How to add background removal to Shopify photo uploads

Why cutouts boost AOV

A pet portrait with the background removed and a simple solid color behind looks like a $200 commissioned piece. The same photo printed as-is looks like a phone snapshot on a mug.

That's why cutout-style products command 2-3x the price of straight photo prints. Adding background removal isn't a feature — it's a positioning shift from 'photo gift' to 'custom artwork'.

Step-by-step setup

1. Install Print It My Way. Background removal is a built-in feature on image-upload fields. Install the app from the Shopify App Store.
2. Open the product (pet portrait, decal, photo cutout). Pick a product where the subject should be cut out from the background — pet portraits, people-only canvases, custom stickers.
3. Add an image upload field. In the personalizer editor, add an image upload field with the right aspect ratio.
4. Enable background removal. Toggle 'Remove background automatically'. Pick whether it runs on every upload by default or only when the customer toggles it.
5. Choose what replaces the background. Options: transparent (for cutout stickers and PNG print files), white (for clean portraits), customer-selected color (let them pick), or a chosen background image (e.g. a city skyline).
6. Add a 'before/after' toggle in preview. Let customers see the cutout vs. the original side by side. About 1 in 5 customers will prefer the original (e.g. the background is part of the memory). Make it their choice.
7. Test edge cases. Upload a hard case — a person with frizzy hair on a busy background, or a black dog on a black couch. AI background removal handles 80% of cases cleanly; the rest need manual touch-up. Print It My Way's queue lets you review and refine before fulfillment.

What AI background removal handles well — and what it doesn't

Modern AI background removal (Print It My Way uses a curated model) handles cleanly:

• People in front of a varied background
• Pets with most fur types (short, medium, long)
• Products on a contrasting background

Hard cases:

• White subject on a white background (no edge to find)
• Black subject on a black background (same problem)
• Fine hair against a busy or matching background
• Glass, hair gel, smoke (semi-transparent edges)

For hard cases, the manual touch-up queue (in admin) lets you fix the edge before the order ships.

What to put behind the subject

Three approaches that work:

• Transparent — output as PNG with alpha. Right for stickers, cutout decals, layered designs.
• Solid color — customer picks (curated palette, not full color picker). Right for pet portraits, modern minimalist canvases.
• Pre-set background — you provide options (city skyline, sunset, mountains, abstract pattern). Customer picks. Right for themed portrait products.

Avoid offering 'upload your own background' unless you're sure your customers will use it well — most won't, and the result is worse than a simple solid.

Print file format depends on the product

For canvas, mugs, and most photo gifts, send a flattened JPG with the chosen background applied. PNG with transparency works for stickers, decals, and acrylic prints where the background actually shows through.

One thing to check with your fulfillment partner: do they want the print file at the trim line or with bleed? Background-removed images bleed naturally if you extend the solid background; transparent PNGs don't bleed by definition, so the print partner needs to handle the cut line.

Frequently asked questions