Canva background remover cut-out effect – Canva tutorial for beginners with duotone

Why This Matters

If you’ve spent any amount of time creating graphics, whether for your website, social media, or that PowerPoint you’re hoping will finally get your colleagues to listen, you’ll know there comes a point where your images start to feel a bit…flat. We’ve all been there: dragging and dropping stock photos, nudging them into place, only to stand back and realise the end result looks no different from the masses of churned-out designs you see every day.

You don’t need £300-a-month industry software, hours of training, or a degree in “layer masking”. Canva, of all things, lets you create professional “cut-out” graphics in under ten minutes, provided you know where to look.

Beginners and even some self-proclaimed “dab hands” often encounter the same stumbling blocks. Backgrounds that refuse to budge. Cut-outs that look like they’ve been hacked with a blunt cracker. Creative options that seem too hidden, or worse, only possible if you’re prepared to mortgage your house for another design app.

Time and credibility are on the line here. A lack of crisp visuals can make your site or social posts look lazy, cost you new followers, and eat hours you don’t have. When executed well, a cut-out effect demands attention and marks your project as something worth a second glance.

If you want bite-sized steps, real tricks, and actual clarity (plus a splash of duotone style for good measure), grab your cuppa and let’s get to the heart of it.

Common Pitfalls

If I had a pound for every time someone emailed Pixelhaze after their first cut-out attempt saying, “Why does mine look like a crime scene chalk outline with a hangover?”, I’d be writing from my yacht.

The root of the trouble is almost always photo choice or skipping steps. People reach for any old snap with a messy background and either expect Canva’s background remover to work actual magic or think picking a ‘frame’ will fix everything. The result is jagged edges around the subject, ghostly background wisps, and a final image that’s more ‘last-ditch attempt’ than ‘polished pop-out’.

There’s also the duotone challenge. Duotone does not solve muddy photos or mask shoddy cut-outs. Using it this way won’t address mistakes from earlier in the process. When used skillfully, duotone can make your design look truly impressive. Applied poorly, it resembles a highlighter accident.

Most mistakes stem from poor preparation and a rushed approach. No need to panic. We fix that, bit by bit.

Step-by-Step Fix

Creating a sharp Canva cut-out effect takes a proper plan and a little know-how. Here’s how you get magazine-style results, suitable for designers and beginners alike.

Step 1: Choose the Right Photo

The most common mistake is starting with the wrong image. Don’t just pick the first selfie you find lurking on your desktop. Look for a photo where the subject (person, product, hamster—if that’s your thing) stands out clearly from the background. Ideally, there’s a simple, uncluttered backdrop, preferably in a different colour from the subject’s clothing, skin, or main outlines.

Why does this matter? Because Canva’s background remover needs clearly defined edges to do its job properly. If you choose, say, you at Glastonbury, lost amongst a thousand mullets and a haze of tents, the tool can’t distinguish what’s you and what’s someone else’s elbow.

Step 2: Remove the Background Like a Pro

In Canva, upload your winning photo. Click on the photo, then find the “Edit photo” button in the top taskbar. There’s a tool called “Background Remover” (this one requires Canva Pro—see the bottom if you want a free trial). Click it.

If you chose a decent image, Canva will produce a clean silhouette. Badly defined photos, however, might leave you sprouting extra fingers or a weird halo. That shouldn’t be your end result.

Use the “Erase” and “Restore” brushes in the side panel to manually touch up any clinging bits the tool missed or restore any vital chunks it overzealously deleted. Zoom right in for fiddly areas around hair or clothing.

Step 3: Plonk Your Cut-Out in a Canva Frame

Go to “Elements” and find the “Frames” section. These are clever shapes and masks that hold your image in creative ways. Drag your cut-out subject into your chosen frame. You’ll probably want either a circle or rectangle for a classic pop-out effect, but experiment. Drop shadows and transparent strokes can help if you want to go full “popping off the page”.

