You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Scene Removal Mask - Issues with hair detail and outline

The scene removal mask does a great job removing the background, but my subject (talking head) still has traces of the background color on the edges of her clothes and in her hair, which creates a flickering effect when she talks. Would love to know if anyone else has run into this issue and, if so, what solutions you may have.


Thanks!

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 13.1

Posted on Oct 16, 2024 5:52 AM

Reply
7 replies

Oct 16, 2024 6:14 AM in response to annieb1605

Many people have run into the issue and I have not heard of any solution.


Unfortunately the SRM is completely automatic with no additional adjustments like the Magic Mask in DaVinci Resolve Studio (£235).


I suppose both items are there mainly for emergency use when a green screen is not available.


The ideal is to use a green screen.


One possibility is to insert a new background with a "fussy" appearance that might hide the slight glitches.

Oct 16, 2024 6:33 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

I don't know what the original background was when you shot the video but it should be as simple or plain as possible.


Try hanging a plain coloured bed sheet or better still buy some cheap green screen material from eBay and don it properly.


A 2m x 2m piece of fabric costs around £10 but for a talking head you could get away with a smaller piece.


Don't forget that it is not necessary for the whole video frame to be covered as you can easily mask out the non-green screen edges as shown in this short video.


Crop Small Green Screen

Oct 16, 2024 8:48 AM in response to annieb1605

The free Resolve hasn't got the Magic Mask but when I have used MM I have not had any more success than with the Scene Removal Mask. Maybe I'm not very good but I wouldn't advise you to spend £235 to find out!


I have no experience with the app you mention but I suspect that all these type of apps suffer the same because they are trying to do magic when magic doesn't exist. They can get pretty close but perfection eludes them.


Your best bet is a cheap green screen.

Oct 16, 2024 9:12 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

I've just come across this video comparing different scene removal apps which you may find interesting but not very useful!


The creator considers RotoAI to be the best of the bunch she tries and to me it looks just like Resolve's Magic Mask though is expensive.


As you have already tried it with only limited success it looks as though they all have drawbacks.


Comparing Scene Removal Masks


As mentioned several times, I think a green screen is the safest option.

Oct 16, 2024 6:26 PM in response to annieb1605

If you're having trouble keying hair, it might be due the green screen background not being evenly lit, or too much green bounce onto your subject. There's an iPhone app called Green Screener which can show the evenness of your background. Even though it looks even to the eye, the slight differences cause the keyer to have to expand the values of green it keys out, including fine details like hair. https://youtu.be/zMKf0j1cTeU

Scene Removal Mask - Issues with hair detail and outline

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.