Use Flowgen’s Object Select node to click one object, Shift-click additional objects, Alt-click objects to remove, drag a box around several, choose a tighter/looser mask, and emit both cutout and mask.
Where: Flowgen → Add → Edit → Image → Object Select; or create it from a compatible image/mask connection menu
Before you start
- A connected image result or upload.
- WebGPU for hover/click/box selection; automatic whole-subject fallback remains available without it.
Key ideas
- One image in, cutout and mask out: image_in supplies the source; image_out emits the transparent RGBA cutout and mask_out emits the reusable alpha mask.
- Object-style gestures: Plain click replaces the selection, Shift-click unions another independently segmented object, Alt-click subtracts an object, and a dragged box replaces the points with every distinct object found inside.
- Hover and candidates: Hover previews an object before commitment; Tighter/Looser cycles the three ranked SAM candidates for the active object prompt.
- Local interactive model with fallback: Interactive pointing uses a cached local WebGPU session. Without WebGPU, Run falls back to automatic whole-subject cutout.
Steps
- Add Object Select and connect an image to image_in.
- Hover over the intended object and wait for the first image encoding when needed.
- Click to replace the current selection with that object.
- Shift-click another object to add it; Alt-click an included/unwanted object to subtract it.
- Alternatively drag a box around several objects; the box replaces earlier point prompts and selects object contours rather than the rectangle itself.
- Use Tighter/Looser to compare candidates and Clear/Undo as needed.
- Click Cut out selection, inspect transparent edges/holes at full size, and review both light and dark backgrounds downstream.
- Connect image_out for the ready cutout and mask_out for later masking/inpainting.
Current card controls
- Hover preview.
- Plain click replace.
- Shift-click add.
- Alt-click remove.
- Multi-object box.
- Undo/Clear.
- Tighter/Looser candidate.
- Cut out selection.
- Cutout and mask results.
Tips
- Start with one positive click near the most distinctive interior of the subject.
- Use an exclude point on a mistakenly included neighbor before trying a radically tighter candidate.
- Connect mask_out when the next operation needs an editable region; use image_out when it needs already-cut pixels.
- Check hair, fur, glass, product holes, and overlapping objects on both light and dark temporary backgrounds.
Limitations and important notes
- Interactive pointing requires WebGPU. On unsupported devices the run picks a whole subject automatically and cannot honor the saved point/box prompt.
- A multi-object box performs several prompt decodes and can take longer than one click.
- The first local SAM load is much slower than later selections because model download, shader compilation, and image encoding happen once.
- The node selects visible pixels from one image; it does not track a moving subject across video frames.
Troubleshooting
The card says pointing needs WebGPU
Run the node for an automatic whole-subject cutout, or open the project in a WebGPU-capable browser/device for interactive point and box selection.
Hover lags behind fast pointer movement
Pause briefly over the intended object. Hover decoding is deliberately debounced and stale results are discarded so a queue does not chase the pointer.
A click selected only part of the subject
Try Looser, then add another positive point on the missing part. Use Tighter only when the current mask includes too much.
The box selected a neighbor outside the region
Use an exclude point on the neighbor or draw a tighter box with more of each wanted object inside it.
A downstream editor received the cutout but not an editable mask
Connect mask_out explicitly. image_out contains the composited transparent image; mask_out contains the selection itself.
FAQ
How is Select Subject different from Remove BG?
Remove BG makes one automatic whole-subject guess. Select Subject lets you choose what counts as the subject with hover, include/exclude points, a multi-object box, and candidate cycling, and it emits a separate mask.
Does changing Tighter or Looser run the final cutout?
It re-resolves the selection preview. Click Cut out selection when the desired candidate and points are ready.
Can I select several objects?
Yes. Draw one box around the wanted set, or use multiple positive points. A box replaces the earlier point prompt so stale clicks are not silently carried into a new region.