how to remove background in gimp

2 minutes ago 1

The basic idea is: add transparency (alpha), select the background, then delete it. Below are two common methods you can follow.

Open your image in GIMP.
In the Layers panel, right‑click your image layer and choose Add Alpha Channel (if it’s greyed out, you already have it).
Zoom in (View → Zoom) so you can see the edges clearly.

Choose the Fuzzy Select Tool (magic wand icon or press U).
In the tool options, enable Antialiasing and Feather edges (set feather to a few pixels like 2–3 for softer edges).
Click on the background; if needed, drag left/right while holding the mouse to adjust the Threshold so more or less similar colors are selected.
When the background area you want is selected (marching ants visible), press Delete on the keyboard.
Repeat clicking and deleting in other background areas until you see the checkerboard pattern (transparency) everywhere you want the background gone.
If you remove something by mistake, use Ctrl+Z to undo and try a lower threshold or zoom in for precision.

Select the Paths Tool (pen icon or press B).
Click around the subject’s outline to place points; drag between points to curve the path along complex edges (hair, curves, etc.).
Continue until you’ve gone all the way around, then click back on your first point to close the path.
In the Paths tool options or Paths panel, click Selection from Path (or press Enter) to turn it into a selection.
Because the subject is selected, go to Select → Invert so the background is selected instead.
Press Delete to remove the background.
Use the Eraser Tool or refine the selection (Select → Grow/Shrink, Feather) if you see leftover fringes.

When you’re done, go to File → Export As….
Choose PNG as the file format (supports transparency), name your file with .png, and click Export.

If you describe your image (plain color background vs complex, hair, etc.), step‑by‑step settings can be tailored more precisely.