media-matte

name	media-matte
description	AI background removal and matting for stills + video with open-source + commercial-safe models: rembg (MIT, bundles u2net / isnet / sam backends), BiRefNet (MIT, 2024 SOTA bilateral reference segmentation), RMBG-2.0 (Apache 2.0, briaai's 2025 model — note v2.0 is Apache, v1.4 was NC and is NOT used here), RobustVideoMatting / RVM (GPL-3.0, temporal-coherent video matting). No green screen required — neural nets predict alpha on arbitrary backgrounds. Use when the user asks to remove a background from an image or video, extract a subject without a greenscreen, auto-matte a person, cut out a product photo, replace a video background, create a transparent PNG from a photo, generate an alpha channel for compositing, or do video-coherent matting on moving subjects.
argument-hint	[model] [input] [output]

Media Matte

Context: $ARGUMENTS

Quick start

• Still image → transparent PNG: rembg (default) → Step 2 recipe A.
• Very hard edges (hair, fur, glass): BiRefNet → Step 2 recipe B.
• Product photos, no humans: RMBG-2.0 → Step 2 recipe C.
• Video with a moving person: RVM (RobustVideoMatting) → Step 3.
• Composite subject onto new background: matte, then composite subcommand → Step 5.

When to use

• User says "remove background", "cut out", "no greenscreen", "matte", "transparent PNG", "alpha channel".
• Source has a subject on an arbitrary background (natural photo, phone video, product shot).
• Video has a moving subject and a per-frame rembg run flickers in the edges — use RVM for temporal coherence.
• Do NOT use for chroma-key on actual greenscreen footage — use ffmpeg-chromakey instead. A real green screen is cheaper and sharper than neural matting.
• Do NOT use for binary/hard segmentation masks for object-detection tasks — use cv-mediapipe / cv-opencv.

Step 1 — Pick a model

Model	License	Best for	Form	Video?
rembg	MIT	General still images, pip-installable	pip install rembg CLI + Python	Frame-by-frame only
BiRefNet	MIT	Hair, fur, semi-transparent edges	Python (torch + HF transformers)	Frame-by-frame only
RMBG-2.0	Apache 2.0	Products, e-commerce	HuggingFace briaai/RMBG-2.0	Frame-by-frame only
RVM	GPL-3.0	Video with temporal coherence	Python (torch); TorchScript/ONNX	Yes, native

Decision rules:

1. One photo, general subject → rembg with model isnet-general-use (default). Fastest install.
2. Photo with wispy hair or soft edges → BiRefNet.
3. Product/commercial shot → RMBG-2.0.
4. Video of a person → RVM (temporal model, no flicker, ~4K real-time on decent GPU).

Do NOT use: Adobe Sensei (proprietary cloud), backgroundremover.app (freemium SaaS), RMBG v1.4 (CC-BY-NC — non-commercial only; the v2.0 release IS Apache 2.0 and is what this skill uses).

Step 2 — Install + run on a still image

scripts/matte.py install <model> prints the platform-specific command. It does not auto-install.

# rembg (Python pip; default u2net / isnet weights bundled, Apache-2.0 weights)
uv pip install "rembg[cli]"

# BiRefNet (from HuggingFace)
uv pip install torch torchvision transformers pillow

# RMBG-2.0
uv pip install torch transformers pillow
# Then from Python: AutoModelForImageSegmentation.from_pretrained("briaai/RMBG-2.0", trust_remote_code=True)

# RVM
git clone https://github.com/PeterL1n/RobustVideoMatting
uv pip install torch torchvision av tqdm pims
# Or PyPI: uv pip install rvm   (community wrapper)

Recipe A — rembg on a photo

# CLI (bundled with 'rembg[cli]')
rembg i photo.jpg photo_cutout.png
# Pick a model (-m):
rembg i -m isnet-general-use photo.jpg photo_cutout.png
# Other models: u2net, u2netp, u2net_human_seg, isnet-anime, silueta, sam (requires GPU + prompts)
# Alpha-matting for cleaner edges (slow):
rembg i -a photo.jpg photo_cutout.png

