How to Make a Transparent PNG From Any Photo
Open an on-device background remover, drop your image, choose None as the background and download the PNG. A checkerboard behind the subject means those areas are transparent. Save as PNG or WebP, never JPG, or the transparency turns white.
What transparent actually means
Every pixel in an image can carry an alpha value next to its colour. Alpha 255 is fully solid, 0 is fully see-through and anything in between is partly transparent, which is what makes soft hair and smooth edges blend into a new background.
JPG has no alpha channel at all, so it cannot store transparency. PNG and WebP can. That is why a transparent cutout must be saved as PNG or WebP.
Make the background transparent in four steps
1. Open the SleekCut Transparent Background tool. It runs in your browser, so the photo never leaves your device.
2. Drop your image. Choose Person for portraits or Product or object for items, pets, logos and graphics.
3. Keep Background on None. The checkerboard you see behind the subject is the transparent area.
4. Press Download PNG. The file keeps your full resolution.
Fix the edges before you download
Zoom in on hair, fingers and product corners. If a bit of the old background is left, switch to Refine, pick Erase and paint over it. If something you wanted was removed, pick Restore and paint roughly over it.
The Smart brush looks at the colours under your stroke and on either side of it, so a rough stroke over a missed hand brings back the hand but keeps the gaps between the fingers clear. Use Exact when you want the brush to apply precisely where you paint.
How to check the transparency really worked
Open the PNG on a dark background, for example in a slide with a black fill. A white box or a pale halo around the subject means the file was flattened or the edges still contain old background colour.
SleekCut cleans background colour out of semi transparent edge pixels, which is what normally causes that halo when a cutout taken from a white wall is placed on a dark design.
Logos and graphics
For a logo on a plain white or coloured background, choose Product or object. Flat graphics usually separate cleanly.
If you have the logo as an SVG file, convert it with SVG to PNG instead. The vector is drawn directly, so the edges are perfectly sharp and the transparency is exact.
Where transparent PNGs are useful
Stickers and cutouts for thumbnails, product images layered on brand colours, slides and documents, email signatures, profile pictures with a custom backdrop and marketplace templates that place your product on their own background.