Google is bringing pro-level video-editing techniques to your phone. The search juggernaut is using AI and machine learning (naturally) to make replacing the background of video you take as easy as adding an Instagram filter to a photo. There’s a lot of technical jargon explaining how it all works at the source link, but suffice to say, based on the results it looks pretty convincing. All without the need for an elaborate green screen setup, too.
The tech is only available in a limited beta, and even then, just for certain YouTube creators. To get just a little more limited, the feature is just for “stories” using the video service’s new video format. Yes, they look like Snapchat’s and Instagram’s video captures by the same name. Don’t trust me? Glance immediately below this paragraph.
The results aren’t perfect, of course — there are some halo-like artifacts around the edges of dark clothing, for example — but this looks like the next logical step after Google’s AI-powered portrait mode for still photos on the Pixel 2.