Driver script:

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py image \
  --model rembg --in photo.jpg --out photo_cutout.png \
  --model-name isnet-general-use

Recipe B — BiRefNet (hair / fur / soft edges)

# Minimal Python via transformers:
from transformers import AutoModelForImageSegmentation
from PIL import Image
import torch, torchvision.transforms as T

model = AutoModelForImageSegmentation.from_pretrained(
    "ZhengPeng7/BiRefNet", trust_remote_code=True
)
model.eval().to("cuda")  # or "cpu"

img = Image.open("photo.jpg").convert("RGB")
tx = T.Compose([T.Resize((1024, 1024)), T.ToTensor(),
                T.Normalize([0.485, 0.456, 0.406], [0.229, 0.224, 0.225])])
with torch.no_grad():
    mask = model(tx(img).unsqueeze(0).to("cuda"))[-1].sigmoid().cpu()[0, 0]
alpha = T.Resize(img.size[::-1])(mask.unsqueeze(0))[0].numpy()
# Composite alpha into RGBA output

The driver wraps this:

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py image \
  --model birefnet --in photo.jpg --out photo_cutout.png

Recipe C — RMBG-2.0 (e-commerce / product)

from transformers import AutoModelForImageSegmentation
model = AutoModelForImageSegmentation.from_pretrained("briaai/RMBG-2.0", trust_remote_code=True)
# Same inference loop as BiRefNet — both are transformers-compatible segmentation models.

Driver:

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py image \
  --model rmbg2 --in product.jpg --out product_cutout.png

Step 3 — Matte a video (RVM)

RVM is temporal: it looks at previous frames' hidden state so edges don't flicker.

# Upstream inference script (from the RVM repo)
python inference.py \
  --variant mobilenetv3 \
  --checkpoint rvm_mobilenetv3.pth \
  --device cuda \
  --input-source input.mp4 \
  --output-type video \
  --output-composition comp.mp4 \
  --output-alpha alpha.mp4 \
  --output-foreground fg.mp4 \
  --output-video-mbps 8 \
  --seq-chunk 1
# Variants: mobilenetv3 (fast, realtime), resnet50 (slow, higher quality)

Driver:

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py video \
  --model rvm --in input.mp4 --out composite.mp4 \
  --variant mobilenetv3 --bg bg.png

The script writes:

• composite.mp4 — subject over the supplied --bg (PNG, JPG, or MP4)
• alpha.mp4 (optional via --alpha) — 8-bit mask video
• fg.mp4 (optional via --foreground) — premultiplied subject

Step 4 — Refine with a trimap (optional)

If the AI mask is almost right but the user has a rough trimap (black = bg, white = fg, gray = unknown), RVM and BiRefNet can refine. rembg supports alpha-matting (-a) which does a similar edge refinement via pymatting:

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py refine \
  --in photo.jpg --mask trimap.png --out refined.png

Step 5 — Composite on a new background

# Still on still
uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py composite \
  --fg subject_rgba.png --bg beach.jpg --out final.png

# Video on still/video — ffmpeg overlay with alpha
ffmpeg -i bg.mp4 -i alpha.mp4 -i fg.mp4 \
  -filter_complex "[1:v]format=yuva420p,alphaextract[a];[2:v][a]alphamerge[subject];[0:v][subject]overlay=shortest=1[v]" \
  -map "[v]" -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 18 -pix_fmt yuv420p composite.mp4

