Remove the background from pet photos

At a glance

How to do it

1. Shoot for the cutoutUse daylight from a window or outdoors and skip the flash, which makes eyes glow and flattens fur. Get down to your pet's eye level, use a fast shutter or burst mode, and pick the frame where the eyes are sharp. A plain wall or sheet that contrasts with the coat gives the cleanest edge.
2. Remove the background and check the furRemove the background, then zoom in on ears, tail, paws and whiskers. Fine fur should fade softly, not end in a hard line. If a patch of carpet or couch stayed in, reshoot against a plainer background; it is quicker than fixing it by hand.
3. Export for the jobKeep a transparent PNG for portraits, stickers, cards and collages. For a shelter profile or a shop listing, put a solid background behind it and download a JPG, since many sites don't show transparency.

Tips and common mistakes

• Black cat on a dark couchLow contrast between coat and background is the most common reason a fur cutout fails. Move a dark pet to a light wall, and a white dog to a mid-grey or coloured background, before you shoot.
• Adoption photos: keep them honestA clean background helps a shelter pet stand out, but keep at least one photo in a real setting that shows size and temperament. Avoid shooting through bars or chain-link: Petfinder notes it makes pets look trapped.
• Pet portraits and giftsFor a printed portrait, mug or blanket, start from the largest original photo you have. A cutout from a cropped phone screenshot looks soft once it's printed at size.
• Pet shop products on whiteFor collars, toys and beds on Amazon, the main image needs a pure white background with the product filling 85% or more of the frame. On Etsy, upload a solid background instead of a transparent PNG, and keep one unedited photo.
• Several pets in one photoKeep them close together so they're cut out as one subject. Pets standing apart with background visible between their legs or bodies take more checking.