About the Lasso Tool
The lasso lets you draw a selection freehand. Press down on the picture and trace around the part you want, then lift: the shape closes itself. Then choose what to do with it: keep the selection and make everything else transparent, or remove the selection and leave a hole. A soft edge setting fades the cut for a natural look, and you can crop the result to the selection. The picture is saved as a PNG with real transparency. Your photo is edited in your browser and is never uploaded.
Updated October 2026
How to use the Lasso Tool
- 1Select an image or drop one on the page.
- 2Press and hold, then draw around the part you want. Lift to close the shape.
- 3Choose Keep the selection or Remove the selection.
- 4Set a soft edge, and tick Crop the result to the selection if you want a tight picture.
- 5Press Cut out the selection, check the result and press Download PNG.
What a lasso selection is
A selection tells the editor which pixels you mean. With the lasso you define them by drawing a closed shape, just as if you cut a picture with scissors. Everything inside the shape is selected. From there you can keep it, remove it, or crop to it, which is how cut-outs, stickers and collages start.
Drawing a good selection
Go slowly and keep the line a little inside the outline of the object, so that no background remains at the edge. On a phone, zoom in with your browser to trace small details. If you make a mistake, press Clear selection and start again; each attempt takes only a few seconds.
- Trace just inside the edge of the object
- Use a soft edge of 2 to 4 px for a natural look
- Crop to the selection for a sticker-style picture
Keep or remove
Keeping the selection gives you the object on a transparent background, ready to place on another picture or a coloured page. Removing it does the opposite: the object disappears and leaves a transparent hole, useful when you want to place something behind it.
A quick example
To make a sticker from a photo of a mug, draw around the mug, choose Keep the selection with a soft edge of 3 pixels and Crop. Press Cut out and download the PNG. The mug sits on a transparent background and can be dropped onto any design.
Phone and computer
On a phone, draw with one finger; the page does not scroll while you touch the picture. On a computer, a mouse or a pen gives the smoothest trace. Pictures up to about 16 million pixels are supported.
Good to know
The selection is computed on the full-size picture, so it follows your outline exactly. A very jagged trace is smoothed a little by thinning the path. For straight edges use Polygonal Lasso Tool, for ovals Ellipse Select Tool, and for areas of one colour Magic Wand Tool.
Features
- Freehand selection
- Keep or remove the selection
- Soft edge slider
- Crop to the selection
- Transparent PNG output
- Private: runs in your browser
Frequently asked questions
How do I use the lasso?
Press down on the picture, trace around the part you want to select and lift. The path is closed automatically with a straight line from the end to the start.
Can I get a clean edge around hair?
A freehand trace cannot follow individual hairs. Use a soft edge of a few pixels to blend, or trace slightly inside the outline. For fine detail, a dedicated background remover works better.
What does Remove the selection do?
It makes the selected area transparent and keeps everything else, leaving a hole you can fill with another picture.
How do I save the cut-out with a transparent background?
Press Download PNG. PNG keeps transparency; JPG would turn it white.
Can I change the selection afterwards?
Press Clear selection and draw again, or press Back to the selection after cutting.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The editing happens in your browser.