Background Removal API

Remove the background
of any image*
with 1 API call

$ curl -H 'X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \ -F '[email protected]/path/to/file.jpg' \ -f https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg -o no-bg.png

$ curl -H 'X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \ -F '[email protected]/path/to/file.jpg' \ -f https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg \ -o no-bg.png

Get API Key

* Any image that has a foreground (tested with persons, products, animals, cars, etc.)

Easy to integrate

Our API is a simple HTTP interface with various options:

Source images: Direct uploads or URL reference
Result images: Image file or JSON-encoded data
Output resolution: up to 10 megapixels
Requires images that have a foreground (e.g. persons, products, animals, cars, etc.)

Get started

Get an API Key. Your first 50 API calls per month are on us (see Pricing).
Use the following code samples to get started quickly
Review the reference docs to adjust any parameters

Sample Code

Remove background from

Environment

Code

$ curl -H 'X-API-Key: INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'           \
       -F '[email protected]/path/to/file.jpg'                 \
       -F 'size=auto'                                     \
       -f https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg -o no-bg.png

// Requires "request" to be installed (see https://www.npmjs.com/package/request)
var request = require('request');
var fs = require('fs');

request.post({
  url: 'https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg',
  formData: {
    image_file: fs.createReadStream('/path/to/file.jpg'),
    size: 'auto',
  },
  headers: {
    'X-Api-Key': 'INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'
  },
  encoding: null
}, function(error, response, body) {
  if(error) return console.error('Request failed:', error);
  if(response.statusCode != 200) return console.error('Error:', response.statusCode, body.toString('utf8'));
  fs.writeFileSync("no-bg.png", body);
});

# Requires "requests" to be installed (see python-requests.org)
import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg',
    files={'image_file': open('/path/to/file.jpg', 'rb')},
    data={'size': 'auto'},
    headers={'X-Api-Key': 'INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'},
)
if response.status_code == requests.codes.ok:
    with open('no-bg.png', 'wb') as out:
        out.write(response.content)
else:
    print("Error:", response.status_code, response.text)

# Install "remove_bg" first (https://github.com/remove-bg/ruby)
require "remove_bg"

RemoveBg.from_file("/path/to/file.jpg",
  api_key: "INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
).save("no-bg.png")

// Requires "guzzle" to be installed (see guzzlephp.org)

$client = new GuzzleHttp\Client();
$res = $client->post('https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg', [
    'multipart' => [
        [
            'name'     => 'image_file',
            'contents' => fopen('/path/to/file.jpg', 'r')
        ],
        [
            'name'     => 'size',
            'contents' => 'auto'
        ]
    ],
    'headers' => [
        'X-Api-Key' => 'INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'
    ]
]);

$fp = fopen("no-bg.png", "wb");
fwrite($fp, $res->getBody());
fclose($fp);

// Requires "Apache HttpComponents" to be installed (see hc.apache.org)

Response response = Request.Post("https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg")
    .addHeader("X-Api-Key", "INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE")
    .body(
        MultipartEntityBuilder.create()
        .addBinaryBody("image_file", new File("/path/to/file.jpg"))
        .addTextBody("size", "auto")
        .build()
    ).execute();
response.saveContent(new File("no-bg.png"));

// Requires AFNetworking to be installed (see https://github.com/AFNetworking/AFNetworking)

NSURL *fileUrl = [NSBundle.mainBundle URLForResource:@"file" withExtension:@"jpg"];
NSData *data = [NSData dataWithContentsOfURL:fileUrl];
if (!data) {
    return;
}

AFHTTPSessionManager *manager =
[[AFHTTPSessionManager alloc] initWithSessionConfiguration:
 NSURLSessionConfiguration.defaultSessionConfiguration];

manager.responseSerializer = [AFImageResponseSerializer serializer];
[manager.requestSerializer setValue:@"INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
                 forHTTPHeaderField:@"X-Api-Key"];

