Backgrounds, transparency and the files behind them
How to cut out a picture in the app you already use, what a transparent PNG really is, and which background each place wants. Every method is tested, and every tool is named with whether it uploads your photo.
Start with a subject
4 collectionsEvery guide below sits in one of these, and each collection opens with the page worth reading first.
- Remove a background in the app you already use13Which apps have a background remover built in, which hide it behind a subscription, and which have none at all, with the steps for each and the free way when the app cannot do it.
- Transparent PNGs, explained10What transparency is inside an image file, why a transparent picture sometimes shows up black, white or checkered, how to make one properly, and how to tell which websites upload your photos to do it.
- Cutouts for a purpose21The right background for the place a picture is going: marketplaces, profile pictures, headshots, ID photos, thumbnails, stickers and logos, each with the rules that apply there.
- The formats behind your photos7HEIC from an iPhone, AVIF and WebP from the web, JFIF from a download that saved oddly, and PNGs that are larger than they need to be: what each one is and what to turn it into.
A custom Microsoft Teams background from your own image
Upload your own Teams background: the Add new steps, the file types Microsoft accepts, a sensible 16:9 size, and how to make a clean branded image for free.
17 Sept 2026
A Discord profile picture from your own photo
Make a Discord PFP from a photo: the file types and limits Discord states, a square that survives the circle crop, transparency, GIF avatars, server profiles.
17 Sept 2026
Baby passport photo: US rules for newborns and infants, and how to take one
Baby passport photo rules for a US passport, checked September 2026: 2x2 inches, white sheet, no hands, eyes may be half closed. How to take it at home.
17 Sept 2026
Canadian passport photo requirements: size, studio rules and what you can check at home
Canadian passport photo requirements checked September 2026: 50 x 70 mm, face 31 to 36 mm, taken by a commercial photographer, never altered. What to check.
17 Sept 2026
US passport photo requirements: size, head, background and edits
US passport photo requirements checked September 2026: 2x2 inches, head 1 to 1 3/8 inches, white background, no glasses, no edits. How to make one at home.
17 Sept 2026
US visa photo requirements: DS-160, DV lottery, immigrant visas and green cards
US visa photo requirements checked September 2026: 600 x 600 px JPEG up to 240 KB, head 50 to 69 percent, white background, no glasses, no edits.
17 Sept 2026
What is a PNGTuber, and how to make one from a photo
A PNGTuber is a streaming avatar made of a few transparent PNGs that swap when you talk. The images you need, free PNGTuber software, and setting it up in OBS.
17 Sept 2026
Zoom virtual backgrounds: size, format and a clean image
Zoom's virtual background rules checked September 2026: 24-bit PNG or JPG up to 15 MB, 1280 x 720 minimum, video files, green screen, and the mirror setting.
17 Sept 2026
Alpha channel, in plain words
What an alpha channel is: the fourth value in each pixel that sets how see-through it is. 8-bit alpha, soft edges, straight versus premultiplied, no maths.
16 Sept 2026
Amazon product image requirements: the main image, pure white and the 85 percent rule
Amazon product image requirements from Seller Central: pure white main image, 85 percent fill, sizes for zoom, file formats and why listings get suppressed.
16 Sept 2026
Clipping path vs image masking: what retouchers mean, and what it costs
Clipping path vs image masking and hair masking: what each means, what published price lists charge per image, and when an AI cutout does the same job for free.
16 Sept 2026
eBay photo requirements: size, borders, backgrounds and the main photo
eBay photo requirements from eBay's own help: 500 pixel minimum, 1,600 recommended, no borders or added text, and a clean white background that passes.
16 Sept 2026Reading about it is slower than trying it
Drop a photo and get a transparent PNG at full resolution. Free, no account, nothing uploaded.