Summary
After years of working around the limitations of traditional chroma key workflows, Vizrt AI Keyer™ introduces a faster, more flexible approach to live compositing designed for modern production environments. No green screen required.
In my first interview at Vizrt, I was asked to present a proposal for a product that did not yet exist. My idea was simple: what if a keyer could key itself?
At the time, it felt ambitious. AI was nowhere near mature enough to support live production workflows in a meaningful way. But years later, after watching the evolution of GPUs, software-defined production, and machine learning, that original idea has become reality with the Vizrt AI Keyer™.
More importantly, it represents something bigger than a new feature or workflow enhancement. It reflects a broader shift in how live virtual production is evolving.
For decades, creating convincing live composites has depended on controlling almost every variable in the environment — lighting, reflections, shadows, camera quality, studio setup, and operator expertise. In live production, where there is no opportunity for post-processing, even small imperfections can become immediately visible.
That challenge has shaped an entire generation of production workflows.
A slide from my original presentation
Limitations of traditional keying workflows
Whether in sports broadcasting, elections, financial news, weather coverage, or virtual studios, chroma keying has always required careful preparation. The better the composite needed to look, the more time, expertise, and infrastructure the production demanded.
I remember one election production where we used multiple hardware keyers across different cameras. Two cameras used Ultimatte systems, while another relied on a lower-cost alternative. Every time we cut to that third camera, the difference was immediately visible. Even with experienced operators and careful setup, quality still depended heavily on the technology and the environment being perfectly controlled.
That was always the balancing act with traditional keying workflows. Great results were achievable, but rarely effortless.
AI is changing the game fast
As the industry evolved, so did the technology. Dedicated hardware keyers gave way to GPU-powered software solutions that delivered greater flexibility and accessibility. Vizrt’s Precision Keyer became part of that transition, helping productions achieve high-quality composites directly within modern live production environments.
However, the operational challenges largely remained the same. Productions still needed green screens, controlled lighting, physical setup space, and skilled operators capable of handling more demanding scenarios.
AI based reflection
The future isn’t always green
What makes Vizrt AI Keyer™ interesting is not simply the automation. It is the change in workflow thinking.
Instead of identifying and separating a specific shade of green, the AI model identifies the subject itself. That fundamentally changes the process because productions become far less dependent on perfectly controlled environments.
The result is a workflow that feels significantly more flexible.
Large green screen installations become less critical. Lighting remains important, but less restrictive. Productions no longer need to reserve dedicated studio spaces simply to create professional virtual environments. In many scenarios, teams can transform a small office corner, temporary event space, or exhibition floor into a live production environment within minutes.
Flexible, fast stories with professional backdrops
That operational shift starts to become particularly valuable in live sports production, where temporary presentation spaces, sponsor localization, the use of Augmented Reality elements and rapid deployment are constant challenges. The same flexibility applies across news workflows and corporate communications, where presenters can now appear inside professional virtual environments without dedicated green screen studios or complex setup requirements. Even better, they can teleport guests into the same environment rather than having a split screen or virtual window. Production teams spend less time managing technical constraints and more time focusing on storytelling, audience engagement, and delivery speed.
One of the more interesting aspects of testing Vizrt AI Keyer™ has been seeing how well it handles environments that would traditionally create challenges for chroma key workflows. Hair detail, reflections, inconsistent lighting, and visually busy backgrounds have historically required extensive tweaking and operator intervention.
A common historical use case involves keying out various hairstyles, which is often challenging for operators
But here the Vizrt AI Keyer™ creates a brilliant matte signal and the result is impressive
During internal testing, we used ordinary office environments filled with chairs, furniture, and background movement. The system was still able to generate surprisingly clean matte signals and convincing composites without requiring a controlled studio setup.
We tried to use an insanely complex background for testing
The final output shows that the Vizrt AI Keyer™ performed very well
Live production in any space
That level of flexibility changes expectations around where live production can happen.
It also opens interesting possibilities for remote production workflows. If the system can isolate a presenter without requiring a green screen environment, contributors can potentially be brought directly into live productions from almost anywhere. Combined with technologies such as Reality Connect, which introduces real-time reflections and shadows, the result becomes significantly more immersive and believable.
Of course, Vizrt AI Keyer™ does not replace every chroma key workflow overnight.
High-end productions with extreme movement, complex framing, or multiple subjects may still benefit from traditional keying approaches and advanced manual control. Precision Keyer and dedicated hardware workflows continue to offer flexibility for highly specialized production environments.
But for a growing number of live production scenarios, Vizrt AI Keyer™ dramatically reduces the operational barriers to creating immersive content.
Vizrt AI Keyer™ - Demo at NAB 2026
In this demo, I explore how AI-powered keying and virtual studio technology can help create studio-quality productions without greenscreens, dedicated sets, or complex infrastructure, enabling more flexible workflows and immersive viewer experiences.
Operational simplicity at your fingertips
That was especially clear during our demos at NAB. One of the most common reactions from visitors was confusion at the absence of a traditional green screen setup or tracking camera (complex crane setups) People would look behind the presenter, then back at the monitor, trying to understand how the composite was working in real time.
That reaction reinforced something important: the real significance of Vizrt AI Keyer™ is not simply the technology itself. It is the operational simplicity it introduces.
For years, production teams have adapted workflows around technical limitations. Vizrt AI Keyer™ begins to reverse that relationship by allowing the technology to adapt more naturally to the production itself. And that feels like a meaningful shift for where live production is heading next.
The broader opportunity extends beyond keying alone. Combined with cloud workflows, remote production, NDI, real-time graphics, and software-defined infrastructure, AI-native production tools are helping reshape how live content is created and delivered.
At Vizrt, we are only beginning to explore what those workflows can become.
Vizrt AI Keyer™ bagged Product of the Year at NAB 2026
