diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f6e067d..c793047 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -59,6 +59,19 @@ background-hued residual such as blue trapped between hair strands). Switch with
 `--trimap-mode seg` (topology only, no hue split) or `directional-hard-bg` (aggressive
 — hard-removes background-hued pixels; can eat cool/shadowed white cloth).
 
+## Non-flat backgrounds
+
+Pass `--no-chroma` (or `chroma.enabled: false`) to matte images whose background is
+**not** one flat colour — gradients, textures, scenes. There is no colour key in
+this mode: the segmentation mask alone drives the trimap (mode forced to `seg`),
+ViTMatte still refines the unknown band at full resolution, and pymatting still
+estimates edge foreground colour. Every colour-keyed stage is bypassed: background
+auto-detection, the directional hue split, chroma alpha suppression, despill, and
+the cross-check veto (with `--cross-check-as-seg` the second model still provides
+the segmentation mask). Requires the segmentation pipeline; quality then rests
+entirely on the segmenter's mask, so expect flat-background results to stay
+stronger on hair-level detail.
+
 ## Background colour
 
 By default (`screen_color: null`) the background colour is **auto-detected** from the
diff --git a/bgfilter/cli.py b/bgfilter/cli.py
index ad4d299..b9b58d1 100644
--- a/bgfilter/cli.py
+++ b/bgfilter/cli.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ def main(
     device: str | None = typer.Option(None, "--device"),
     precision: str | None = typer.Option(None, "--precision", help="Compute precision for all models (ViTMatte cast + BiRefNet autocast): fp32 (default) | bf16 (faster + halves matting activation memory; needs bf16-capable hardware, else falls back to fp32)"),
     screen_color: str | None = typer.Option(None, "--screen-color", help="Background colour prior as #RRGGBB (default: auto-detect the flat background colour)"),
+    chroma: bool | None = typer.Option(None, "--chroma/--no-chroma", help="Colour-key the flat background (default: on). --no-chroma = non-flat background mode: segmentation alone drives the trimap; auto-detect, hue split, chroma suppression, despill and the cross-check veto are bypassed"),
     matting_method: str | None = typer.Option(None, "--matting-method"),
     fallback_to_chroma_alpha: bool | None = typer.Option(None, "--fallback-to-chroma-alpha/--no-fallback-to-chroma-alpha"),
     sure_bg_threshold: float | None = typer.Option(None, "--sure-bg-threshold", min=0.0, max=1.0),
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ def main(
             device=device,
             precision=precision,
             screen_color=screen_color,
+            chroma=chroma,
             matting_method=matting_method,
             fallback_to_chroma_alpha=fallback_to_chroma_alpha,
             sure_bg_threshold=sure_bg_threshold,
diff --git a/bgfilter/config.py b/bgfilter/config.py
index 688aa1d..d58574f 100644
--- a/bgfilter/config.py
+++ b/bgfilter/config.py
@@ -99,6 +99,9 @@ def override_settings(settings: PipelineSettings, **overrides: Any) -> PipelineS
     }
     if overrides.get("trimap_mode") is not None:
         trimap_updates["mode"] = overrides["trimap_mode"]
+    chroma_updates: dict[str, Any] = {}
+    if overrides.get("chroma") is not None:
+        chroma_updates["enabled"] = overrides["chroma"]
     despill_updates: dict[str, Any] = {}
     if overrides.get("despill") is not None:
         despill_updates["enabled"] = overrides["despill"]
@@ -130,7 +133,7 @@ def override_settings(settings: PipelineSettings, **overrides: Any) -> PipelineS
         else settings.screen_color
     )
     return PipelineSettings(
-        chroma=chroma,
+        chroma=_update_dataclass(chroma, chroma_updates),
         trimap=_update_dataclass(trimap, trimap_updates),
         alpha_post=alpha_post,
         cross_check=_update_dataclass(settings.cross_check, cross_check_updates),
diff --git a/bgfilter/despill.py b/bgfilter/despill.py
index cb86144..6c9c815 100644
--- a/bgfilter/despill.py
+++ b/bgfilter/despill.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from .settings import DespillSettings
 def despill(
     rgb: np.ndarray,
     alpha: np.ndarray,
-    model: BackgroundModel,
+    model: BackgroundModel | None,
     settings: DespillSettings,
 ) -> tuple[np.ndarray, np.ndarray]:
     """Remove background-colour spill from the foreground.
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ def despill(
 
