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Use Edit Cutout

Erase or restore any part of an image, including background removed by the background remover, with Kittl's Edit Cutout tool.

Edit Cutout lets you erase or restore any part of an image directly on your canvas. Use it to touch up your own erase strokes, or to bring back part of a photo that the background remover took away. It's available on every Kittl plan.

Open Edit Cutout

There are two ways in, depending on whether you've removed the image's background yet. Both lead to the same erase and restore panel.

Before you've removed the background

  1. Select the image on your canvas.

  2. In the contextual taskbar above the image, open the more menu (labelled with a number, like "7 more") and select Erase.

After you've removed the background

Click the image to activate the contextual taskbar. Click Edit cutout there, or under Tools in the right panel. Kittl keeps the original photo on hand, so Restore can bring back parts of the background too, not just your own erased strokes.

Erase and restore

Once you're in edit mode, Erase and Restore sit side by side in the same panel, so you can switch between them freely without leaving edit mode or losing any changes.

  1. Click Erase or Restore in the right panel to choose what you want to do.

  2. Paint over the image. Erased areas are removed from the image, and restored areas bring the original image back.

  3. Use the Size slider to make your brush bigger or smaller. A smaller brush gives you more control around detailed edges.

  4. Switch between Erase and Restore as many times as you need. Nothing is final until you exit.

  5. Click Done above the image, or Exit Edit Mode in the right panel, when you're finished.

Expected outcome

Once you exit edit mode, your changes are saved on the image. You can reopen Edit cutout at any time to keep adjusting. If you've removed an image's background, Edit cutout takes the place of Remove Background in the taskbar and Tools panel, since restoring the background is now part of editing that image.

Troubleshooting

I don't see an Edit cutout option.

Before you've removed an image's background, look for Erase instead, in the more menu of the contextual taskbar. Edit cutout appears once the background remover has run.

I made a mistake and want to undo an erase or restore.

Use Undo ([Cmd/Ctrl+Z]) to step back through your strokes one at a time. There's no single button to clear all edits at once.

Common questions

What's the difference between Edit cutout and Edit Area?

Edit cutout is manual: it erases or restores pixels that already exist in the image, like touching up your own erase strokes or bringing back part of a photo after removing its background. Edit Area uses AI instead. You paint over an area and describe what should happen there, like removing an object or adding something new, and Kittl generates new pixels for it. Use Edit cutout for direct, manual control, and Edit Area when you want AI to create something new. See Use Edit Area for details.

Can I restore only part of the background, not all of it?

Yes. Paint over just the sections you want back. Anything you don't paint over stays removed.


Related articles

Use Edit Area

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Use AI Background Remover