How to Create a Photo Cutout Effect with Your Own Pictures

Seen this punch-style photo edit all over your feed?

The effect uses dots, circles, or other decorative cutouts to reveal parts of a photo through a colored background. It gives an ordinary image a playful, layered look that works especially well for Instagram posts, Stories, travel photos, and digital scrapbook designs.

A photo cutout effect may look detailed, but you do not need to create every shape or layer manually. With a prepared template, you can add your own photo, choose a cutout style, and change the background color to match the mood you want.

The same photo can feel completely different with just a new color and a few small design changes.

What Is a Punch-Style Photo Edit?

A punch-style photo edit makes parts of an image look as though they have been cut or punched out.

Instead of simply placing dots over a picture, the design uses circular or decorative openings that reveal the photo through another colored layer. This creates a paper-cut or scrapbook-inspired effect with more depth than a standard filter.

Dots and circles tend to create a clean, balanced look, while stars and clustered shapes feel more playful and expressive.

Why Use a Template?

Creating this type of effect manually can be surprisingly time-consuming. You may need to:

• Make and duplicate multiple shapes
• Keep their size and spacing consistent
• Arrange several photo and color layers
• Avoid covering the main subject
• Test different background colors

A template prepares the overall layout for you. Instead of spending time aligning every cutout, you can focus on the parts that make the result personal: your photo, your preferred shape, and your color choice.

How to Create the Photo Cutout Effect with VDIT

You can create the effect in a few simple steps:

1. Open the color punching template.
2. Add the photo you want to use.
3. Choose a dot, circle, star, or decorative cutout shape.
4. Change the background color.
5. Review the result and save your favorite version.

🪄 Template link:

Open the Color Punching Template

Try making more than one version before choosing the final image. Keeping the same photo and changing only the background color is an easy way to compare different moods.

How to Choose the Right Shape

Choose the cutout style based on the photo and the result you want.

Dots and circles

Dots and circles work well for:

• Travel photos
• Café and food pictures
• Minimal portraits
• Product photos
• Coordinated Instagram feeds

They add visual detail while keeping the result relatively clean.

Stars and decorative shapes

More expressive shapes are suitable for:

• Birthday photos
• Friendship posts
• Concert or festival memories
• Colorful outfits
• Instagram Stories

Use them when you want the edit to feel more energetic or celebratory.

How Background Color Changes the Mood

The background color has a major effect on the finished image.

Pastel pink, pale blue, mint, lavender, and light yellow create a softer, scrapbook-inspired look. They work well with friendship photos, flowers, cafés, and relaxed travel memories.

Bright green, pink, orange, blue, or purple make the same photo feel bolder and more graphic. These colors are useful when you want the image to stand out in a busy feed or Story.

For a coordinated result, choose a color that already appears in the photo, such as a shade from the subject’s clothing, the sky, a drink, or a small background detail.

You can also match the color to your existing Instagram feed. A neutral feed may work better with muted or pastel shades, while a colorful feed can support stronger contrast.

Ways to Use Your Finished Edit

Once the image is complete, you can use it for:

• Instagram feed posts
• Stories and highlight covers
• Travel photo collections
• Birthday or anniversary posts
• Food and café content
• Digital scrapbook pages
• Photo carousels with different color versions

You can also create several variations of the same image and place them together in a carousel. This makes the background-color change part of the content itself.

A photo cutout effect can give a familiar picture a completely new mood without requiring complicated manual editing.

Start with a prepared template, add your own photo, and experiment with different shapes and background colors. Try soft pastels for a calm, aesthetic result or brighter colors for a more playful Instagram look.

Open the color punching template, create your own version, and continue editing with VDIT video editor for iPhone.