To cut out an image in GIMP, draw a path around your subject, turn it into a selection, and remove the background from a layer with an alpha channel. Export the cutout as a PNG to keep the background transparent.
GIMP is a free image editor. We'll use its Paths tool for the seven steps below, then put the cutout into another photo. If you also use Photoshop, our separate guide shows how to remove the background there.
How to Cut Out an Image in GIMP
The screenshots show the original tutorial interface. The instructions below also refer to the GIMP 3.2 manual, with an older-version note where closing a path differs. Save a working copy before you start so you can keep the original photo.
Step 1. Open Your Image
Choose File → Open and select your photo. A JPEG or PNG is a simple starting point for this tutorial.
For camera RAW files, you need to install and use a RAW loader first. GIMP's RAW importer uses a plug-in such as darktable or RawTherapee. If no RAW importer is available, you may see a message like the one below.
Step 2. Use the Path Tool
Select Tools → Paths, or press B. Click around the subject's outline to place anchor points. The connecting segments form a path; they are not a selection yet.
Zoom in as you trace the edge. Move an anchor by dragging it. For a curved edge, drag a segment or a new point to create a curve, then adjust its handles to follow the outline.
Finish the outline by joining it to the first point. In GIMP 3.2, click the first point to close the path. In GIMP 2.10, hold Ctrl as you click it. These controls are described in the GIMP Paths manual.
Step 3. Create a Selection
Click Selection from Path in the Paths tool options. A moving dashed outline, often called “marching ants,” marks the selection around your subject.
If you cannot see the options, open Windows → Dockable Windows → Tool Options. If you change the path after creating the selection, click Selection from Path again to update the selection too.
Step 4. Create an Alpha Channel
An alpha channel makes a transparent background possible. In the Layers panel, select the photo layer. Then choose Layer → Transparency → Add Alpha Channel, or right-click the layer and choose Add Alpha Channel.
Some layers already have an alpha channel. You only need to add one if it is missing.
Step 5. Invert Selection
The subject is selected, but we want to remove the background. Choose Select → Invert. This selects the area outside the subject instead. You should see the selection boundary around the image edge as well as around the subject.
Use the command in the Select menu, not the colour-inversion command in Colors.
Step 6. Delete the Background
With the photo layer active and the background selected, choose Edit → Clear, or press Delete. The area around the subject should become a checkerboard, which represents transparency in GIMP.
If it becomes a solid colour, choose Edit → Undo, add an alpha channel to that layer, and clear the background again. Without an alpha channel, Clear fills the area with the current background colour, which may be white. The GIMP Clear documentation explains this behaviour.
Step 7. Erase the Unnecessary Parts
Choose Select → None before cleaning up the edge. Clearing the background does not cancel the selection, so leaving it active can stop you from erasing unwanted pixels inside the subject's outline.
Zoom in and use the Eraser tool to remove small pieces of background that remain. Choose a small brush near fine edges. A softer brush gives a more gradual edge, while lower eraser opacity leaves pixels partly transparent instead of removing them fully. Use it carefully to avoid a faded rim.
If you removed part of the subject by mistake, use Edit → Undo. For a large selection error, undo the deletion and refine the path instead of trying to repair it with more erasing.
How to Paste an Image Into Another Image
Once you have your subject with a transparent background, you can use GIMP to paste it into any other image.
First, export a separate copy of the cutout. Choose File → Export As.
Expand Select File Type and choose PNG, or give the file a name ending in .png. PNG supports transparency. Click Export, then confirm the PNG export options. Keep a pixel format with an alpha channel if you change that setting.
Open the photo you want to use as the new background. Then choose File → Open as Layers and select the PNG you just exported. This puts the cutout above the background as a separate layer.
In my example, the new background is a darker version of the original. The subject appears over it without the old background.
Keep the layers for later edits. Use File → Save As to save an XCF project. Use File → Export As for a finished image. You do not need to merge the layers by hand before exporting a PNG; GIMP combines the visible layers for that output. The GIMP save and export guide explains the difference between a project and an exported image.
The screenshot below shows Merge Down, which combines the upper layer with the one below it. This is optional. Keep the layers separate in your working project if you want to adjust the cutout and background independently.
Conclusion
The order matters: select the subject, add transparency, invert the selection, and clear the background. Cancel the selection before cleaning the edge. Then export a PNG for a transparent cutout, or open it as a layer over another photo.
Keep an XCF project as well as your exported image so you can continue editing the layers later.
You can also learn how to edit with our Effortless Editing with Lightroom course!
