How to select and remove a color
Use this editor to remove a colored backdrop from an illustration, clean a scanned graphic, or clear a particular area of a product image. Open a PNG, JPEG or static WebP, then click the color you want to remove in the image. Nothing is erased by that click. The amber overlay marks the proposed selection; check it before pressing Delete selection. Repeat with another area or color when necessary.
Adjust the selection before deleting
Start with Connected area so the selection stops where matching pixels are separated. Same color everywhere also selects separate patches anywhere in the image. Increase Similar colors to include nearby shades, light shadows or JPEG noise; lower it when the subject is being included. Every pixel is compared with the color you clicked, so gradual color changes cannot endlessly spread the selection. Replace starts a new selection, Add combines another area, and Subtract protects part of an existing selection. Changing tolerance, edge size or softness recalculates the last click against its previous selection.
Keep edges under control
Selection edge changes the selection boundary by up to six original-image pixels. A positive value removes a slightly wider area; a negative value protects more of the subject. Soften edge blends the boundary over up to four pixels. Start at zero and increase only when useful. Use the erase or restore brush for details that color matching cannot separate. Brush size is a diameter in original pixels. Restore reveals the source image, including its original transparency. Undo and Redo apply to deletion and brush strokes; they clear the current selection.
Example: a blue backdrop with a blue detail
Imagine a blue backdrop around a red badge, with a separate blue dot inside the badge. With Connected area and a low tolerance, clicking the backdrop selects only the outside blue region. Delete it and the interior dot remains. With Same color everywhere, both blue regions are selected. Use Subtract on the dot before deleting if you want to preserve it. This difference is useful for logos with enclosed holes and repeated colors.
Example: a pale scan with thin dark lines
Open a scan with an off-white page and thin black lettering. Select the page and raise tolerance only enough to include its slight variation. Check the thin strokes before deleting. If the selection eats into a line, lower tolerance or shrink the selection. Try a small soft edge, then examine both white and dark preview backgrounds. A restore brush or Undo can recover a damaged stroke. Optional edge-color cleanup borrows nearby retained colors at newly softened boundaries; it can change fine details, so compare it before saving.
Move, inspect and save
Zoom enlarges the preview relative to Fit; it does not resize the export. Choose Move image to drag the enlarged image. On a focused canvas, arrow keys move the cursor, Shift moves ten pixels, and Enter selects or paints. In Move mode, arrows pan. Delete erases the selection and Escape deselects. Save transparent PNG saves at the decoded original width and height. The selection overlay, cursor and checkerboard or white/dark inspection background are never exported. Existing source alpha is multiplied by the edit mask, so transparent pixels remain transparent.
Limits and common problems
Files must be no larger than 20 MB, 8 megapixels, or 8,192 pixels on either side. Animated PNG and WebP are rejected. A broken or unsupported replacement keeps the previous valid image and edits. Remove clears the image while retaining settings; Clear also resets settings. Processing and files stay in this browser. History is limited to at most 30 changes and a 48 MB mask budget, so larger images retain fewer undo steps. Save before leaving: images and edits are not stored as a draft. Color matching is not object recognition and cannot reliably separate hair, transparent glass or a subject with the same colors as its surroundings.
FAQ: Why did clicking not erase anything?
Clicking only selects. Adjust the amber area, then press Delete selection. Deselect removes the highlight without changing any pixels.
FAQ: Can I select several different colors?
Yes. Choose Add and click each area before deleting, or delete one selection and then select another color. Subtract removes part of the current selection.
FAQ: Why is there a light outline?
Mixed foreground/background pixels can retain a fringe. Inspect on a dark background, try a small selection expansion or optional edge-color cleanup, and protect thin details. More softness is not always better.
FAQ: Can I get the original image back?
Undo recent edits or use the restore brush. Clear and replacing the source discard the current edit history. Your original file on disk is never overwritten.