> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.runable.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Remove Video Background

> Strip the background from a video clip, leaving the subject isolated.

Remove Video Background detects the subject in a video and removes everything else, frame by frame. The result is a video of the isolated subject that you can layer over other content. This is a direct canvas operation, so you do not need to send a prompt to the agent.

<Tip>
  Using canvas tools directly gives you more control and uses significantly fewer credits than sending a prompt to the agent. For background removal, always use this tool instead of asking the agent.
</Tip>

## How to remove a video background

<Steps>
  <Step title="Select a video on the canvas">
    Open the canvas and click the video you want to edit. The video editing toolbar appears.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Remove Background">
    In the toolbar, click the background removal option. The AI processes the video frame by frame.

    <Frame caption="The video toolbar with the background removal option.">
      ![Canvas toolbar on a selected video showing the Remove Background button](https://pub-51091dcf1e9d4b04bb2e74f489c4f346.r2.dev/a9359db11be7c00ba2605f5fe0b8081de92d2c5f5e3399c6f34b9809c6e8fbea.png)
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for processing">
    Background removal takes longer than image background removal because every frame is processed individually. A placeholder appears on the canvas while it runs.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the result">
    A new video appears on the canvas with the background removed. Your original video is preserved as a separate item.

    <Frame caption="Before and after: the original video alongside the version with background removed.">
      ![Two video items on the canvas — the original and the background-removed version showing the isolated subject](https://pub-51091dcf1e9d4b04bb2e74f489c4f346.r2.dev/dacaa34ce7d7cae921b98f71031199a34072bd16eb6982522d917dddc4776a5d.png)
    </Frame>
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Remove Video Background creates a new canvas item. It does not overwrite the original. You always keep both versions.
</Note>

## When to use this

* Isolating a person or product for compositing over a different background.
* Creating overlay content for presentations or social media.
* Preparing footage for green-screen-style layering in external editors.

## What you cannot do

* You cannot select which parts of the background to keep. The AI removes the entire background.
* You cannot replace the background with a new scene in a single step (unlike images). Remove the background first, then composite in an external editor.
* You cannot adjust the quality of edge detection after processing.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Motion Control" icon="person-walking" href="/motion-control">
    Transfer motion from a reference video onto a still image.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Combine into Timeline" icon="film" href="/combine-into-timeline">
    Arrange multiple clips into a single video.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>