Can I blur my background?

Lookback does not currently offer a built-in method for blurring backgrounds. However, on most modern devices and operating systems this can be done at the operating system level. If your device or operating system does not offer blurring, it can also be achieved with third-party software like OBS.

On macOS, background blur is supported on M-series chips, e.g. M1, M2 etc. It is not supported on Intel machines. If your machine is newer than 2020, it's likely you have an M-series chip. You can also use an iPhone with Continuity Camera.

For blurring use the Portrait video effect or, to entirely replace your background, use the Background video effect.

Before starting a session, you can test these effects and get familiar with the controls in Photo Booth.

On Windows 11, background blur support depends on the device's neural processing unit (NPU) performance and is generally available on Copilot+ PCs devices.

Use Standard Blur or Portrait Blur to blur your background.

Before starting a session, you can test these effects and get familiar with the controls in the Windows Camera app.

On ChromeOS, background blur is built in on Chromebook Plus devices. It's applied at the system level. Standard Chromebooks (non-Plus) don't have this feature.

Use Background blur (available in light or heavy) to blur your background.

The controls live in the video call panel, which appears in your shelf (the bar at the bottom of the screen) whenever an app is using your camera. There's no separate preview app, so to test before a session, open any app that uses the camera, open the video call panel from the shelf, and toggle the effects there.

If your device or operating system doesn't offer background blur (for example, an Intel Mac, a Windows PC without a supported NPU, a standard Chromebook, or a Linux machine), you can achieve the same result with OBS Studio, which is free and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

With OBS you'll create a virtual camera and select it, not your real camera, as your camera when joining a Lookback session.

The OBS landscape is shifting, so please look for up-to-date tutorials on how to achieve background blur yourself.