Gotchas

• rembg u2net MODEL weights are Apache-2.0, separate license from rembg's code (MIT). Both are commercial-safe. Document both in your product's NOTICES page. The u2netp variant ships with its own license — check the file header if you depend on it.
• RMBG v1.4 is CC-BY-NC (non-commercial). This skill does NOT use v1.4. RMBG-2.0 is Apache 2.0 and IS commercial-safe. Confirm the HuggingFace repo id is briaai/RMBG-2.0, not briaai/RMBG-1.4.
• Critical: RVM is GPL-3.0. Any code that links to RVM becomes GPL-3.0 (copyleft propagation). If you're building a commercial closed-source product, you MUST run RVM as a subprocess (CLI boundary) — NOT import its Python modules into your product's code. The driver script in this skill invokes RVM's inference.py via subprocess.run, preserving the boundary. Do the same in your own product.
• rembg is frame-by-frame only — running it on video frames produces edge flicker (temporal inconsistency). Use RVM for videos.
• BiRefNet's input size matters. The default 1024×1024 transform is aggressive. For very large photos, consider tile-based processing or accept some quality loss.
• Alpha channel in ffmpeg MP4 is unreliable. For a transparent video, use .mov with prores_ks -profile:v 4444 or .webm with VP9 (-pix_fmt yuva420p). MP4 does not carry alpha on most players.
• yuva420p vs yuv420p. RVM writes foreground as yuv420p (matte baked onto black). If you want true alpha video, use --output-type png_sequence and remux into ProRes 4444 / VP9+alpha.
• GPU requirement. BiRefNet / RMBG-2.0 / RVM run on CPU but are dramatically faster on GPU. rembg isnet-general-use is CPU-tolerable for single images.
• Fine detail (hair, fur). All four models produce a mask that's soft in hair regions. BiRefNet is currently the best open-source option for this; use alpha-matting post-process (pymatting / rembg -a) if edges still look chunky.
• Glass / transparency. None of these models do true transparency (the subject is classified binary foreground). For glass/liquid, consider hand-keying in DaVinci/Nuke.
• SAM backend inside rembg requires prompts (points or boxes). Not the right tool for "just remove the background" — that's what u2net / isnet are for.

Examples

Example 1: Still photo → transparent PNG

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py image \
  --model rembg --in portrait.jpg --out portrait_cutout.png

Example 2: Product photo (white background) → clean cutout

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py image \
  --model rmbg2 --in shoe.jpg --out shoe_cutout.png

Example 3: Video interview → person over a new background image

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py video \
  --model rvm --in interview.mp4 --out out.mp4 --bg office.jpg --variant mobilenetv3

Example 4: Batch a folder of product photos

for f in products/*.jpg; do
  uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py image \
    --model rmbg2 --in "$f" --out "cutouts/$(basename "${f%.*}").png"
done

Example 5: Check installed backends

uv run ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/matte.py check

Troubleshooting

Error: rembg: command not found

Cause: rembg not installed. Solution: uv pip install "rembg[cli]". CLI becomes available as rembg. Also run rembg d once to pre-download a default model (otherwise first run downloads on the fly).

rembg output has jagged / chunky edges around hair

Cause: u2net / isnet is a segmentation model, not a matting model. Solution: switch to BiRefNet (--model birefnet), or use rembg -a (alpha matting via pymatting), or hand off to a trimap-aware refine step.

RVM: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'model'

Cause: RVM's inference.py expects to be run from inside the RVM repo (relative imports). Solution: cd into the cloned RobustVideoMatting directory, then run. The driver script does this via cwd= in subprocess.run.

Video composite has subject "glowing" at the edges

Cause: premultiplied vs. straight alpha mismatch. Solution: let ffmpeg handle premultiplication: premultiply=inplace=1 before alphamerge. Or export the foreground as straight alpha with RVM's --output-foreground and composite with overlay=format=rgb flags.

.mp4 output has no transparency

Cause: MP4 + H.264 yuv420p can't carry alpha across most players. Solution: for transparent video use .mov with prores_ks -profile:v 4444 -pix_fmt yuva444p10le, or .webm with VP9 (libvpx-vp9 -pix_fmt yuva420p).

Slow CPU inference (BiRefNet / RMBG-2.0)

Cause: no GPU. Solution: smaller input size (512×512), or switch to rembg on CPU (still slower than GPU but acceptable for single images), or batch on a cloud GPU.

Reference docs

• Per-model URLs, license, benchmarks, GPU/CPU notes → references/models.md.
• Full license table — including the v1.4 vs. v2.0 RMBG distinction and GPL-3.0 RVM implications → references/LICENSES.md.