AI Background Changer

Illustrative artwork; not a sample Actor result.

Change a photo background with a text description. Upload your photos, describe the scene you want, and receive edited PNG images with a result table ready for your workflow.

Use it for profile photo concepts, product scene mockups, social media images and consistent backgrounds across a photo batch. No separate image-service account or API key is required.

Start with one photo

1. Choose Uploaded files only in Photo input mode.
2. Add your photo under Upload photos from your computer.
3. Describe the replacement background. For example: a light blue studio background with soft lighting.
4. Start the Actor, then open Delivered images to find your result.
5. Open the signed result link to download the PNG, then review it before use.

For a batch, add more photos and choose how many to process at once. Every photo in a run uses the same background description.

Background ideas

Goal	Example description
Profile photo concept	A clean light blue studio background with soft lighting
Product scene mockup	A plain white studio background with a subtle floor shadow
Office setting	A bright modern office, softly blurred behind the subject
Social media creative	A tropical beach at sunset with warm evening light
Minimal scene	A plain dark gray background with soft studio lighting

These are prompt suggestions, not guarantees of a particular result. The profile icon is illustrative artwork.

Uploads, URLs and API input

Field	Accepted input
imageFiles	Photos uploaded through the Console file picker
imageUrl	One direct image URL
imageUrls	A list of direct image URLs or image data URIs
imageBase64	A list of base64 images, with or without a data URI prefix
storageImages	Apify photo records: {"storeId":"STORE_ID","key":"PHOTO.png"}

Use workflow to choose uploads, urls, base64 or storage. The default auto mode and combined mode combine the supplied photo sources. Upload local files through the picker; a local filesystem path cannot be read by a cloud run.

For protected source storage, the run must have access to the image record. storageImages also accepts an optional record signature for signed access. Keep access links and photo payloads private.

Example for URL input:

{
  "workflow": "urls",
  "imageUrls": [
    "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1507003211169-0a1dd7228f2d?w=400"
  ],
  "backgroundPrompt": "a light blue studio background with soft lighting",
  "maxConcurrency": 3,
  "timeout": 300,
  "maxRetries": 2
}

Batch limits and settings

Setting	Supported values
Photos per run	Up to 100 unique input references
Photo size	Up to 20 MB decoded and 25 megapixels
backgroundPrompt	Up to 1,500 characters
maxConcurrency	1–8 photos processed at once; default 3
timeout	60–1,800 seconds per photo; default 300
maxRetries	0–3 retries for temporary errors; default 2

Six simultaneous photos have been verified in a cloud run. Sustained processing at the 100-photo and eight-worker limits has not been verified. Start small and increase the batch after reviewing your results. Use at least 1,024 MB memory for larger batches or high-resolution photos. Allow enough run time for processing and delivery; no fixed completion time is promised.

Optional proxyConfiguration controls the processing connection. The default uses residential Apify Proxy; proxy usage may add to the run cost.

Results and incomplete batches

Each delivered image has a Dataset row containing its inputIndex, sourceType, source reference, requested prompt, resultUrl and dimensions. The output is a PNG. resultUrl is a signed download link that opens without adding an API token. Anyone with that link can access that photo, so keep private-photo links private. File retention follows your storage settings.

Open Run summary for delivered, failed and pending counts. Failed input indexes and error codes identifies photos that could not be completed. Failed photos do not appear as successful result rows.

RETRY_INPUT in the run's storage contains incomplete inputs for another run. It may include private photos or access links. If delivery was uncertain, check the existing results before retrying to avoid duplicating a result.

API and automation

Use the same JSON with the Apify Actor API. Start a run, wait for completion, read its Dataset and download the result images with authorized storage access. The Actor's API tab provides request examples.

Apify Tasks, schedules and integrations can connect this step to an automated workflow. File uploads suit interactive runs; URLs and storage records keep large automated inputs compact.

Quality and pricing

This is generative editing. Faces, hair, clothing, pose, framing and product details can change along with the background. Exact preservation of the original person or product is not guaranteed. Review results before using them for identity-sensitive portraits or accurate product listings.

The price is $0.007 per delivered photo — $7 per 1,000 photos, plus Apify platform usage. Users pay platform resource costs separately, including compute, storage and proxy usage. Failed photos do not create paid image results, but resource costs still apply to unsuccessful runs and inputs. The Actor start fee is $0.00005 per GB of allocated memory, with a minimum of one event per run. Check the Pricing tab for current charges. Availability and completion time can vary.

Updates

0.1.14 — README cover: added an illustrative photo background editing cover. Photo processing is unchanged.

0.1.12 — Documentation update: clearer upload instructions, background ideas, result access and recovery guidance. Public descriptions now focus on user-facing behavior. Photo processing is unchanged.

0.1 — Batch and input improvements: added file uploads, URL/base64 and Apify storage inputs, adjustable parallel processing, per-photo error reporting and recovery for incomplete batches.

Support

For a failed image, report the run ID and a non-sensitive example in the Actor's Issues tab. Keep private image links and credentials out of public reports.