NSURLSessionDataTask *dataTask = [manager
                                  POST:@"https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg"
                                  parameters:nil
                                  constructingBodyWithBlock:^(id  _Nonnull formData) {
                                      [formData appendPartWithFileData:data
                                                                  name:@"image_file"
                                                              fileName:@"file.jpg"
                                                              mimeType:@"image/jpeg"];
                                  }
                                  progress:nil
                                  success:^(NSURLSessionDataTask * _Nonnull task, id  _Nullable responseObject) {
                                      if ([responseObject isKindOfClass:UIImage.class] == false) {
                                          return;
                                      }

                                      self.imageView.image = responseObject;
                                  } failure:^(NSURLSessionDataTask * _Nullable task, NSError * _Nonnull error) {
                                      // Handle error here
                                  }];

[dataTask resume];

// Requires Alamofire to be installed (see https://github.com/Alamofire/Alamofire)

guard let fileUrl = Bundle.main.url(forResource: "file", withExtension: "jpg"),
    let data = try? Data(contentsOf: fileUrl) else { return }

Alamofire
    .upload(
        multipartFormData: { builder in
            builder.append(
                data,
                withName: "image_file",
                fileName: "file.jpg",
                mimeType: "image/jpeg"
            )
        },
        to: URL(string: "https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg")!,
        headers: [
            "X-Api-Key": "INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
        ]
    ) { result in
        switch result {
        case .success(let upload, _, _):
            upload.responseJSON { imageResponse in
                guard let imageData = imageResponse.data,
                    let image = UIImage(data: imageData) else { return }

                self.imageView.image = image
            }
        case .failure:
            return
        }
    }

using (var client = new HttpClient())
using (var formData = new MultipartFormDataContent())
{
    formData.Headers.Add("X-Api-Key", "INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE");
    formData.Add(new ByteArrayContent(File.ReadAllBytes("/path/to/file.jpg")), "image_file", "file.jpg");
    formData.Add(new StringContent("auto"), "size");
    var response = client.PostAsync("https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg", formData).Result;

    if(response.IsSuccessStatusCode) {
        FileStream fileStream = new FileStream("no-bg.png", FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write, FileShare.None);
        response.Content.CopyToAsync(fileStream).ContinueWith((copyTask) =>{ fileStream.Close(); });
    } else {
        Console.WriteLine("Error: " + response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result);
    }
}

$ curl -H 'X-API-Key: INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'           \
       -F 'image_url=https://www.remove.bg/example.jpg'   \
       -F 'size=auto'                                     \
       -f https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg -o no-bg.png

// Requires "request" to be installed (see https://www.npmjs.com/package/request)
var request = require('request');
var fs = require('fs');

request.post({
  url: 'https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg',
  formData: {
    image_url: 'https://www.remove.bg/example.jpg',
    size: 'auto',
  },
  headers: {
    'X-Api-Key': 'INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'
  },
  encoding: null
}, function(error, response, body) {
  if(error) return console.error('Request failed:', error);
  if(response.statusCode != 200) return console.error('Error:', response.statusCode, body.toString('utf8'));
  fs.writeFileSync("no-bg.png", body);
});

# Requires "requests" to be installed (see python-requests.org)
import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg',
    data={
        'image_url': 'https://www.remove.bg/example.jpg',
        'size': 'auto'
    },
    headers={'X-Api-Key': 'INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'},
)
if response.status_code == requests.codes.ok:
    with open('no-bg.png', 'wb') as out:
        out.write(response.content)
else:
    print("Error:", response.status_code, response.text)

# Install "remove_bg" first (https://github.com/remove-bg/ruby)
require "remove_bg"

RemoveBg.from_url("https://www.remove.bg/example.jpg",
  api_key: "INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
).save("no-bg.png")

// Requires "guzzle" to be installed (see guzzlephp.org)

$client = new GuzzleHttp\Client();
$res = $client->post('https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg', [
    'multipart' => [
        [
            'name'     => 'image_url',
            'contents' => 'https://www.remove.bg/example.jpg'
        ],
        [
            'name'     => 'size',
            'contents' => 'auto'
        ]
    ],
    'headers' => [
        'X-Api-Key' => 'INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE'
    ]
]);

$fp = fopen("no-bg.png", "wb");
fwrite($fp, $res->getBody());
fclose($fp);

