Tutorial
How to remove your background while recording on iPhone
Face Mode removes your background on your iPhone and keeps you whole, placed over the rear-camera footage, no green screen.
In short
To remove your background while recording on iPhone, open SplitRig, tap Layout, choose Face Mode, and tap record. SplitRig removes your background in real time on the iPhone's Neural Engine: you stay whole, placed over the view of the back camera, with no chroma key and no green screen, baked into the saved video.
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What Face Mode actually does
Face Mode separates you from whatever is behind you on the front camera, entirely on your iPhone, and places you over the rear-camera scene. It happens live as you record, with no green screen and no editing step.
The cut-out is clean, with no noticeable lag: the background removal runs at the same time as the recording, so it never slows the capture down.
How to use it
- Open SplitRig.
- Tap Layout in the bottom bar.
- Choose Face Mode.
- Position yourself. The front camera now shows only you over the rear scene.
- Tap record. The composite is baked into the saved video.
Tips that actually work
- Light your face evenly. A direct front light gives the cleanest, sharpest edge around your hair.
- Stay 60–120 cm from the front camera. Closer than that, parts of your face go off-frame. Further, there is less for the background removal to work with.
- Plain backgrounds aren't required, but a busy background helps the contrast and produces a sharper cutout.
Why on-device matters
Cloud-based "remove background" services exist, but they require uploading every frame to a server. That's slow, expensive, and a privacy risk. SplitRig's background removal runs entirely on your iPhone: no frames leave the device, ever. Your footage is yours.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove the background while recording video on iPhone?
Use SplitRig's Face Mode. It removes your background in real time on the iPhone's Neural Engine: you stay whole, placed over the view of the back camera, baked into the recording, with no green screen needed.
Can I switch out of Face Mode mid-recording?
Yes. The Layout menu works during recording. Switching modes does not interrupt the file.
Does Face Mode work on iPhone 11?
Yes. Face Mode background removal works on every iPhone SplitRig supports, from iPhone 11 up, entirely on the device and with no green screen.