Background Remove API

Remove the background from an image and receive the processed image as Base64. Two endpoints are available:

Endpoint	Use when
POST /v2/removeBackground	Output quality is more important than processing speed.
POST /v2/removeBackgroundFast	Lower latency is more important for your workflow.

This API removes a background only. It does not crop an image to a passport or visa specification. Use the Passport Photo API when you need a complete ID-photo workflow.

API endpoint

Use the region configured for your account:

• https://api-us.idphotoapp.com — US region
• https://api-eu.idphotoapp.com — EU region

Send credentials from your server. Do not expose your API secret in browser or mobile application code.

Request

Both endpoints use the same request model.

Field	Type	Required	Description
apiKey	string	Yes	Your API key.
apiSecret	string	Yes	Your API secret.
imageBase64	string	Yes	Base64-encoded input image. Include a valid image data URI prefix.
outputFormat	string	Yes	JPEG or PNG. Use PNG when the output must preserve transparency.
outputType	string	Yes	Output representation configured for this endpoint. Use IMAGE_BASE64.

{
  "apiKey": "your-api-key",
  "apiSecret": "your-api-secret",
  "imageBase64": "data:image/jpeg;base64,...",
  "outputFormat": "PNG",
  "outputType": "IMAGE_BASE64"
}

Response

{
  "output": "iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAA..."
}

output contains the processed image as Base64. Decode it as binary data before saving it. When requesting PNG, save the result with a .png extension.

Python example

import base64
import os

import requests

base_url = "https://api-us.idphotoapp.com"

with open("portrait.jpg", "rb") as image_file:
    image_base64 = base64.b64encode(image_file.read()).decode("ascii")

response = requests.post(
    f"{base_url}/v2/removeBackground",
    json={
        "apiKey": os.environ["IDPHOTO_API_KEY"],
        "apiSecret": os.environ["IDPHOTO_API_SECRET"],
        "imageBase64": f"data:image/jpeg;base64,{image_base64}",
        "outputFormat": "PNG",
        "outputType": "IMAGE_BASE64",
    },
    timeout=120,
)
response.raise_for_status()

with open("portrait-no-background.png", "wb") as output_file:
    output_file.write(base64.b64decode(response.json()["output"]))

Usage notes

• Prefer a single-person image with the complete head and shoulders visible.
• Use PNG if transparent background pixels are required; JPEG does not support transparency.
• Fine hair, motion blur, transparent objects, and backgrounds similar to the subject may reduce edge quality.
• Do not automatically retry a timed-out request until your application has determined whether a result was created.