Before you digitize anything, the single biggest factor in getting a clean result is whether your source image has a background you don't want stitched. A busy or textured background gets digitized right along with your subject unless you remove it first.
Why background removal matters so much
An embroidery machine doesn't know what's "background" and what's "subject" — it just stitches whatever shapes and colors it's given. A photo with a cluttered background turns into extra, unwanted stitching (and extra thread color changes) unless that background is removed before digitizing.
When you need to remove a background
- Photos taken with a phone or camera (almost always need it).
- Scanned logos or designs with off-white or shadowed backgrounds.
- Any JPG, since JPGs can't store transparency on their own.
When you probably don't
- PNGs already exported with a transparent background.
- SVGs, which are vector shapes with no background pixels to begin with.
- Logos on a plain solid-color background that matches your intended stitching (rare, but it happens).
How to remove a background before digitizing with click-stitch
- Upload your PNG or JPG image.
- Choose "Remove Background" instead of "Use Original Image" when prompted.
- Check the preview — background removal works best on images with a clear subject and reasonable contrast against the background.
- Continue on to color selection and sizing as usual.
This step is built directly into the upload flow — no separate tool or download needed. See the full click-stitch tutorial for where this fits in the overall process.
What to do after background removal
Once the background is gone, treat the image like any other clean source: assign thread colors, set your size, and export. If you're digitizing a logo specifically, see our logo digitizing guide for more on prepping logo art.