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Model comparisons

Background Remover vs Shadow Remover

Background Remover or Shadow Remover, tier by tier: matched prices, request fields, limits and the content policy measured on each.

Background Remover

Background Remover cuts the main subject out of one photo and returns it on a transparent PNG at the original width and height. Send a JPEG, PNG or WebP; the subject is picked automatically, so crop first if several compete.

View model details →View sample outputs →

Shadow Remover

Shadow Remover by SpicyAPI removes hard shadows and harsh light from a photo and relights it with soft, even light, keeping the person, the outfit and the scene. Upload one image; the instruction is built in.

View model details →View sample outputs →

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The short answer

Start with the input you have, the result you want and your budget. These are the differences that affect that choice.

  • These tools produce different results. Choose the operation you need first; a lower price does not make one a substitute for the other.

These tools produce different results. Choose the operation you need first; a lower price does not make one a substitute for the other.

Current price

Price at the same setting

A start price answers a different question than the one you have. These are the tiers both models publish, matched setting for setting, in US dollars per billed unit with no conversion step in between.

These two bill on different tiers, so there is no row to line up. Each one's own published tiers are listed here instead.

Background Remover: $0.0048 / output images

Shadow Remover: $0.03 / output images

What one ordinary job costs

  • Background Remover: $0.48 for one hundred images.
  • Shadow Remover: $3 for one hundred images.

Arithmetic on the published rates at each model's own default setting, not a quote. The console prices your actual settings before a request is accepted.

About this comparison

Controls and limits

Every row here is read from the JSON Schema the endpoint validates against, so it matches what the API will really accept rather than a feature list written by hand.

Swipe horizontally to compare all fields.

Background Remover vs Shadow Remover
Controls and limitsBackground RemoverShadow Remover
Supported tasksimage-editimage-edit
Aspect ratiosNot offered1:1 · 16:9 · 9:16 · 4:3 · 3:4 · 3:2 · 2:3 · 21:9 · 9:21
SeedNoYes
ExecutionSubmit, then poll or take the callbackSubmit, then poll or take the callback
Request timeout30 minutes30 minutes
AvailabilityLiveLive

Do low-filter models allow every request?

Content policy, side by side

Two separate facts sit behind these labels. The first is what we do, which is nothing: no platform content filter, and no maturity flag to set on a request. The second is what each model does on its own, and that is the only part that varies between these two.

Shadow Remover

Uncensored

This model declares no content filter. SpicyAPI forwards the request without adding a platform content scan; legal and consent duties remain with the customer.

Use these content labels to shortlist models, then open each model page for available examples and content-test details.

The label never changes your obligations. Age, consent, real-person likeness and the law where you operate stay with you, and SpicyAPI does not inspect each request.

Can I swap the model ID without changing the request body?

Request body, field by field

The task lifecycle is shared; the body is not. Each endpoint publishes its own JSON Schema and the API validates against that, so this is the list to reconcile before a switch.

  • 1 fields appear in both request bodies under the same names. image_url
  • Background Remover accepts no field the other one lacks.
  • Only Shadow Remover accepts: aspect_ratio, output_format, seed.
  • Background Remover requires image_url.
  • Shadow Remover requires image_url.
  • Both reject unknown fields outright, so a parameter left over from the other model comes back as a validation error instead of being quietly ignored.

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Moving from one to the other

The model identifiers are spicyapi/background-remover-v1/edit and spicyapi/shadow-remover-v1/edit, and both go in the same field of the same request.

Both run the same way: submit the task, then poll it or take the callback. Queueing and retry logic carry over unchanged.

Both use the same submit-and-track flow, but their required inputs may differ. Check each model page before switching.

One key, one balance, one set of spend caps. Both bill to the same account in US dollars, and the per-key daily, monthly and lifetime limits apply to whichever one you call.

Questions developers ask

Which is cheaper, Background Remover or Shadow Remover?

Which is cheaper, Background Remover or Shadow Remover?

These tools produce different results. Choose the operation you need first; a lower price does not make one a substitute for the other. Prices may change; check the estimate shown for your actual settings before submitting.

How long can a single request run?

Background Remover allows 30 minutes per task and Shadow Remover allows 30. Those are ceilings rather than typical times — most requests finish far sooner — but they are what your own client timeout has to survive.

Prices and capabilities shown here come from the current public model catalogue. Check each model page for its latest inputs and examples.