Background Removal refers to the removal of the background or the backdrop of the picture wherein the object/objects are placed. While removing the background, the entire background or merely parts of the background we desire can be removed.

Background removal is done with any digital photo editing software like GNU Image Manipulation Program, or GIMP. GIMP is a special type of graphics editing application that is able to support some types of object-oriented (or vector) graphics.

It is not necessary that the digital photo editing software used for background removal be able to support all types of object-oriented graphics.The advantage in using GIMP of course, is that it enables easy vector to raster conversion.

Other popularly used raster graphics editors and digital photo editors will also work just fine. Most digital photo editors have a number of plug-ins which can modify the background in different ways. Most sophisticated photo editing programs use special purpose plug-ins and will perform background editing and removal based on different criteria.

Objects without backgrounds can be used in several different ways. They can be placed in a new backdrop and in different situational contexts. For eg.: a couch in furniture showroom could have the furniture showroom replaced with an office. The object can be moved around any which way and it’s alignment w.r.t the new background can also be changed.

The interesting thing about an object without a background is that it retains all its properties like shape and size, but makes itself more flexible to individual usage.