     Returns the corrected RGB (uint8) and the per-pixel despill weight (float32).
     """
-    if not settings.enabled:
+    # model is None with chroma disabled: no key colour means no spill direction.
+    if not settings.enabled or model is None:
         return rgb.copy(), np.zeros(alpha.shape, dtype=np.float32)
 
     bg_lab = np.asarray(model.lab_center, dtype=np.float32)
diff --git a/bgfilter/foreground.py b/bgfilter/foreground.py
index b898761..41f0de7 100644
--- a/bgfilter/foreground.py
+++ b/bgfilter/foreground.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ def estimate_foreground_rgb(
     rgb: np.ndarray,
     alpha: np.ndarray,
     bg_confidence: np.ndarray,
-    model: BackgroundModel,
+    model: BackgroundModel | None,
     settings: ForegroundSettings,
 ) -> np.ndarray:
     """Estimated foreground colour F (uint8 HxWx3) for compositing over alpha."""
@@ -23,10 +23,15 @@ def estimate_foreground_rgb(
         try:
             return _estimate_ml(rgb, alpha, settings)
         except RuntimeError:
-            if not settings.fallback_to_unmix:
+            if not settings.fallback_to_unmix or model is None:
                 raise
             method = "unmix"
     if method == "unmix":
+        if model is None:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "Foreground method 'unmix' needs the chroma background model, which "
+                "does not exist with chroma disabled; use method 'ml'."
+            )
         return _estimate_unmix(rgb, alpha, bg_confidence, model, settings)
     raise RuntimeError(
         f"Unsupported foreground method '{settings.method}'. Use 'ml' or 'unmix'."
diff --git a/bgfilter/pipeline.py b/bgfilter/pipeline.py
index f1906aa..f6d2880 100644
--- a/bgfilter/pipeline.py
+++ b/bgfilter/pipeline.py
@@ -132,10 +132,26 @@ def run_image(
 
 def _process_rgb(rgb: np.ndarray, pipeline: MattingPipeline) -> MattingResult:
     settings = pipeline.settings
-    screen_color = parse_hex_color(settings.screen_color) if settings.screen_color else None
-    bg_confidence, model = compute_bg_confidence(
-        rgb, settings=settings.chroma, screen_color=screen_color
-    )
+    if settings.chroma.enabled:
+        screen_color = parse_hex_color(settings.screen_color) if settings.screen_color else None
+        bg_confidence, model = compute_bg_confidence(
+            rgb, settings=settings.chroma, screen_color=screen_color
+        )
+    else:
+        if not settings.segmentation.enabled:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "chroma.enabled: false (non-flat background mode) needs the segmentation "
+                "pipeline; enable segmentation or re-enable chroma."
+            )
+        if settings.model.matting_method == "chroma":
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "matting_method 'chroma' needs the chroma key; use 'vitmatte' or re-enable chroma."
+            )
+        # Non-flat background: no colour key exists. A zero background-confidence
+        # map makes every chroma-fused formula degrade to its seg-only form; the
+        # colour-keyed stages (hue split, suppression, veto, despill) are skipped.
+        bg_confidence = np.zeros(rgb.shape[:2], dtype=np.float32)
+        model = None
     second_alpha = None
     if settings.segmentation.enabled:
         reuse = (
@@ -154,7 +170,9 @@ def _process_rgb(rgb: np.ndarray, pipeline: MattingPipeline) -> MattingResult:
             seg_mask = second_alpha
         else:
             seg_mask = pipeline._segment(rgb)
-        mode = settings.trimap.mode
+        # The directional modes are colour tests against the key colour; without
+        # one, the seg-topology trimap is the only meaningful choice.
+        mode = settings.trimap.mode if settings.chroma.enabled else "seg"
         if mode == "seg":
             trimap, trimap_stats = fuse_trimap(seg_mask, bg_confidence, settings.trimap)
         elif mode in ("directional", "directional-hard-bg"):
@@ -173,14 +191,17 @@ def _process_rgb(rgb: np.ndarray, pipeline: MattingPipeline) -> MattingResult:
     raw_alpha, alpha_source = pipeline._predict_alpha(rgb, trimap, bg_confidence)
 
