Background blur · Mac and iPhone
Blur the background behind you in a video
Blur is the quiet fix. It keeps your real room, so the shot still feels natural, while hiding the laundry, the whiteboard or whoever walks past.
Because Zella separates you from the room on your device, the blur follows your outline instead of softening the whole frame, and your lips stay in sync with your voice even on a blurred webcam bubble.
- Mac and iPhone
- Free on every tier
Quick answer
Zella blurs the background behind you with on-device segmentation, on Mac and iPhone, with no green screen. On iPhone, choose blur as the live background in the viewfinder, or switch to it in the editor later; on the Mac, pick Blur under Background in Studio Settings for your webcam, or use Remove Background in the editor. It is free on every tier and nothing is uploaded.
How to do it in Zella
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Step 1: iPhone: set it before you roll
Start a camera recording and choose blur as the live background. You see the result in the viewfinder while you record.
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Step 2: iPhone: or blur it in the editor
Tap Remove background in the editor and switch the backdrop to blur. You can change your mind later and pick a cutout or a scene instead.
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Step 3: Mac: choose Blur for your webcam
In the Setup panel, click Studio. On the Camera tab, under Background, pick Blur, then record as usual.
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Step 4: Mac: or blur it after recording
In the editor, click Remove Background in the sidebar, then blur what was behind you instead of replacing it.
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Step 5: Export
Export as usual. The blur is part of the file on every format.
Why do it this way
Hides the room, keeps the feel
A softened real background reads more natural than a pasted-in scene, and it takes no setup at all.
Real time on iPhone
Segmentation runs on the Neural Engine while you film, so you see the finished look in the viewfinder before you commit to the take.
Free everywhere
Background blur is free on every tier on Mac and iPhone, with no watermark and nothing uploaded.
What you need
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later (Apple Silicon or Intel), or iPhone on iOS 18 or later
- On the Mac, Blur uses the graphics chip and can run slower on Intel Macs; the live Camera background is the lightest
- Free on every tier: no watermark, exports up to 2 minutes at 1080p
Questions
Can I blur the background after recording?
Yes. On iPhone, tap Remove background in the editor and switch to blur. On the Mac, Remove Background in the editor's sidebar mattes you out and can blur what was behind you.
Does it work without a green screen?
Yes. Zella separates you from the room on your device, from ordinary footage.
Will a blurred webcam bubble throw off lip sync?
No. Zella keeps your lips in sync with the audio even with a blurred or removed background, which is normally the hardest case to get right.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Blur, cutout and replacement all run on your Mac or iPhone.
Related tools
Read the manual