Automate Background Removal in n8n, Zapier and Make (No Code)

Whichever tool you use, the step is the same HTTP request. Use JSON mode: send the image as a URL, ask for JSON back, and pass the returned url to the next step.

POST https://www.bgclear.ai/api/v1/remove
Authorization: Bearer bgc_live_YOUR_KEY
Accept: application/json
Content-Type: application/json

{"image_url": "https://…/product.jpg", "size": "auto", "format": "png", "bg_color": "transparent"}

Response: {"id": …, "url": "https://www.bgclear.ai/api/v1/results/…", "width": …, "height": …, "credits_charged": 1, "credits_remaining": …}. The result URL needs no auth and is valid for 24 hours — long enough for the next step to upload it wherever it lives permanently. Get a key on the dashboard; the first key includes 10 free full-resolution credits, and size=preview is free for testing the flow.

Trigger (e.g. Google Drive "file created", Shopify "product created", a Webhook) → HTTP Request → destination.

HTTP Request node settings: Method POST. URL https://www.bgclear.ai/api/v1/remove. Authentication: Generic → Header Auth, name Authorization, value Bearer bgc_live_… (store it as a credential, not inline). Send Headers: on, add Accept = application/json. Send Body: on, Body Content Type JSON, Specify Body "Using JSON":

{
  "image_url": "{{ $json.image_url }}",
  "size": "auto",
  "format": "png"
}

Downstream, a second HTTP Request node with Method GET, URL {{ $json.url }}, Response Format "File" turns the result into binary data for Google Drive, S3, Shopify or WordPress nodes. If your trigger gives you a file rather than a URL, set the first node's body to "Form-Data" with a field named image_file bound to the binary property instead, and drop the Accept header to get the image back directly as binary.

Add an action "Webhooks by Zapier" → "Custom Request". Method POST, URL https://www.bgclear.ai/api/v1/remove. Data (raw): {"image_url": "{{image_url_from_trigger}}", "size": "auto", "format": "png"}. Unflatten: no. Headers: Authorization | Bearer bgc_live_…, Accept | application/json, Content-Type | application/json.

Zapier parses the JSON, so the next step sees fields called url, width, height and credits_remaining. Feed url into Google Drive "Upload File" (File: the URL — Zapier downloads it), Airtable "Create Record" (attachment field accepts a URL), or Shopify "Update Product Image". Use a Filter step on credits_remaining below 20 to email yourself before a run fails with 402.

Module HTTP "Make a request". URL https://www.bgclear.ai/api/v1/remove, Method POST. Headers: Authorization: Bearer bgc_live_…, Accept: application/json. Body type Raw, Content type JSON (application/json), Request content {"image_url": "{{1.url}}", "size": "auto", "format": "webp"}. Parse response: yes.

Map url from the output into a second HTTP "Get a file" module, whose output is a file you can hand to Google Drive, Dropbox, WooCommerce or an FTP module. For a folder of files instead of URLs, use "Make a request" with Body type Multipart/form-data and a field image_file of type File.

Filter first: only call the API when the trigger image actually needs it (new products, not every product update). Use size=preview in the test version of the scenario — it is free — and switch to auto when you go live. Add the image's own ID as an Idempotency-Key header so a re-run of the automation returns the cached result rather than charging again. And for catalogue imports of hundreds of images, one HTTP step calling POST /api/v1/jobs/batch with up to 50 URLs is faster and cheaper on task quotas than 50 separate runs — pair it with a webhook trigger to receive the results (bulk guide).