An image layer separator is a tool that turns a flat picture into named, transparent layers. LayerGrab does it with AI and rebuilds the background behind them.
Image
Leave empty to split every element.
Sample split, free to explore: Coffee shop poster
11 layers
Split in 100s
Background (filled)How it works
An image layer separator takes a flat picture and splits it into a stack: one transparent layer per element, with the background underneath rebuilt so nothing leaves a hole. LayerGrab does this online with AI in about a minute, from the browser or inside Photoshop, Figma and Sketch.
The number and kind of layers depend on the picture. These are typical results for the images people split most.
| Image | Layers you get | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Poster or flyer | Headline, sub-copy, badges, product, each decoration, filled background | The cleanest case: designed images have clear, separate elements. |
| Product banner | Product, pedestal or props, price tag, button, logo, headline | Useful for resizing an ad into other formats. |
| Photo with people | Each person you name, the photo without them | Name who you want; hair edges are softer than a hand-made mask. |
| AI-generated image | Main subject, secondary objects, text, background | Lets you move or delete one object without generating again. |
| Screenshot or UI | Cards, images and text blocks as pixel layers | Text is not editable; for real UI, a design file is better. |
Each layer is named from what it shows, for example “AUTUMN LATTE WEEK headline text” or “20% OFF red badge”, so a ten-layer poster is easy to find your way around.
11 layers
Bottom event info textWhipped cream topping with cinnamon dustPumpkin spice latte drink baseWhite coffee cup with pumpkin logoOrange maple leaf (bottom right)Orange maple leaf (top right)Background (filled)Copy one layer into Figma, Photoshop or Canva, download PNGs with transparency, or get everything as a ZIP or a layered PSD that opens in Photoshop.
Manual selection (Photoshop, GIMP)
You select each element and copy it to a layer.
Trade-off: Slow per element; the hole behind each one has to be filled by hand.
Background remover
Cuts out the main subject on transparency.
Trade-off: One subject only, and the background is thrown away rather than kept as a layer.
LayerGrab (this page)
Every element, or the ones you name, as layers over a rebuilt background.
Trade-off: Costs credits; layers are pixels, not editable text or vectors.
Open layer models (self-hosted)
Run layer decomposition on your own GPU.
Trade-off: You set up and run the model yourself.
If you still have the original PSD or Figma file, open that instead: its layers keep live text, fonts and effects, which no separator can recover. If you need one subject on a transparent background and nothing else, a background remover is faster. To pull out just one thing, separate a single object and pay for two layers instead of the whole picture.
1
Drop, paste or upload a PNG, JPG or WebP up to 20 MB. Other formats your browser can open are converted for you.
2
Leave the box empty to split everything, or name only the parts you need, such as "only the text".
3
Usually 60–100 seconds. The page shows each step and the time, and you can cancel.
4
Hide layers to see what is behind them, then copy one layer, download PNGs, a ZIP or a layered PSD.
It turns one flat image into a stack of pieces, one per element, kept in their original positions over a background with those elements removed. You can then move, hide, recolour or replace any element without touching the others.
You can try every feature of LayerGrab on the sample splits without an account. Working on your own image uses credits; new accounts in supported regions get 30 free credits, enough for a split of up to 3 layers. Open models such as Qwen-Image-Layered are free to download but need your own GPU.
It depends on the picture: a simple product shot might give 3, a busy poster 10 or more, up to 17 including the background. You pay per layer returned, and naming only what you need keeps the count down.
Text gets a layer of its own, but as pixels, not live type. Because the background under it is filled in, you can hide that layer and set new text in the same place.
No. Audio "layer separators" split a song into vocals and instruments. This page is about pictures: photos, posters, banners and AI images.
Last updated 2026-09-29