Background Removal — Cut out subjects from any photo

Tools / Background Removal

Remove Background

Remove the background from a single image and return a clean transparent cutout. Works on product photos, portraits, animals, and complex scenes with fine edges.

Returns: Transparent cutout image ready for compositing or direct use

Parameters

image_url *stringURL of the image to remove the background from. The tool server CAN fetch any public URL — always pass it.

modelstringModel variant. "light" is fast and good for most images. "heavy" is slower but handles complex edges better. "portrait" is optimized for people.

output_formatstringOutput image format. PNG supports transparency and is recommended.

resolutionstringProcessing resolution. Higher values improve edge accuracy but are slower.

Example

Cut out a product from its background for a listing

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOOLROUTER_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
  "tool": "background-removal",
  "skill": "remove_background",
  "input": {
    "image_url": "https://example.com/product.jpg"
  }
}' \
  https://api.toolrouter.com/v1/tools/call

Batch Remove Backgrounds

Remove backgrounds from multiple images in one call (up to 20). Ideal for processing product catalogs or photo sets. Returns per-image results with transparent cutouts.

Returns: Transparent cutout images with per-image success or failure status

Parameters

image_urls *arrayArray of image URLs to process (max 20). The tool server CAN fetch any public URL — always pass them.

modelstringModel variant for all images. "light" is fast, "heavy" handles complex edges better, "portrait" is optimized for people.

output_formatstringOutput image format for all images.

Example

Process a set of product images for an online store

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOOLROUTER_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
  "tool": "background-removal",
  "skill": "batch_remove",
  "input": {
    "image_urls": [
      "https://example.com/product1.jpg",
      "https://example.com/product2.jpg"
    ]
  }
}' \
  https://api.toolrouter.com/v1/tools/call

Quick Start

MCP (Claude Code)

claude mcp add --transport stdio \
  --env TOOLROUTER_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY \
  toolrouter -- npx -y toolrouter-mcp

REST API

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOOLROUTER_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"tool":"background-removal","skill":"remove_background","input":{}}' \
  https://api.toolrouter.com/v1/tools/call

Frequently Asked Questions

Can it cut out product photos and portraits cleanly?

Yes. `remove_background` is built for product shots, portraits, animals, and complex scenes with fine edges like hair or fur.

Can I process a batch of images at once?

`batch_remove` removes backgrounds from up to 20 images in one call, which is useful for catalog work or a large photo set.

What if the edge detail is tricky?

The tool supports higher-quality model choices for difficult cutouts, which helps when the subject has fine edges, transparency, or layered detail.

What do I get back?

You get a transparent cutout ready for compositing or direct use, with per-image status when you run the batch mode.