How the background remover works
peel cuts the subject out of a photo with a neural network that runs inside your browser. Your image is never sent to a server: decoding, background removal, editing and the final download all happen on your device.
1. You choose an image
Drop a file onto the page, paste it with Ctrl+V (⌘V on a Mac), or pick one from your files or camera. JPG, PNG, WebP and AVIF work everywhere. HEIC works in browsers that can open it (Safari, for example). Files can be up to 20 MB. Very large photos are reduced to about 24 megapixels so your device doesn't run out of memory, and we tell you when that happens.
2. The model is downloaded once
The first time, your browser downloads the AI model from our own server. It's about 115 MB on computers with a capable graphics chip, or about 44 MB for the lighter model we use on other devices. The browser keeps it in its cache, so next time the tool starts almost instantly. If you're on mobile data, we ask before downloading.
3. The background is removed on your device
The photo is resized to 1024 × 1024 pixels for the model, which estimates for every pixel how likely it is to belong to the foreground. We use:
- BiRefNet lite (MIT licence) on devices with WebGPU. It handles hair, fur and fine edges well.
- ORMBG (Apache 2.0 licence), a lighter model for devices without WebGPU or with less memory.
With WebGPU a photo usually takes a few seconds. Without it the model runs on the CPU, which can take up to a minute.
4. The result is scaled back to full size
The mask is scaled up to your photo's original resolution and its edges are smoothed slightly. You can compare before and after with the slider.
5. Fix it with a brush (optional)
If the model missed a spot, open Erase / Restore. Paint to remove leftovers or to bring back parts that were cut away. Your brush strokes are saved as paths, not pixels, so they're replayed at full resolution when you download.
6. Download
Choose PNG for a transparent background, or JPG on white, black or any colour you like. The file is created on your device, at the same size as your original.
What we don't do
We don't upload, store or look at your images. There's no account and no watermark. The page shows ads to cover hosting costs. See the privacy policy for details.