Eight ways to make subtitle removal faster

Updated October 26, 2026 · Peelframe

AI restoration redraws part of every frame, so it is computation-heavy. On the same computer, settings and the order you work in make a large difference to how long it takes. These are ways to save time without giving up quality, roughly in order of impact. For hardware and how processing works, see how in-browser processing works.

1. Make sure the GPU is used

In desktop Chrome or Edge with WebGPU, AI restoration runs on the graphics processor (GPU); otherwise it runs on the CPU, which takes much longer. If you see “GPU acceleration is not available on this device, so the CPU is used” while processing, update the browser and the graphics driver. On a laptop, plug in the charger so the graphics run at full speed.

2. Trim to the part you need

If there is a long stretch without subtitles at the start or end, cut it off before you load the video. Reading and re-saving the video takes time in proportion to its length, so shortening it is the surest saving.

3. Narrow the search area

For auto removal, if the subtitles always sit at the bottom, set the Search area to Bottom third instead of Whole frame. There is less to search, and less chance of wasting time restoring a sign that was mistaken for a subtitle.

4. Give every box a time range

With Select an area, match each box's start and end to when its subtitles actually appear. Frames without subtitles skip AI restoration, so a narrower range means fewer frames to restore.

5. Use the whole fixed overlay only where needed

Whole fixed overlay · selected time restores every frame in its range. Set to the whole video, it is the slowest option, so mark only the time the overlay is really on screen.

6. Pick the restoration quality

AI restoration quality in the advanced settings has three choices.

• Auto · matched to device and scene — the default, right for most videos.
• Precise · always full resolution — the most careful and the slowest.
• Fast · compute at half resolution — much faster. Good for plain backgrounds or a first look; over fine detail it can leave more trace.

7. Quick fill for plain backgrounds

Quick fill · classic under Removal method fills from the surrounding colors without AI, so it is very light. For small subtitles over sky, walls or flat color it is often enough; over people or busy patterns, AI restoration does better.

8. Do not process twice

The biggest waste is starting over. Check your settings with Test current frame before processing everything, and if a few letters remain in the result, fix just that range with Re-restore selected range in Leftover subtitle check instead of rerunning the whole video.

While it works

• Keep the tab in front. Switching tabs or minimizing the window lets the browser slow it down or pause it.
• Close other tabs and heavy programs (games, video editors) to free memory and GPU.
• The first run downloads the AI models and takes a little longer; later runs use the copy saved in the browser.