Level 7 (25,870 points)

An observation: Magnetic Mask vs. Scene Removal Mask on M4 & M2 minis.

This is just an observation and not a question.

To answer someone's question I dropped a 4K clip into the timeline of FCP on my M4 mini and added the Magnetic Mask.

The video as you can see (below) is really quite unsuitable for this technique but with a 5 or 6 extra bits clicked on I got a decent though far from perfect result.

I then did the same thing on my M2 mini except I used the Scene Removal Mask for speed and beggar me, the result was pretty nearly as good . . . actually better in some places.

I was just amazed that the instantaneous SRM was to all intents and purposes as good as the more professional and time-consuming MM.

As you can see, the lighting and extremely fussy background make the subject highly unsuitable for masking.

Posted on Sep 23, 2026 7:25 AM

3 replies

Ian R. Brown Author

Level 7 (25,870 points)

Sep 24, 2026 1:48 AM in response to Smilin-Brian

I included the photo simply to show the intense lighting and variable sunlight and shadow together with the extremely detailed and fussy background.

I did edit the MM by adding around half a dozen extra points but did get tearing of the image in places.

I wasn't concerned about getting a perfect mask as it was just a quick demo of the technique to someone.

I was just surprised that when repeated on my other Mac using the SRM the results were nearly identical . . . I was expecting a noticeable difference.

As mentioned originally, it was not a question, just an observation suggesting that if using a simpler background the SRM might be a better choice as it is instantaneous whereas the MM takes time to analyse the clip and the end result even after a bit of adjusting doesn't appear to be all that better.

Just a suggestion for anybody who had never considered it as I had written off SRM after MM appeared.