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
7 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 purpose56The 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 photos18HEIC 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.
- Pictures and PDFs7What a PDF actually is, how to get pictures into one and out again on any device, and the two things that decide whether the result is any good: whether the tool re-compressed your photo, and what resolution you asked for.
- Size, sharpness and enlarging6What resolution actually is, how many pixels a print or a screen really needs, what an upscaler can add and what it can only pretend to add, and how to tell a picture that is too small from one that is simply out of focus.
- Green screens and chroma keying6Why a coloured backing still beats a model on hair and glass, how to light one so the key is easy, what the sliders in every app are really doing, and how to get the green off the edges without turning hair grey.
A sublimation PNG: transparent, mirrored and nothing white to hide
Make a sublimation PNG from a photo: why a real transparent background matters, what white and pale pixels do on polyester, and when to mirror the print.
2 Nov 2026
How to take pictures of nails: the hand, the light and the focus
Photograph nail work for a portfolio with a relaxed hand, soft window light and a camera held back so the whole nail is sharp, then choose what to cut out.
1 Nov 2026
A drop shadow on a transparent PNG: direction, softness and the hard black edge
How to give a transparent PNG a drop shadow that sits it on the page: pick one direction, keep it soft, keep it close, and avoid the hard black edge.
31 Oct 2026
How to take pictures of shoes: the angles, the surface, a clean cutout
Photograph a pair of shoes with window light, a plain surface and the angles a buyer expects, then cut them out cleanly when a marketplace wants white.
30 Oct 2026
Obituary photo: choosing, cropping and cleaning one quickly
How to prepare an obituary photo for a funeral programme or a newspaper: pick the picture, crop it, quiet the background and check the size, in one sitting.
29 Oct 2026
How to take pictures of jewellery: soft light, a plain ground, a clean cutout
Photograph rings, chains and earrings with soft diffused light and a plain ground, then cut them out without losing the gaps in a chain or the shine of metal.
28 Oct 2026
Graduation photo background: the wall, the gown and the tassel
Choose a graduation photo background that suits the gown and cap, keep the tassel inside the frame, and swap a messy one without losing the hair edge.
27 Oct 2026
Flat lay clothing photography: shape, light and a cutout for resale listings
Lay a garment flat so it keeps its shape, light it from a window, shoot straight down, then cut it out so a resale listing looks like a shop.
26 Oct 2026
How to take pictures of food: daylight, the right angle, a cutout when needed
Photograph food with window light from the side, the angle that suits the dish, and a clean plate, then cut it out only when a menu or a flyer needs it.
25 Oct 2026
Passport photo size in pixels: 12 documents at 300 and 600 dpi
Passport and visa photo sizes in pixels at 300 and 600 dpi, plus the six upload sizes that authorities set in pixels themselves, checked September 2026.
24 Oct 2026
How to photograph artwork: flat light, square on, true colour
Photograph a painting or print with even light, the camera square to the surface and colour you can trust, then crop to the frame or canvas edge, not the wall.
23 Oct 2026
How to photograph a mirror to sell without being in it
Photograph a mirror for a listing with no you in the glass: the off-axis angle, what the glass should reflect, and a cutout that removes the room around it.
22 Oct 2026Reading about it is slower than trying it
Drop a photo and get a transparent PNG at full resolution. Free, no account, nothing uploaded.