     alpha = enforce_trimap(raw_alpha, trimap)
-    alpha = suppress_alpha_by_chroma(
-        alpha, bg_confidence, trimap, settings.alpha_post,
-        # The matte-confidence gate only makes sense for a real matting prediction;
-        # a chroma-seeded alpha is itself colour evidence, so no gate there.
-        raw_alpha=raw_alpha if alpha_source == "vitmatte" else None,
-    )
+    if settings.chroma.enabled:
+        alpha = suppress_alpha_by_chroma(
+            alpha, bg_confidence, trimap, settings.alpha_post,
+            # The matte-confidence gate only makes sense for a real matting prediction;
+            # a chroma-seeded alpha is itself colour evidence, so no gate there.
+            raw_alpha=raw_alpha if alpha_source == "vitmatte" else None,
+        )
     alpha = clean_alpha(alpha, trimap, settings.alpha_post)
-    if settings.cross_check.enabled:
+    # The veto's suspect zone is defined by background hue, so it needs the key
+    # colour; without chroma the second opinion still serves as seg (reuse above).
+    if settings.cross_check.enabled and settings.chroma.enabled:
         lab = convert_color_spaces(rgb)[1]
         if second_alpha is None:
             second_alpha = pipeline._second_opinion(rgb)
@@ -199,7 +220,7 @@ def _process_rgb(rgb: np.ndarray, pipeline: MattingPipeline) -> MattingResult:
 
     metadata = {
         "alpha_source": alpha_source,
-        "background_model": model.to_dict(),
+        "background_model": model.to_dict() if model is not None else None,
         "trimap": trimap_stats,
         "settings": asdict(settings),
     }
diff --git a/bgfilter/settings.py b/bgfilter/settings.py
index fe95a47..eb516b9 100644
--- a/bgfilter/settings.py
+++ b/bgfilter/settings.py
@@ -5,6 +5,14 @@ from dataclasses import dataclass
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
 class ChromaSettings:
+    # False = non-flat-background mode (--no-chroma): no colour key at all.
+    # Segmentation alone drives the trimap (mode forced to "seg"), and every
+    # colour-keyed stage is bypassed: background auto-detect, the directional
+    # hue split, chroma alpha suppression, despill, the cross-check veto (its
+    # suspect zone is background-hued by definition; with reuse_as_seg the
+    # second opinion still serves as the segmenter), and the unmix foreground
+    # fallback. Requires segmentation.enabled and matting_method 'vitmatte'.
+    enabled: bool = True
     border_ratio: float = 0.04
     min_samples: int = 2048
     lab_sigma_min: float = 10.0
diff --git a/configs/default.yaml b/configs/default.yaml
index b9b5192..38daf31 100644
--- a/configs/default.yaml
+++ b/configs/default.yaml
@@ -3,6 +3,13 @@
 # like "#CFEFFF" sets it explicitly. Also overridable via --screen-color.
 screen_color: null
 
+chroma:
+  # false = non-flat background mode (--no-chroma): no colour key; segmentation
+  # alone drives the trimap (mode forced to "seg") and every colour-keyed stage
+  # is bypassed (auto-detect, hue split, chroma suppression, despill, the
+  # cross-check veto). Needs segmentation.enabled and matting_method vitmatte.
+  enabled: true
+
 model:
   model_name: hustvl/vitmatte-base-composition-1k
   device: cpu