# How to remove a video background in the Concat video editor

> Select the clip, tick Remove background with Auto removal on, wait for the subject analysis to finish and put a new background on the lane below. It runs locally and has no usage cap.

URL: https://concatvideoeditor.com/guides/remove-video-background
Updated: 2026-10-18
Source: Concat Video Editor Guide, an independent guide. Not the official Concat website.

The Concat video editor can cut a person out of normal footage, no green screen needed. It works out a mask for every frame on your own computer, so there is no upload and no monthly cap.

## How do you remove a video background in the Concat video editor?

1. Put the clip with the person on a timeline lane.
2. Put the new background (a video or an image) on the lane **below** it. Lower lanes show behind higher ones.
3. Click the person's clip. In the right panel under **Video**, **Basic**, tick **Remove background**.
4. Leave **Auto removal** ticked and **Subject** on Auto.
5. Watch the **Analysis** line. It counts up while Concat finds the subject.
6. When it finishes, move the playhead to refresh the preview.

![Remove background settings in the Concat video editor with Auto removal, Feather, Custom removal and Chroma key](/images/feat-background-removal.webp)

## What does the result look like?

Here is our test clip before and after. We put a red running track clip on the lane underneath.

![Raw clip with a brick wall background](/images/ba-cutout-before.webp)

![The same speaker cut out by the Concat video editor and placed over a running track](/images/ba-cutout-after.webp)

The outline of the hair and shoulders was clean. With the default **Feather** of 1% the edge had a soft light halo, which is easy to spot on a strong colored background. Raise or lower Feather to taste, or pick a background closer in brightness to the original.

## How long does background removal take?

It depends heavily on your hardware. On our test machine, with no graphics card and only software rendering, the analysis of a 22-second 720p clip took roughly six minutes. The model itself is small (about 15 MB) and downloaded automatically the first time. A machine with a GPU will be much faster.

## When should you use Custom removal or Chroma key?

- **Custom removal** lets you paint the mask yourself when Auto picks the wrong subject or misses an object the person is holding.
- **Chroma key** is the classic green or blue screen key. If you shot against a backdrop, it is faster and sharper than Auto.

## Tips for cleaner cutouts

- Light the person evenly and avoid backgrounds the same color as their clothes or hair.
- Keep the camera still for the best edges.
- Add a little **Reduce noise** or a filter on the new background so both layers look like one shot.

More detail on the settings is on our [background removal feature page](/features/background-removal).

## Videos

### Video: Before and after: background removal in Concat

Raw footage on the left and the same moment exported from the Concat video editor with the speaker cut out over a new background on the right. (6 seconds, https://concatvideoeditor.com/videos/loop-cutout.mp4)

### Video: Remove a video background in the Concat video editor

Screen recording of Concat 0.2.7: put a new background on the lane below, tick Remove background on the speaker and Concat cuts the person out without a green screen. (12 seconds, https://concatvideoeditor.com/videos/demo-background-removal.mp4)

Steps shown:
1. Put the new background on the lane below
2. Select the speaker and tick Remove background
3. Concat cuts the person out, no green screen

## Questions people ask

### Does the Concat video editor need a green screen to remove a background?

No. Auto removal finds the person in normal footage. Chroma key is there as well if you did shoot on green or blue.

### Why is my preview still showing the old background?

Wait for the Analysis line to finish, then move the playhead to refresh the preview. If nothing sits on the lane below, the cut-out area shows as empty.

### Is background removal free in Concat?

Yes. It runs on your device with no monthly limit, unlike the capped background removal reported on some free plans of other editors.