Remove or change a photo background

When you need this

A passport or ID photograph needs a plain background and the only wall available is patterned. A profile picture for a work directory. A photograph for a church or school programme where everybody's picture should match.

How to use it

1. Open a photograph of a person. This is built for people, not objects or documents.
2. Let it separate the person from what is behind them.
3. Choose a plain white or coloured background.
4. Save, and look closely at the edges — hair and shoulders are where these things go wrong.

Getting a clean result

• Even light on the face, facing a window. Harsh shadows confuse the edge.
• Stand away from the wall. A shadow on the wall behind you gets read as part of you.
• Contrast helps. A dark top against a dark wall is the hardest case there is.
• Tie hair back if you can. Loose strands are the usual source of a ragged edge.

What it does and does not do

• People only. Objects, documents and animals are not what the model was built for and the result will show it.
• It needs a large download the first time — around 6MB. On a data bundle that is real money, so the tool tells you and asks before fetching it. After that it is kept by your browser.
• It all happens on your phone. The photograph is not sent anywhere, which is unusual for background removal — most services upload your picture to their server.
• It will not be perfect every time. Check before you use it for something official.

If something goes wrong

• The edges are ragged. Retake with better light and more distance from the wall.
• Part of the person was removed. Usually clothing very close in colour to the background. Change the background or the top.
• It is for a passport photograph. Do this first, then passport photo, Ghana size for the dimensions.
• The download is too much for your bundle. Find Wi-Fi for that one step; after the first time it is free.