A prompt in. A transparent PNG out.
Generating an image and then cutting it out is two calls, two failure points and two things for an agent to sequence. This is one call that does both — the subject arrives already isolated on a real alpha channel, ready to sit on any background you like.
The long way
Two round trips. Two log entries. Two chances to lose the URL.
The short way
One call. One entry in the log. Nothing to sequence.
What “transparent” actually buys you
A cutout is not a nicer picture — it is a picture that stops being a rectangle. It can overlap a heading, break out of a card, sit on a brand colour that changes with the season, or be dropped into a layout nobody had designed when the asset was made.
- Product tiles — One cutout renders correctly on white, on cream, and in dark mode.
- Stickers & reactions — Alpha is the whole point; a white box around a sticker is the bug.
- Hero compositions — The subject can cross the fold line instead of sitting politely inside it.
- Slide decks — Drop it onto any master template without a matching background.
Prompts that cut out cleanly
The matting step needs an obvious subject. You get that by writing the prompt as if you were briefing a studio photographer, not a landscape painter.
"A busy market street in Marrakech at dusk"
"A cosy reading nook with warm light"
"An abstract gradient background"
Nothing here is the subject. Whatever the matting model picks will be arbitrary.
"A single ceramic mug, centred, plain white background"
"A friendly robot mascot, full body, isolated on white"
"One ripe avocado half, top-down, seamless white ground"
One subject, centred, plain ground. The words “isolated” and “plain white background” do most of the work.
{
"name": "generate_transparent_image",
"arguments": {
"prompt": "A single ceramic mug in warm terracotta,
centred, plain white background",
"aspectRatio": "1:1",
"referenceImages": [
"https://cdn.example.com/brand/mug-01.png"
]
}
}What it costs, spelled out
Platform credits, default model
~23 credits
15 for the generation, 8 for the cutout.
Platform credits, fast model
~16 credits
8 for the generation, 8 for the cutout.
With your OpenRouter key
10 credits
2 platform fee, 8 for the cutout on our provider.
Transparent image questions
Why not just generate and then remove the background myself?
You can, and the result is the same. This tool exists because it is one call instead of two — one round trip, one log entry, one thing for an agent to get right. On a batch of forty assets that difference is real.
What does it cost?
The model’s generation cost plus 8 credits for the cutout. On the default model that is around 23 credits. With your own OpenRouter key on a paid plan it is 10 — a flat 2-credit platform fee plus the 8-credit cutout, which runs on our own provider either way.
What kinds of subject cut out well?
Single, clearly bounded objects on a plain ground: products, mascots, icons, food, isolated characters. Prompts that describe a full scene give the matting step nothing obvious to isolate — ask for "on a plain white background" and it does much better.
Can I control the aspect ratio?
Yes, all six ratios are available. Remember the alpha region is the subject, not the canvas — a 16:9 transparent PNG of a coffee cup is mostly empty space, which is usually not what you want. Square is the sane default for cutouts.
Can I steer it towards my brand style?
Pass referenceImages with two or three existing assets. That is how a set of twenty stickers or product renders comes back looking like one family instead of twenty separate experiments.
Already have the photo? Use background removal instead — 8 credits, no generation step.