Real-Time Video Background Removal API
Banuba's Background Remover API is a real-time, on-device background removal API for live video, running at min 30 FPS on mid-range mobile hardware with no green screen and no cloud upload. It removes, replaces, or blurs the background in the camera stream itself, so there is no round trip to a server. Built for continuous video: conferencing, calling, gaming, e-learning, and live streaming.
Video Background Remover
Banuba’s Background Remover API delivers real-time background separation for video applications. Powered by advanced computer vision and neural networks, the API performs high-precision foreground detection to distinguish subjects from their surroundings at pixel level. Developers can integrate background subtraction into conferencing platforms, live streaming apps, camera solutions, and content creation tools — enabling seamless background replacement, blur, and visual enhancements. Optimized for performance, stability, and privacy-sensitive environments.
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Powered by Deep Learning
Banuba's Background Remover API runs proprietary neural network models that classify every pixel of every frame as subject or background, on the device's GPU. Pixel-level segmentation on each frame is what makes it work on moving video rather than on stills. This enables:
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Real-time background subtraction at min 30 FPS on mid-range mobile hardware
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Stable segmentation during motion
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Natural blending between subject and new background
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Handling of complex details such as hair and transparent objects
The models are continuously improved through dataset refinement to ensure reliable performance across varied lighting conditions and environments. All processing is executed on the end-user's device, so no video frame ever leaves it, which supports privacy-focused applications and GDPR compliance.
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Subtly Robust
Banuba's Background Remover API minimizes flickering, unstable edges, and segmentation errors - the three failure modes that make background separation obvious in video.
Foreground detection stays stable across frames, so results hold up during movement and dynamic lighting rather than only in a still test shot.
The result: immersive and professional-grade video experiences.
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Cross-Compatibility
The Background Remover API integrates across iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS, Unity, Flutter, and React Native, and ships with an official video-call integration for Agora.
It is a module of the Face AR SDK, so the same integration also delivers:
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Background subtraction and virtual backgrounds
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AR face effects
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Beautification
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3D masks
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Real-time video enhancements
That makes it a fit for video conferencing platforms and live streaming apps that need more than a background swap.
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No Green Screens Needed
- Real-time video background removal at min 30 FPS on mid-range mobile hardware
- Background replacement with an image or a video file as the new background
- Background blur with an adjustable radius (bokeh effect)
- High-precision segmentation powered by proprietary neural networks
- Real-time and post-processing support
- Works with video and image formats
- Portrait and landscape orientation support
- On-device processing, no video sent to a server
- Designed for GDPR compliance and secure video communication
Immersive Applications
Where teams use Banuba's Background Remover API today, and what the background is doing in each case
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Video Conferencing
Replace or blur a home office in the meeting stream itself, with the frames never leaving the participant's device. Integrates with Agora-based conferencing stacks.
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Video Calling
Let callers hide their room behind a custom image or video background, on device, without a green screen or a cloud upload.
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Games
Enhance camera-based social interactions between gamers with background enrichments. Increase your exposure to the gaming content sharing niche by providing users with full control over their creations.
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Live Streaming
Swap a streamer's background in the live feed at min 30 FPS, combined with AR effects in the same pass. See augmented reality live streaming.
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E-Learning
Put tutors in front of 3D backgrounds and Face AR effects during distance learning, on standard student laptops and phones.
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Photo / Video Editing
Remove or replace backgrounds in post-processing as well as in real time, on video and on still images, inside your own editor.
Technical Requirements
Banuba's Background Remover API runs on iOS 13+ and Android 8.0+ devices with a 1280x720 camera (recommended) at min 30 FPS, and supports HTML5, Windows, macOS, Unity, Flutter and React Native.
Mobile
OpenGL ES 3.0+
Android 8.0, API level 26+
iOS 13+
Desktop
OpenGL 4.3+ (4.1+ for MacOS)
Windows 8.1+
MacOS 10.13+
Ubuntu 18.04+
Web
WebGL 2.0+
Mobile: Chrome, FireFox, Safari.
Desktop: Chrome, FireFox, Safari.
Why Banuba’s Technology
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One of the few commercially available real-time background removal APIs for video
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On-device processing, so no video frame leaves the user's device
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No per-image or per-frame API call, because segmentation runs client-side
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Proprietary computer vision technology developed in-house
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Neural network-based background separation models
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Optimized for performance on end-user devices
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Continuous R&D improvements in foreground detection accuracy
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10+ years of AR innovation
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Dedicated technical support team
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Banuba's Background Remover API is a real-time, on-device background removal API for video. It uses proprietary neural network models to separate the person from the background in each frame, then removes, replaces, or blurs that background at a minimum of 30 FPS on mid-range mobile hardware. It is a module of the Banuba Face AR SDK and runs on iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS, Unity, Flutter, and React Native.
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No. Banuba's Background Remover API processes video directly on the end user's device. No video frame is uploaded to a server, which removes network latency from the pipeline and supports privacy and GDPR compliance.
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Image background removal APIs such as the ones built for product photos process one uploaded still at a time in the cloud and bill per image. Banuba's Background Remover API segments every frame of a live camera stream on the device, so it holds up on moving video, and there is no per-image cost or round trip. If your input is a video feed rather than a photo library, that difference decides whether the feature is usable.
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Yes. Since background separation is processed locally on-device, no video data is sent to external servers. This makes the solution suitable for applications requiring enhanced privacy and GDPR compliance.
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Yes. Banuba publishes official video-call integration guides for Agora across platforms, plus an Agora Filter Extension, so that background removal and AR effects can be applied to an Agora video stream. Setup is covered in the Banuba Face AR SDK documentation.
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The Background Remover API is licensed as part of the Banuba Face AR SDK, under two models: a flat annual license fee, where usage is unlimited and the cost stays fixed no matter how far the app scales, or an Active User Based model, where the cost tracks active users over time, starts significantly lower, and grows with the user base. The trade-off is predictability against a lower start. The Banuba Face AR SDK pricing guide walks through both.
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The official technical documentation for the Banuba Background Remover API is available online and includes requirements, setup instructions, and configuration details:
Banuba Background Remover API iOS documentation
Banuba Background Remover API Android documentation
Banuba Background Remover API Flutter documentation
Banuba Background Remover API React Native documentation
Banuba Background Remover API Web documentation
Banuba Background Remover API Unity documentation
Banuba Background Remover API Desktop documentation
Banuba Virtual Background API documentation
This Banuba Background Remover API documentation should be your primary reference during integration.
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You can access official integration code samples for the Banuba Background Remover API on GitHub. Banuba provides platform-specific examples to help you integrate faster:
Banuba Background Remover API iOS integration code sample
Banuba Background Remover API Android integration code sample
Banuba Background Remover API Flutter integration code sample
Banuba Background Remover API React Native integration code sample
Banuba Background Remover API Desktop integration code sample
Banuba Background Remover API Web integration code sample
Banuba Background Remover API Unity integration code sample
These Banuba Background Remover API repositories include setup instructions and minimal working examples for quick deployment.
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Yes. Banuba publishes Agent skills that give coding agents structured SDK knowledge, integration guidance, and workflow context, so an AI agent can scaffold the integration rather than you reading the docs first. Install them from github.com/Banuba/ai-skills with npx skills add Banuba/ai-skills.
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The Banuba Background Remover API provides official cross-platform plugins to simplify integration into hybrid applications:
Banuba Background Remover API Flutter plugin
Banuba Background Remover API React Native plugin
These Banuba Background Remover API plugins are maintained by Banuba and support faster implementation for cross-platform apps.