How to remove unwanted objects and visuals from videos

February 17, 2025
7 Min
Video Engineering
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Raw, unedited videos often include distractions that weaken engagement, irrelevant frames, awkward pauses, or even sensitive content that does not belong. These issues make it harder for audiences to stay focused and reduce the overall clarity of the message. Traditionally, the only way to fix this has been through manual editing, a process that is slow, labour-intensive, and difficult to scale when working with large volumes of content.

FastPix changes that by streamlining by offering features like clipping and unwanted visual removal into a seamless workflow. Instead of sifting through footage frame by frame, developers and content creators can make precise edits with minimal effort, ensuring videos remain polished and engaging without sacrificing efficiency. This shift from manual effort to automation means high-quality edits happen faster, allowing teams to focus on delivering impactful content at scale.

Why an API solution is better for removing unwanted visuals?

Traditional video editing tools, while powerful, often require manual intervention. Navigating through complex timelines, making frame-by-frame adjustments, and repeating tedious tasks for precision. This not only slows down workflows but also demands specialized skills and tools, making it less accessible for developers or teams looking to scale their video processing capabilities.

An API-driven solution, like FastPix’s approach, shifts the paradigm by offering automation, precision, and flexibility in a developer-friendly package. Here’s why an API solution is better:

  1. Automation and scalability: APIs enable developers to automate repetitive tasks, such as identifying and removing unwanted visuals, with minimal human effort. This automation scales easily, allowing teams to handle large volumes of video content without increasing overhead.
  2. Precision without manual overhead: With traditional tools, achieving precise edits requires painstaking manual input. FastPix’s API eliminates this by letting developers specify edits programmatically, ensuring high accuracy without the need to navigate complex editing software.
  3. Seamless integration: APIs are designed to integrate effortlessly into existing workflows. Developers can combine FastPix’s capabilities with other tools and platforms, creating a streamlined pipeline for video clipping, editing, and delivery.
  4. Developer-friendly customization: APIs offer a range of flexible options, from automated filtering to timeline-based adjustments. This allows developers to tailor the editing process to their exact requirements, ensuring that no irrelevant frame or unwanted visual disrupts the final output.

Core features and functionality

Manual selection: Frame-level precision

FastPix gives developers full control over video edits with frame-level precision. Users can visually select and remove unwanted objects or sections through an intuitive interface, eliminating the need for complex timeline navigation. This feature works seamlessly with clipping, allowing users to isolate key segments before refining them further. By integrating manual selection into their frontend, developers can offer a streamlined editing experience without requiring deep video expertise.

Timeline specification: Automated precision editing

For structured edits at scale, FastPix enables timeline-based removal, allowing users to define precise time ranges such as to eliminate unwanted content without manually reviewing footage. The API handles timestamp recalculations automatically, ensuring seamless transitions between adjacent segments. This is particularly useful for processing large volumes of content efficiently, reducing the need for manual intervention while maintaining high editing accuracy.

NSFW content filtering: Automated moderation

FastPix provides built-in tools for detecting and removing inappropriate or unwanted content within a defined segment. The system analyzes video in real time, helping ensure compliance with content guidelines across platforms. Since it integrates directly with clipping, developers can maintain content safety without disrupting workflows. This approach simplifies moderation while preserving the integrity of the final video output.

Step-by-Step guide to removing unwanted visuals with FastPix

FastPix makes it easy to remove unnecessary sections from a video using its API. Whether you need to eliminate mistakes, interruptions, or irrelevant content, you can specify the segments to remove and let FastPix handle the edits automatically.

Step 1: Identify unwanted segments

Before making any API requests, determine the start and end times for the segments you want to remove. For example, in a 10-second video, if you want to cut out sections from 2-5 seconds and 7-9 seconds, note these timestamps carefully.

Tip: Ensure your timestamps precisely cover the unwanted content to avoid cutting out important parts of the video.

Step 2: Configure the JSON request with expunge segments

FastPix allows you to specify the segments to remove using the expungeSegments field in a JSON request.

