Alpha Matte (Binary)#
Return a grayscale alpha matte as a PNG.
Cost: 1 credit on HTTP 200.
Prefer this over the cutout endpoint when you need a full-resolution master: keep the original locally, optionally send a ~1024 px proxy, then apply the matte yourself. Edge detail is capped at model inference resolution (~1024 long side).
Binary sibling of /v1.0/alpha-channel-base64. Response metadata is returned in X-Input-Dimensions, X-Processed-Dimensions, X-Was-Downscaled, and optional X-Image-Type-* headers.
Endpoint#
POST /v1.0/alpha-channel
Base URL: https://api.withoutbg.com · Spec: openapi.json
Example (cURL)#
cURL
curl -X POST \
-H "X-API-Key: $WITHOUTBG_API_KEY" \
-F "file=@/path/to/input.jpg" \
--output result.png \
"https://api.withoutbg.com/v1.0/alpha-channel"Authentication#
Provide your API key in the request header:
API key header
X-API-Key: <your_api_key>Request#
Content-Type: multipart/form-data
Fields#
file(string, required)include_image_type(boolean, optional) · defaulttrue— When true (default), include photo vs graphic probabilities in X-Image-Type-* headers. Set false to skip.keep_mask(string, optional) — Optional Keep mask: marked pixels become fully opaque. One stroke on a person or object that was cut away brings back all of it. It is an image with the same width and height as the input (after EXIF orientation) or as the returned matte (processed_dimensions). White (light, opaque) pixels mark the area; black or transparent pixels mark nothing, so paint white strokes on a black or transparent canvas. The image is matted, then the strokes edit that matte: a rough stroke is enough, then edges are refined again. To fix a result further, send all strokes so far again. Wherekeep_maskandremove_maskoverlap, Remove wins. Maximum size: 5.0 MB.remove_mask(string, optional) — Optional Remove mask: marked pixels become fully transparent. One stroke on an extra person or object removes all of it. It is an image with the same width and height as the input (after EXIF orientation) or as the returned matte (processed_dimensions). White (light, opaque) pixels mark the area; black or transparent pixels mark nothing, so paint white strokes on a black or transparent canvas. The image is matted, then the strokes edit that matte: a rough stroke is enough, then edges are refined again. To fix a result further, send all strokes so far again. Wherekeep_maskandremove_maskoverlap, Remove wins. Maximum size: 5.0 MB.
Response#
Success Content-Type: image/png
Response headers#
X-Input-Dimensions— Decoded input size as `width,height` (pixels).X-Processed-Dimensions— Size after server prep downscale (longest side / megapixel caps) as `width,height`. Not the model inference resolution (~1024 long side).X-Was-Downscaled— Whether the input was downscaled during server prep (`true`/`false`).X-Image-Type-Photo— Optional photo-class probability from image-type classifier.X-Image-Type-Graphic— Optional graphic-class probability from image-type classifier.
Errors#
| Status | Description | Detail |
|---|---|---|
401 | Invalid API Key | Invalid API Key |
402 | Insufficient credit. Please top up API credits. | Insufficient credit. Please top up API credits. |
403 | Credits Expired. Please top up API credits. If you have existing credits, they will be reactivated. | Credits Expired. Please top up API credits. If you have existing credits, they will be reactivated. |
413 | File size too large. Maximum file size is 20.0 MB. | File size too large. Maximum file size is 20.0 MB |
415 | Unsupported Media Type. Supported formats are: JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, GIF. | Unsupported Media Type. Supported formats are: JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC, TIFF, BMP, GIF. |
422 | Validation Error | Validation Error |
429 | Rate limit exceeded (product policy: 30 requests/minute per API key). May be returned by the API gateway. Retry with exponential backoff. | {"error":"Too Many Requests","status":429,"message":"Rate limit exceeded. Please try again later"} |
500 | Internal Server Error | Internal Server Error. Please contact support: contact@withoutbg.com |
Related endpoints#
- Alpha Matte (Base64) —
POST/v1.0/alpha-channel-base64
Contract sections are generated at build time from OpenAPI. Markdown mirror: /docs/pro-model/alpha-matte-binary.md