Make a background transparent — free credits
What a transparent background really is
Every pixel of a PNG or WebP can carry an alpha value alongside its colour: fully opaque, fully transparent, or anything between, which is what lets hair and soft edges blend into whatever sits behind them. JPG has no alpha channel at all, so a JPG always has a solid background.
The grey-and-white checkerboard that editors show is a preview the app draws behind transparent pixels. It is not in the file. If you download an image and the checkerboard is still there wherever you place it, the checkerboard was painted into the pixels and the picture is not transparent.
One PNG, three backgrounds: the paper is gone, so whatever sits behind the file shows through. The signature was drawn for this site.
Which formats keep transparency
| Format | Transparency | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Full alpha, soft edges kept | Logos, cutouts, signatures, anything you will place elsewhere |
| WebP | Full alpha, smaller files | Websites |
| GIF | On or off only, so edges look jagged | Simple animations |
| JPG | None — transparent areas become a solid colour | Photos with a background |
Video follows the same rule: MP4 cannot be transparent, while VP9-alpha WebM and ProRes 4444 can.
Where transparency gets lost
- Saving or exporting as JPG. The transparent area is filled, usually with white or black. Keep the PNG.
- Chat apps that compress photos. Many re-save pictures as JPG on the way. Send the PNG as a file or document instead.
- Screenshots. A screenshot of a transparent image captures the checkerboard or the page behind it, not the transparency.
- Design tools on a free plan. A transparent PNG uploaded to Canva keeps its transparency inside your design, but Canva's help centre lists downloading a design with a transparent background as a paid-plan feature. remove.bg is folding into Canva too, and its standalone site closes on 1 December 2026 — see remove.bg alternatives.
Make a background transparent in three steps
- Upload a JPG, PNG or WebP — up to 15 MB and 8000 px per side. People, products, hair and fur all work; for logos and signatures on white, see removing a white background.
- The AI removes the background. Each image costs 1 credit, and failed jobs are refunded.
- Download a transparent PNG — or a white-background JPG if a marketplace asks for one. Then drop the PNG onto the free transparency checker to see it over black, white or any colour; it runs in your browser and uploads nothing.
Questions people are asking
Why does my transparent PNG show a white background?+
Either the app showing it draws white behind transparent pixels, or the image was saved as JPG somewhere along the way, which fills the background. Open the PNG in the free transparency checker and switch the background colour: if the colour shows through, the file is transparent.
Is a checkerboard background the same as a transparent background?+
No. Editors draw a checkerboard behind transparent pixels as a preview. If the checkerboard is still there after you place the image on another background, it was painted into the picture and the image has no transparency.
Which file format should I use for a transparent background?+
PNG for logos, cutouts and signatures, because it keeps soft edges and works almost everywhere. WebP also keeps transparency at a smaller size for websites. JPG cannot store transparency at all.
Can I make a video background transparent as well?+
Yes. Upload a clip to the video background remover and download a VP9-alpha WebM for browsers and OBS, or a ProRes 4444 master for editing software. MP4 cannot carry transparency.
How much does it cost to make an image background transparent?+
1 credit per image. New accounts get 5 free credits after Google sign-in, with no watermark on the PNG. Failed jobs return their credits.