r/software • u/Naive_Artist5196 • Jul 26 '26

Release High-quality background removal tool for difficult images (Open Weights)

Post image

I've been working on image matting (background removal) for the past six years, and I recently released the third generation of withoutBG, an open-weights background removal model focused on difficult cases like hair, fur, transparent objects, and fine details.

You can use it in several ways:

Example outputs:
https://withoutbg.com/open-model/results

Comparison with remove.bg:
https://withoutbg.com/compare/withoutbg-open-model-vs-remove-bg

GitHub:
https://github.com/withoutbg/withoutbg

Happy to answer any questions about the project.

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2

u/masqueradedmaverick Jul 26 '26

Any plugin for Windows users? Hope I didn’t miss anything about Windows in the post.

2

u/Naive_Artist5196 Jul 26 '26

You can run it on Windows as well.

In summary:

The GIMP plugin can't package the entire model, so the inference runs outside the plugin. You'll need to run it as a local service.

On Windows, you can run it with Docker. There are four options:

  1. GPU + Web UI

  2. GPU + Service

  3. CPU + Web UI

  4. CPU + Service

See docker docs: https://withoutbg.com/docs/open-model/docker

Since you're using it from GIMP and don't need a separate UI, I'd recommend the Service version.

Choose the GPU version if you have an NVIDIA GPU with CUDA support. Otherwise, use the CPU version.

Please share the results / thoughts once you get it working!

1

u/masqueradedmaverick Jul 26 '26

Apologies, if I am failing to understand as I am more of an end user than a developer.

I have Nvidia GPU 2060. I also have GIMP for windows installed. Am I now supposed to install docker desktop on my Windows system? If so, what would be the next step(s)?

2

u/Naive_Artist5196 Jul 26 '26

I couldn't make the UX on Windows better. Sorry.
Steps you need complete:

  • Install Docker Desktop and make sure it's running.

  • Open PowerShell.

  • Download the GPU service image:docker pull withoutbg/withoutbg-openweights-v3-service-gpu:latest

  • Start the service:docker run --gpus all -p 8000:8000 --name withoutbg withoutbg/withoutbg-openweights-v3-service-gpu:latest

  • Leave that terminal open while using the GIMP plugin. The plugin should connect to the local service running on your PC.

2

u/masqueradedmaverick Jul 26 '26

Thanks for the steps. I’ll give them a try tomorrow. Hopefully, they work.

Additionally, if possible, could you also mention the steps to stop the service and completely uninstall the tool/plugin, should the need arise?

1

u/Kitchen_External_215 Aug 10 '26

Hey , just a quick concern , generated outputs has a white or background color edge throughout all the models , tried the pro playground as well as python CLI , is there any tweak i can use

1

u/Naive_Artist5196 Aug 10 '26

Hey, thanks for sharing your feedback. I will release a new model in September 2026. It will inference in higher resolution. It will be slower but more accurate (what communities asked for).

1

u/Kitchen_External_215 Aug 10 '26

thats cool! , ive made a workflow for batch processing and my middle removal logic is currently running withoutbg , is there any params i can use for timebeing to avoid that edge ?

1

u/Naive_Artist5196 Aug 10 '26

I don't fully understand but would like to help. Can you please reach out via the contact form?
https://withoutbg.com/contact

or via email: contact@{thedomain}

1

u/fit_the_bill_fan Jul 26 '26

The bubble shot's a solid test case, those transparent spheres still trip up most matting models so I'm curious if it handled the refraction cleanly.