This trick allows you to separate an object from photos from the background

Extract object from photos

Maybe you recognize it: you have a nice photo of yourself, but the background is nothing to write home about. Or there is something embarrassing or strange in the background, making your beautiful portrait photo unsuitable for sharing with friends and family. Maybe you are making a beautiful poster and you only want to see the subject of a photo on it without a background. You can then use an app to remove the background from your iPhone photo, but since iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura, this can also be done very easily without needing a separate app. We show you how to highlight a subject from a photo and remove the background on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

• iPhone and iPad
• Mac

Highlight subject in iPhone photo: Remove background

On the iPhone and iPad the feature is a bit hidden, but once you get to know it you will find it easy to use. Your device recognizes the captured subject, such as a person, animal or object, and then makes a crop of it. This way the background is removed in one fell swoop. But you don’t have to worry about your original photo and background disappearing: only the subject is picked out, which you can then copy, save or share. The original file is always preserved. The only requirement to use this function is that you have a device with an A12 chip on which iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 (or newer) is installed. That means an iPhone XS (Max), iPhone XR or newer. It also works on iPads with an A12 chip and newer.

Follow these steps to remove the background from a photo:

1. Open the photo. This can be done in the Photos app, but also from a screenshot, Safari or, for example, the Messages app. It can also be a still from a video.
2. Press and hold the subject in the photo. A wavy light animation appears over the object to be highlighted. The object is also outlined. This indicates which part of the photo is highlighted.
3. Tap the Copy or Share button. With the Share button you can save the photo without the background or, for example, forward it.
4. You can also use Drag & Drop by using your other hand to switch to another app while pressing and holding the featured subject of the photo. You can then simply drag the image into another app.

That’s all you need to do. The highlighted subject is saved with a transparent background. It is a quick way to edit a photo, although there are still special apps that offer many more options. If you choose to share the photo directly instead of copying it, you may first see a black background in some apps. That is actually not black, but transparent. So you can just send it.

What can I do with it after editing?

After you have separated the subject of the photo from the background, you can copy it and save it. You can then turn it into a sticker for WhatsApp with the Sticker Maker app (link). Although this can also be done without this function, this is a bit more accurate than manually cutting out the subject via the app itself.

You can also paste the copied cutout into an Instagram story, into a Pages document, and anywhere else you can paste images. If you want to combine multiple photos, you will need a different photo editing app. You can’t place a cropped part on top of another existing photo in the standard Photos app. Also read our article with the best iPhone apps for photo editing.

This is how you remove background from photo on Mac

This feature was mainly praised on the iPhone and iPad, but did you know it can also be done on the Mac? It’s not in the Photos app, but in Preview. It is suitable for all Macs with macOS 13 Ventura (or newer). That is how it works:

1. Open the image with the built-in Preview app (Preview in English).
2. In the menu bar, click Extras > Remove Background. With relatively older Macs it may take a while.
3. Fan of key combinations? You can also apply for this position Command + Shift + K to use.

Want to adjust a photo from the Photos app on your Mac? Then you can easily open the photo in Preview. If you have the image open in the Photos app on your Mac, you can click Image > Edit With in the menu bar. Then choose Preview. Please note: this change will be visible on the original file. Would you rather not? Then you first have to duplicate the photo. You can also do this via the Image menu, but then choose Duplicate. Or you press Command + D

Highlight topic via Quick Tasks on Mac

There is also an option to remove the background from the photo via the ‘Quick Actions’ on the Mac. That’s very simple. If you have an image in front of you in Finder, you don’t need to open it. Simply right-click on the file and choose Quick Tasks > Remove Background.

When you do this, your Mac will automatically create a new file with the change. The original file is retained. You can simply delete this if you don’t need it. Read our tip on ‘Quick Tasks’ on Mac to see what else you can do with this feature. Spoiler: quite a lot!