Notice: This legacy tool is no longer being updated as we focus on developing advanced alternatives. Results and performance may vary based on inputs, so please use it at your own discretion. Please see the best practices and troubleshooting steps for more details.
Remove Background allows you to cut out objects, people, or other elements from a video clip.
Most post-production green screening options require painstaking frame-by-frame edits by manually highlighting the border of objects. With Runway, you can create professional masks and cut objects from videos with just a few clicks.
Once you've highlighted the object from the video, you can swap the background, display text behind it, or even selectively apply visual effects to the region.
This article outlines how to use Remove Background, best practices, and troubleshooting steps.
Contents
Importing the video clip
From the dashboard, navigate to Edit Videos, then to Remove Background.
First, you'll need to upload your clip. You can drag and drop your clips directly from your computer into Runway, or sort through the Assets section on the left side if you've already uploaded them. For more information on what kinds of video formats we accept, see here.
Input best practices
To achieve the best results possible, we suggest sticking to clips with a well-defined main subject, with still or smooth camera movements. We recommend avoiding clips where any of the following are true:
- Busy or poorly defined background
- Low quality
- Subject/objects move in and out of the frame
- Scene cuts
- Longer videos
The quality of your original clip will directly influence the quality of the results.
Creating the mask
Once you've imported your clip, it's time to create the mask that will determine what isn't part of the background you're removing. To begin, click on an area of your clip that you'd like to select — we suggest clicking on a central area of your subject first.
If there are still more areas you'd like to include, continue clicking on different areas of your subject until the mask is satisfactory.
Oppositely, use Exclude in the Controls sidebar to deselect areas. These actions can be easily toggled between by using keys 1 and 2 on your keyboard.
You've just created your first keyframe! This will act as a point of reference for the rest of the clip.
When the mask looks good, be sure to hit Preview and play the entire clip, looking for areas that may have been missed. Create more keyframes as necessary. We recommend doing this in chronological order, only as needed.
If your clip is more complex and requires fine-tuning, select the Brush tool from the Controls sidebar to manually paint over detailed areas.
This is easiest to do after zooming in, which can be controlled by our simple zoom shortcuts: + and -. These touch-ups will be propagated to the following frames in your clip.
There are some additional tools in the sidebar under View that may be helpful during this process. From here, you are able to control whether you're viewing in Overlay, Preview, or Alpha Channel modes. The Transparency toggle in Overlay view often makes it easier to see your mask adjustments.
Exporting the clip
When you're happy with the entire clip, there are a couple of options. You can choose to export the clip directly from here or continue editing by adding the clip to the timeline, applying effects, and more.
To export your clip, select Export Mask at the top right of the screen to review the export options. From here, it is possible to change the Background Color to any color of your choosing, choose Format options like MP4 and ProRes, among other options.
Note: ProRes exports are only available on Pro plans or higher. See Which plan is right for me? for more details.
After selecting Export Mask from this menu, your clip will begin exporting to Assets. If your email notifications are turned on, you will also receive an email once the export is completed.
To export with transparency, toggle the Format to ProRes. To export an Alpha Matte, check the Export Matte checkbox under Background Color. You can also choose a custom background color by clicking the plus icon next to our pre-defined color options.
If you'd like to continue editing with your newly masked clip, select Done Masking to open a Video Editor Project.
With the masked clip opened in the Video Editor, you can add a new background behind the mask, adjust brightness and contrast, apply unique effects, and more.
Troubleshooting
While Remove Background will work in most cases, it's helpful to remember that it is a legacy tool. Try the following troubleshooting steps if you encounter issues:
- Use a Chrome browser
- Ensure the input follows the best practices
- Try using a shorter clip or decrease the quality of the video
- Deleting assets you no longer need may improve performance speeds