How to Remove a Background in Illustrator

How to remove background in Illustrator with one click

1. Place and select the image

Bring the photo in with File, then Place, and click it with the Selection tool so it is the only thing selected.

2. Click Remove Background

The button appears in the Contextual Task Bar under the image. Adobe also lists it in the Quick Actions section of the Properties panel, in the Control panel, in the right-click menu and in the Object menu.

3. Check the result on a transparent canvas

Illustrator finds the subjects, makes the rest of the image transparent and replaces the original image with the result. Turn on the transparency grid to see exactly what was removed.

A few conditions apply. You need Illustrator 30.4 or later and an internet connection, and Adobe notes the feature is unavailable in mainland China. Adobe's generative AI feature list marks Remove Background as currently not consuming generative credits; the Illustrator plan includes 25 credits a month for features that do.

Cut out an image in Illustrator with a clipping mask

On older versions, or when you want to decide the outline yourself, trace the subject and mask the photo with that shape:

1. Choose the Pen tool (P) and click around the subject, dragging to shape curves. Finish on the first anchor point to close the path.
2. Put the path on top with Object, then Arrange, then Bring to Front.
3. Select the path and the photo together.
4. Choose Object, then Clipping Mask, then Make, or press Ctrl+7 on Windows or Command+7 on Mac.

Everything outside the path is hidden, not deleted, so you can release the mask later with Alt+Ctrl+7 or Option+Command+7. When a path and an image are selected together, the Contextual Task Bar also offers Clip Mask. Only vector shapes can act as the clipping path, but any artwork can be masked.

Logos and flat art: Image Trace

For a logo, an icon or a scanned drawing on a plain background, Image Trace redraws the image as vector shapes, and the background can simply be left out:

1. Place the image, then open Window, then Image Trace.
2. Pick a preset such as Black and White or 6 Colors, from the Enhanced or Legacy presets.
3. Under Advanced, turn on Ignore Color and pick the white of the background. Older versions called this Ignore White. Some enhanced presets also have a Transparency option.
4. Click Expand to turn the result into editable, grouped vector paths.

The trace replaces the original image, so it suits artwork, not photos: a traced photo turns into flat color shapes. If you only need a transparent PNG of a logo rather than a vector, there is a quicker route.

remove the background from a logo→

Make an image transparent in Illustrator, then export it

To see what is transparent, choose View, then Show Transparency Grid (Shift+Ctrl+D or Shift+Command+D). Empty areas show as a grey-and-white checkerboard; you can change its size and colors in File, then Document Setup.

To keep the transparency when you save, use File, then Export, then Export As, choose PNG and set Background Color to Transparent. Picking White or Black instead fills the empty areas. Export for Screens also writes PNG, as well as JPEG, SVG, PDF, WebP and TIFF.

For a soft fade rather than a hard edge, an opacity mask works: select a shape and the image, open Window, then Transparency, and choose Make Mask. White areas of the mask show the image, black hides it and grey is partly transparent. It is one way to delete background in Illustrator gradually instead of all at once.

What Illustrator costs, and a route without it

Adobe's US checkout in September 2026 listed three ways to pay for Illustrator: US$34.49 month to month, US$22.99 a month if you commit for a year, or a single yearly payment of US$263.88. A 7-day free trial converts to a paid plan unless cancelled, with a full refund available for two weeks after billing starts.

For a single photo, removing the background in the browser is faster. CutoutBG AI returns a transparent PNG at the pixel size you uploaded and adds no watermark; you can try three images a day without signing up, or ten with a free account. Place the PNG in Illustrator afterwards like any other image.

For layered photo work, Photoshop has its own set of tools.

remove a background in Photoshop→