor

Primarily created to make NFT art, Fotor is an incredible little tool with a clean user interface and simple design. Removing black backgrounds with Fotor doesn’t require registering an account, as Fotor is free. It’s also an excellent AI art generator where you can try many different art styles.

Key features:

• Simplicity and clean design;
• Free to use and doesn’t require registration;
• Offers various different art styles to play with.

Photoshop

It’s a name everyone knows and a product from a company that’s been in the game for decades. Adobe has recently added AI features to its Photoshop app, making removing black backgrounds a piece of cake. What sets Photoshop apart is its complexity and features, which also require a lot of learning.

Key features:

• It has hundreds of other tools to experiment with;
• Part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud and can easily sync your files between devices;
• The built-in history panel lets you go back to previous versions if you mess anything up.

Erase.bg

Whether you’re after creating graphics, designing websites, or removing black backgrounds, Erase.bg is one of the best free tools on the market. Your pictures will stand out and attract attention from any social media post viewer or ecommerce website visitor.

Key features:

• The website is free to use;
• Creates high-resolution images with resolutions of up to 5,000 x 5,000 pixels;
• It works really well with humans, animals, and objects of any kind.

PhotoScissors

PhotoScissors’ goal is to quickly isolate an object or a person from your existing photo’s background or even paste that object or person into another image. The tool can also easily handle quick black background removal, which you can do in seconds and with a few clicks.

Key features:

• Supports JPG, PNG, and WebP file formats;
• There’s a user-friendly interface with quick navigation;
• Can handle background removal for any type of e-commerce store.

Removal.ai

Created with removing backgrounds from images in mind, Removal.ai is an obvious choice. It uses AI-powered algorithms to detect the borders between subjects and scenes to separate the two quickly. Background removal is straightforward and only takes a couple of seconds.

Key features:

• Almost instant background removal that’s usually under three seconds;
• The website can process over a thousand images at once;
• It can easily handle the backgrounds of products, people, animals, cars, etc.

PicMonkey

Launched over a decade ago, PicMonkey is a design and photo editing service you can use through a website or smartphone app. The tool lets you quickly remove black backgrounds, generate gorgeous photos with simple descriptions, make logos, or create cover photos for your social media pages.

Key features:

• Offers various editing tools;
• It has a Before/After button to do virtual edits;
• You can type in the exact dimensions of the pictures you save.

Background Eraser

Background Eraser is a unique entry to this list as it’s not a website but a smartphone app. If you’re editing photos on the go, this tool can be perfect for quickly removing backgrounds from your images and uploading them to social media websites—if that’s your goal.

Key features:

• It allows users to edit on the go via smartphones;
• It has a simple and familiar user interface;
• The app is incredibly quick.

Using AI Tools to Generate the Images You Need

Removing the background or random objects that accidentally appear behind your subject works wonders in most situations, but it limits you to creating subject-only pictures. However, you can use other tools to create entirely new backgrounds for your images and attract more attention to your photography.

Generative AI tools let you describe your perfect environment, choose a few settings, and create an excellent background that will complement your product or the subject of your photography. Such images are bound to appear better, whether you’re posting them on ecommerce stores, your CV, or social media websites.

Benefits of Using AI-Generated Images

AI tools also bring many advantages, as they can create AI-generated images for various purposes much more efficiently. Some of these advantages include:

• Speed – while a professional photoshoot can take hours or days, including setting up, taking photos, and editing them, AI tools can complete the entire process in seconds or minutes.
• Low prices – quality cameras and gear cost a lot of money, and you must keep buying new sweeps, props, or rent locations for your shoots. On the other hand, AI apps use credits, and a couple of dollars can be enough for a few products.
• Customization – as they allow users to describe their perfect background and adjust various settings, AI tools can put your subjects anywhere. If you can think of it, AI can make it.

These are only a few benefits you get, but many more exist. For example, AI-generated images are also safer, as they’re tough to track down, while manually created images leave traces in the metadata.

Using Wondershare VirtuLook to Generate Images

Wondershare VirtuLook has been game-changing ever since its release. The tool primarily caters to product photography, but you can use it in other scenarios. For example, you can create social media posts of you in stunning new locations or experiment with the tool for your art project.

Here’s how you can use Wondershare VirtuLook to generate images or backgrounds:

• Step 1: Click the Try it Free button to enter the VirtuLook's panel

• Step 2: Once you log in, choose the Product Photo Generation option in the left sidebar and click the Step 1: Click to upload button to add pictures of your product. Upload the best photos you can find of your product.

• Step 3: Hit Step 2: Edit Selection. Click image to maintain the complete product. Click OK to move to Magic Room.

• Step 4: Once you describe what you want and select your background settings, click the Cast the Spell button.

After a few seconds, Wondershare VirtuLook will generate four new images of your product in the background you described. These images will appear astounding and attract visitors’ attention, whether on social media or an Etsy shop.

Conclusion

Backgrounds are essential to many photos. They perfect your composition, add details, complement your subject, and tell a story. However, some (primarily black) can also ruin your photo, blurring the lines between the subject and the environment.

Removing black backgrounds from images can enhance the focus on the subject, improve consistency, and create a professional look that attracts attention. Fortunately, black background removal is easier than ever, and you can quickly do it with AI-powered tools like Fotor, Erase.bg, Removal.ai, and others on this list.

However, you can also generate new backgrounds and images with AI. Wondershare VirtuLook is a brilliant choice, as it can take your photography to the next level.