If creating new media from a URL

Use the create media from url API to upload and edit a video in one step.

Example JSON Request:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "video",
      "url": "https://static.fastpix.io/sample.mp4",
      "expungeSegments": ["2-5", "7-9"]
    }
  ],
  "accessPolicy": "public",
  "maxResolution": "1080p"
}

In this case, FastPix removes the specified segments while keeping the rest of the video intact.

If uploading new media from a device

For direct file uploads, use the upload media from device API.

Example JSON Request:

{
  "corsOrigin": "*",
  "pushMediaSettings": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "type": "video",
        "expungeSegments": ["2-5", "7-9"]
      }
    ],
    "metadata": {
      "key1": "value1"
    },
    "accessPolicy": "public",
    "maxResolution": "1080p"
  }
}

If editing an existing media file

To remove segments from a video that has already been uploaded to FastPix, use its media ID instead of a URL.

Example JSON request:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "video",
      "url": "fp_mediaId://14206796-a1f5-4b9f-a086-2595802425d8",
      "expungeSegments": ["4-6", "15-19"]
    }
  ],
  "accessPolicy": "public",
  "maxResolution": "1080p"
}

Here, FastPix removes the segments from 4-6 seconds and 15-19 seconds, leaving the rest untouched.

Step 3: Submit your API request

Once your JSON request is ready, send it through the FastPix API. The system processes the request, removing the specified segments and generating the final edited video.

Example scenario

If your original video is 10 seconds long and you remove two segments (2-5 seconds and 7-9 seconds), the final output will be 5 seconds long, seamlessly edited without quality loss.

Best practices for optimal results

Use precise timestamps: Ensure start and end times match the unwanted content.

Avoid over-cutting: Keep the narrative intact by only removing truly unnecessary sections.

Preview edited videos: Always review the output to confirm that all edits are as expected.

A developer-centric approach

FastPix transforms video editing from a manual, time-consuming process into an efficient, automated workflow. Instead of scrubbing through footage frame by frame, developers can precisely remove unwanted visuals with a simple API call, making high-quality edits effortless at any scale.

Efficiency without the bottlenecks

Manually editing videos is slow and tedious. FastPix eliminates this friction by automating segment removal, reducing hours of work to seconds while maintaining full creative control.

Scalability without compromise

Handling a handful of videos is one thing, managing a vast video library is another. FastPix ensures that unwanted content can be removed quickly and efficiently, whether processing a single file or thousands.

Frame-level precision, maximum quality

Edits should be precise, not approximate. FastPix provides exact control over every frame, ensuring that only the intended content is removed while keeping the rest of the video intact.

Wrapping up…

Not every second of footage is worth keeping—some moments are just filler, distractions, or things you’d rather not include. Instead of spending hours scrubbing through timelines, a smarter approach lets you clean up videos effortlessly. Whether you're refining a highlight reel, sharpening a testimonial, or making lessons more engaging, cutting out the clutter means your content stays focused, polished, and to the point.
But that’s not all, FastPix offers much more to simplify you video. To dive deeper into its features and see how it can transform your workflow, check out our feature section. 

FAQs

How can I automate the process of removing unwanted sections from a video without manual editing?

Automating video editing can be done using an API that allows you to specify exact timestamps or time ranges for unwanted sections. By defining the start and end times of the segments to be removed, the API will process the video and seamlessly remove the specified content while keeping the rest of the footage intact.

What is the best way to handle large video libraries and remove irrelevant content at scale?

For large video libraries, batch processing with an API is an effective approach. You can configure the API to automatically remove unwanted sections based on predefined criteria, such as time-based removal or content filtering. This allows you to streamline the editing process across a large volume of content without the need for manual intervention.

What are the most effective ways to improve video editing workflows for content creators?

Optimizing video editing workflows can be achieved by automating tedious tasks, such as removing irrelevant sections, clipping unnecessary footage, and applying content filtering. Using advanced APIs that handle these tasks with precision can significantly reduce editing time while improving content quality.

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