The trick to a ‘pop-out’ is to position your image so it deliberately breaks out of the frame. Try having a section of hair or an elbow sticking beyond the edge. This creates a much stronger impression than keeping it entirely within the frame.

Step 4: Add the Duotone Effect for Drama

The duotone effect provides that stylish double-colour twist you see in magazine covers and eye-catching promo flyers. Select your cut-out (or, for best results, duplicate it first if you want a fallback). Choose “Edit photo,” look for “Duotone” in the effects menu and hit it.

Here you pick colour presets. For more control, use the sliders to fine-tune your own two colours (great for matching your brand or a specific vibe). A subtle palette tends to work best—loud choices only suit certain occasions.

Duotone can flatten out the shadows, so, if needed, tweak “Highlights” and “Shadows” in the “Adjust” section to balance things out after you’ve set the colours.

Step 5: Fine-Tune and Export Like a Grown-Up

Arrange your elements until it looks right: use a little overlap, careful alignment, and the odd shadow for depth.

View your design at 100% zoom before downloading. The result can differ at full size. Export as PNG for transparency or JPEG if you prefer a smaller file for web use.

Add it to your project and you’ll soon hear people ask, “How did you do that?” If you plan to repeat this for other images, save your frame and colour settings as templates.

What Most People Miss

Superior cut-outs depend on more than technical steps. Discerning what to remove and what to keep lifts the result to a professional standard.

Some users try to delete every trace of background, but a soft edge or faint shadow can create more realism and prevent the cut-out from looking alien.

You can achieve even more dynamic results by combining several frames, each cut out at different depths and duotone settings, building a sense of depth. Experiment with layers and trust your eye. Embracing a little controlled chaos can pay off.

The best pop-outs also respect whitespace. Avoid crowding the canvas. Give the image space and it will look far more premium. Simplicity is your friend—apart from coffee, where more is always welcome.

The Bigger Picture

Attention to detail sets your work apart. When images look consistently sharp and creative, audiences (and demanding bosses) notice. This effort signals that you care about your craft.

Mastering this technique means you’ll use it everywhere: hero images for homepages, social stories, YouTube thumbnails, and even birthday cards. You become more self-reliant, speed up your workflow, and make your work stand out with a professional touch.

All your edits remain accessible and adjustable in Canva. Saved templates provide quick ways to update campaigns or projects in the future. A bit of effort now pays off every time you open a new project.

Wrap-Up

Achieving that perfect Canva “cut-out” look requires patience, the right photo, and a few expert techniques. Once you learn it, you’ll start viewing every photo as an opportunity to apply duotone.

Pick a clear, simple photo. Thoroughly remove the background. Use frames to make your image pop. Apply duotone carefully. Let your design breathe. Most of all, keep experimenting.

Want more helpful systems like this? Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.

Jargon Buster

Canva: A browser-based design tool for creating graphics without software downloads.

Cut-out effect: Removing the background from a photo so the subject “pops out” separately (think magazine covers).

Frames: Canva’s pre-built shapes that mask or contain your images for creative layouts.

Background remover: The Canva Pro tool that erases backgrounds from images, leaving just your chosen subject.

Duotone: An image effect that tints an image with two colours, adding visual drama.

FAQs

How can I pick the best photo for the cut-out effect?
Aim for clear separation between the subject and the background—in both colour and distance. Crisp lighting works wonders.

Do I need Canva Pro?
Background Remover is Pro-only. If you’re not ready to pay, use a third-party tool like remove.bg to prep images and then bring them into Canva.

Why does my cut-out look rough at the edges?
Usually down to poor photo choice or skipping manual touch-ups. Zoom in and use the “Erase/Restore” tool to fix problem spots.

Can I use this for things other than headshots?
Absolutely. Products, pets, props—if it has an outline, you can cut it out and make it stand out.

What if I mess up my duotone colours?
You can always undo any changes. Stick to brand or complementary colours, and don’t overload the design with every colour option.

This guide ends here. If you found it helpful, you’ll find many more tips and tutorials over at Pixelhaze Academy. See you there.