// Requires "Apache HttpComponents" to be installed (see hc.apache.org)

Response response = Request.Post("https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg")
    .addHeader("X-Api-Key", "INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE")
    .body(
        MultipartEntityBuilder.create()
        .addTextBody("image_url", "https://www.remove.bg/example.jpg")
        .addTextBody("size", "auto")
        .build()
    ).execute();
response.saveContent(new File("no-bg.png"));

// Requires AFNetworking to be installed (see https://github.com/AFNetworking/AFNetworking)

AFHTTPSessionManager *manager =
[[AFHTTPSessionManager alloc] initWithSessionConfiguration:
 NSURLSessionConfiguration.defaultSessionConfiguration];

manager.responseSerializer = [AFImageResponseSerializer serializer];
[manager.requestSerializer setValue:@"INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
                 forHTTPHeaderField:@"X-Api-Key"];

NSURLSessionDataTask *dataTask = [manager
                                  POST:@"https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg"
                                  parameters:@{@"image_url": @"https://www.remove.bg/example.jpg"}
                                  progress:nil
                                  success:^(NSURLSessionDataTask * _Nonnull task, id  _Nullable responseObject) {
                                      if ([responseObject isKindOfClass:UIImage.class] == false) {
                                          return;
                                      }

                                      self.imageView.image = responseObject;
                                  } failure:^(NSURLSessionDataTask * _Nullable task, NSError * _Nonnull error) {
                                      NSLog(@"ERROR");
                                  }];
[dataTask resume];

// Requires Alamofire to be installed (see https://github.com/Alamofire/Alamofire)

Alamofire
    .request(
        URL(string: "https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg")!,
        method: .post,
        parameters: ["image_url": "https://www.remove.bg/example.jpg"],
        encoding: URLEncoding(),
        headers: [
            "X-Api-Key": "INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
        ]
    )
    .responseData { imageResponse in
        guard let imageData = imageResponse.data,
            let image = UIImage(data: imageData) else { return }

        self.imageView.image = image
    }

using (var client = new HttpClient())
using (var formData = new MultipartFormDataContent())
{
    formData.Headers.Add("X-Api-Key", "INSERT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE");
    formData.Add(new StringContent("https://www.remove.bg/example.jpg"), "image_url");
    formData.Add(new StringContent("auto"), "size");
    var response = client.PostAsync("https://api.remove.bg/v1.0/removebg", formData).Result;

    if(response.IsSuccessStatusCode) {
        FileStream fileStream = new FileStream("no-bg.png", FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write, FileShare.None);
        response.Content.CopyToAsync(fileStream).ContinueWith((copyTask) =>{ fileStream.Close(); });
    } else {
        Console.WriteLine("Error: " + response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().Result);
    }
}

Libraries and tools

Official command-line tool (written in go)
Official ruby gem
PHP / Laravel library: remove-bg by @mtownsend5512
Node.js: remove.bg by @eddyverbruggen / removd by @przemyslawpluta
Python: remove-bg by Brian Lam

API Reference

Upcoming API Change

Credit balances can now have fractional digits: Starting Jun 11th, 2019 the X-Credits-Charged response header and the account balance returned by the /account endpoint will potentially be float numbers (instead of integers).

Most applications should not be affected by this change. If your client application relies on the response value type of these fields however, please make sure to adapt your code accordingly. If in doubt, we're happy to help!

API Changelog

Most recent API updates:

2019-06-26: Added crop_margin, scale and position parameters.
2019-06-19: Added support for animals and other foregrounds (response header X-Type: animal and X-Type: other)
2019-06-03: Added parameters bg_image_url, bg_image_file (add a background image), crop (crop off empty regions) and roi (specify a region of interest).
2019-05-13: Added car support (type=car parameter and X-Type: car response header)
2019-05-02: Renamed size "regular" to "small". Clients should use the new value, but the old one will continue to work (deprecated)
2019-05-01: Added endpoint GET /account for credit balance lookups
2019-04-15: Added parameter format to set the result image format
2019-04-15: Added parameter bg_color to add a background color to the result image