Transparent background

A transparent background is an image where the area around the subject contains no color information—just empty space. This transparency is stored in what's called an 'alpha channel,' and it allows the image to be placed seamlessly on any background.

Technical fundamentals

Images with transparency require formats that support alpha channels. PNG is the most common format for transparent product images. JPEG does not support transparency—if you save a transparent image as JPEG, the transparent areas will become white.

Common uses in ecommerce

• Design assets: Drop products onto any background for ads and graphics
• Compositing: Layer multiple products or elements together
• Dynamic backgrounds: Same product image on different colored pages
• Print production: Clean cutouts for catalogs and packaging

File size considerations

PNG files with transparency are typically larger than JPEGs. For web use, optimize file size while maintaining quality. Consider using WebP format which supports transparency with better compression than PNG.

Best practices

• Always keep a master PNG with transparency for future use
• Export JPEG versions only when transparency isn't needed
• Check edges at 100% zoom to ensure clean extraction
• Use appropriate compression to balance quality and file size