Table of Contents

Remove image background

The Remove Background tool automatically removes the background from various types of layers and layer groups. The AI-powered object detection algorithm lets you quickly process images with solid-color backgrounds (such as green screen and product photos) and isolate objects placed in busier settings. Because background removal is such a fundamental part of image editing, you'll always find the Remove Background tool within easy reach when working on your projects.

Remove background from a layer or layer group

Do any of the following:

Click the Remove Background button in the toolbar. If it's not visible by default, you can add it in the Customize Toolbar menu. Choose Window > Customize Toolbar to open the menu, then drag the Remove Background item to the toolbar.

Tip: In case there are multiple subjects in your image, you can use any of the selection tools to mark only the ones you'd like to keep. The background removal algorithm may still remove areas within your selection if these are not identified as subjects.
Choose Edit > Remove Background from the Edit menu at the top of your screen.
Press Shift ⇧ + Backspace ⌫ on your keyboard.
While pressing and holding the Command ⌘ key, drag and drop an image from your Mac or the web to the Layers sidebar.
Control ⌃ – click a layer or a layer group in the Layers sidebar and choose Remove Background.

Note: When removing background from a layer group, Pixelmator Pro creates a layer mask for that layer group. To delete the background completely, the Remove Background action would have to be performed on each layer within the group individually.
Choose Tools > Smart Erase from the Tools menu at the top of the screen and click Remove Background.

Tip: If you'd like to hide the background instead of removing it completely, hold down the Option ⌥ key when clicking Remove Background in the menu. This will mask the background instead of deleting it and you'll be able to edit the mask manually once it's added.