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Updated March 12, 2026

By Jack Smith, iOS Developer at DB Labs

Glossary

What Is Photo Cutout on iPhone? Definition and Guide

Photo Cutout is an iPhone feature that lets you lift and isolate subjects from photos with a single tap. Learn how it works and which iPhones support it.

March 12, 2026  ·  6 min read

What Is Photo Cutout?

Photo Cutout (also called Visual Look Up or subject isolation) is an iOS 16+ feature that lets you lift a subject from any photo — a person, pet, object, or anything with a clear outline — by simply tapping and holding on it. The subject is automatically isolated from the background, and you can copy, share, drag into other apps, or save it as a sticker (iOS 17+). Photo Cutout uses on-device machine learning to detect and separate subjects with impressive accuracy.

How to Use Photo Cutout

  1. Open a photo in the Photos app.
  2. Tap and hold on the subject you want to isolate. A glowing outline appears around the subject.
  3. Release your finger. Options appear: Copy, Share, or Add Sticker (iOS 17+).
  4. Tap Copy to paste the cutout into Messages, Notes, or any other app.

Creating Stickers from Cutouts

In iOS 17 and later, Photo Cutout integrates with the new Stickers feature. After lifting a subject, tap Add Sticker. The cutout is saved as a reusable sticker in your emoji keyboard, available in Messages, Notes, and any app that uses the keyboard. You can also add effects like outline, puffy, shiny, or comic styles to your stickers.

Supported Devices

Photo Cutout requires iPhone XS or later running iOS 16 or later. The sticker creation feature requires iOS 17 or later. The feature works on photos, screenshots, web images in Safari, and frames from videos.

For more iOS photo features, see our iOS 18 photo management guide. Learn about Apple Intelligence for Photos.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cut out a subject from an iPhone photo?

Open a photo in the Photos app and tap and hold on the subject you want to isolate. A glowing outline appears around the subject. Release and choose Copy, Share, or Add Sticker. The cutout is processed on-device using machine learning and works on people, pets, objects, and anything with a clear outline. This feature requires iPhone XS or later running iOS 16+.

Can I make stickers from iPhone photos?

Yes. In iOS 17 and later, you can create custom stickers from any photo. Open a photo, tap and hold on a subject to lift it, then tap Add Sticker. The cutout is saved as a reusable sticker in your emoji keyboard. You can add effects like outline, puffy, shiny, or comic styles. Stickers sync across devices via iCloud.

Does Photo Cutout work on videos?

Yes. Photo Cutout works on individual frames of videos. Pause a video at the frame you want, then tap and hold on the subject. The same isolation and copy/share options appear. This works on videos in your Photos library and on video content in Safari.