Cutout
Keep the subject.
Change the background.
White, blue, soft gray, dark,
or a blurred background.
To change the background of a photo on iPhone, open the photo in PicWay, tap Edit, then Cutout. PicWay finds the subject and lets you pick a new background: Blurred Background, White, Blue, Soft Gray, or Dark. Tap Reset to go back. Cutout works on still photos up to 24 megapixels, not on Live Photos or videos.
Last updated:
Three steps
How do I change
a photo’s background?
-
1. Open Cutout
Open a photo in PicWay, tap Edit, then tap Cutout.
-
2. Pick a background
PicWay finds the subject for you. Tap Blurred Background, White, Blue, Soft Gray, or Dark.
-
3. Save
Save as New Photo keeps the original untouched. Changed your mind first? Tap Reset.
One more trick
Put text behind
the subject
In Markup, add text, then turn on Behind subject. The words sit behind the subject, like a magazine cover.
-
Text, boxes, and drawings
Behind subject works for text, shapes, and drawings you add in Markup.
-
Outline and shadow
Text can also get an Outline or a Shadow so it stands out.
-
Still photos only
Like Cutout, Behind subject is for still photos. On a Live Photo or video, the text stays in front.
Photos app vs. PicWay
Can’t the iPhone Photos app
do this already?
Partly. In Apple’s iPhone User Guide, you touch and hold the subject to copy it, make a sticker, or share it somewhere else. PicWay keeps the subject in place and changes what’s behind it, then saves the result as a photo.
-
Built on Apple’s Vision
PicWay finds the subject with Apple’s Vision framework. You don’t trace anything by hand.
-
Change it again later
Switching from white to blue doesn’t find the subject again from scratch. It just repaints the background.
-
Very large photos
If the original is over 24 megapixels, the background options are turned off for that photo.
At a glance
Cutout at a glance
| Where | Edit → Cutout |
|---|---|
| Backgrounds | Blurred Background, White, Blue, Soft Gray, Dark |
| Works on | Still photos (not Live Photos or videos) |
| Photo size | Originals up to 24 megapixels |
| Text behind subject | Markup → Behind subject (text, shapes, drawings) |
| Your original | Save as New Photo leaves it untouched |
| Requires | iOS 17.0 or later |