Remove the background from a video (people)
An AI model running in your browser cuts out the people in your video frame by frame. Export a WebM with a transparent background, or an MP4 with a green screen, solid color or blurred background. Your video is never uploaded.
The first run downloads an AI model (about 25 MB); later runs use the copy stored in your browser. Your files are never uploaded.
Settings
How to use
- 1
Add a video
Drop one video with people in it. For a long video, set “Start time” and “End time” to process only part of it.
- 2
Choose the background
Pick “Transparent (WebM)”, “Green screen”, “Blue screen”, “White”, “Black”, “Custom colour” or “Blur”. The AI model (25 MB) is downloaded the first time.
- 3
Run and save
The people are cut out frame by frame and the video is re-encoded, so it takes longer for longer videos. Keep the tab open until it finishes.
Output formats and what they are for
“Transparent (WebM)” exports a VP9 WebM with a transparent background. The background shows through when it plays in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, or when you embed it in a web page. Safari and editing apps that can't read WebM transparency show it as opaque. In that case, export with “Green screen” or “Blue screen” and remove the color with your editor's chroma key. “Blur” blurs only the background.
The AI is MODNet (25 MB), a model for people that estimates the person area in each frame. It can't cut out objects or animals, and objects in front of the person (such as a microphone) or text overlaid on the video may partly remain. Processing time grows with the length of the video: a 10-second 720p 30 fps clip took about 45 seconds on a PC with an integrated GPU and about 3.5 minutes on a device that can't use the GPU. Narrow the range with “Start time” and “End time”, or set “Frame rate” to 15 fps, to make it faster.
Frequently asked questions
Is my video sent to a server?
No. The AI model (25 MB) is downloaded to your browser the first time, and both the cutting out and the re-encoding happen on your device. Processing statistics used to fix bugs (device specs, error types and so on; never the video itself or its file name) are sent to this site's server. You can turn this off with the switch under “Help us improve the service” at the bottom of the page.
Can it remove the background behind products or animals?
No. Only the model for people is used for videos. For still images, choose “General” in the image “Remove background” tool to cut out products and animals.
Can I use the transparent video in an editing app?
Yes, if the app supports WebM transparency. Apps that don't support it show the transparent area as black or another color, so export with “Green screen” and remove the green with chroma key. Chroma key is available in most video editors and mobile editing apps.
Can I use it instead of Unscreen?
Yes. Unscreen, a video background removal service, has shut down, and its site now redirects to Canva's video background remover page. This tool is free, needs no sign-up, and makes the background behind people transparent, a solid color or blurred without sending your video to a server. Processing runs on your device, so long videos take time depending on its performance.
Help us improve the service
If a conversion fails, sending us the circumstances helps us track down the cause. Knowing which devices and formats fail most often, and how long processing takes, lets us revise the supported formats and fix the bugs behind them. If you don't mind, leaving this on is a real help.
What is sent
The tool you used and the settings you chose (output format, quality, etc.), your device specs (GPU, memory, core count), the input format with a rough size, how many files succeeded or failed and how long it took, and the error type and details when something fails.
What is never sent
The files themselves, file names, text, subtitles or prompts you add to a video, and IP addresses. The data goes only to this site's own server, never to a third-party service.