Chroma Key Green Screen Guideline: Fast Track to Remove a Green Screen

Want to be beamed onto a spaceship or do a podcast episode from a Hawaiian beach? Chroma key green screens make it possible! This guide unravels the secrets of chroma key After Effects. You'll discover the power of green screen editing and how to remove backgrounds. Let's dive in.

Chroma key: How does it work and why is it important

Chroma key is a visual effect and post-production technique that separates the background from the subject. It uses color contrast to shift reality by combining foreground action with separately filmed background footage or images. This cost-effective filmmaking method gives editors greater creative control and improved production efficiency.

Some applicable scenarios for chroma effect video include:

• Marketing: Green screen technology enhances product demos in action and opens doors for creative brand storytelling through location flexibility.
• Live studio: Interviewes and interviewees can be virtually placed in the same location, even if they are geographically distant.
• Films: Greenscreen is used to set a virtual stage design and can be easily changed to reflect different scenes and themes. This is mostly used in science fiction movies.
• TVs: Weather presenters can stand in front of a green screen and be superimposed over an animated weather map, making it easier to visualize weather patterns.

The chroma key effect is applicable while shooting a video or in the editing process. To remove a chroma key background in post-production, check out these five powerful tools for the job:

5 useful tools to remove a chroma green background

1. CapCut desktop video editor

The CapCut desktop video editor is a robust and resourceful content-creation tool. It has easy-to-use video editing functions, including the CapCut chroma key. This feature helps remove unwanted green screen backgrounds using an advanced color picker. You can control the strength and shadow of the colors in contrast to your desired results. This chroma key in CapCut is ideal for product advertising, vlogging, filmmaking, and other video content creation projects.

Key features:

1. Powerful chroma key feature
2. It removes a video background of a particular color with a single button click. You can adjust the effect's strength and shadows for precision. This makes it perfect for podcast shots, class presentations, music videos, movies, etc.
3. All-inclusive video editing tool
4. Access basic features like split, flip, crop, etc., and advanced ones like masking, split scene, keyframing, speed curves, etc. All these are free to use, but you can access more premium tools with the CapCut Pro desktop app. It offers a more professional video editing process with features like vocal isolation, premium filters, transitions, etc.
5. Integration with TikTok and YouTube
6. This enhances usability. For example, you can sign in using your TikTok account. Also, after editing, it is quick to share a video by directly posting it on YouTube or TikTok without exiting the editor. This is perfect for influencers and vloggers alike.
7. Advanced AI capabilities
8. These include features like relighting, removing video flickers, AI-generated effects, and voice enhancement. Others are background removal, figure retouching, auto cutout, video stabilization, and smooth slow-motion effects.
9. Support various file formats
10. You can import videos in any format for editing and export them in MP4 or MOV formats.

How to remove a chroma key in CapCut desktop video editor:

Using the CapCut desktop video editor is straightforward, as shown below:

Step
1. Import
2. First, download and install the CapCut desktop video editor using the above link. Launch it on your computer and open New project to access the editing window. Click Import to add the green background materials or drag and put files into the editing interface. Also, you can use CapCut's vast library of green-screen stock videos.
3. 

   

Step
4. To chroma key a green background
5. With your video on the editing timeline, open the video tab on the right-side panel and select Cutout. To use the chroma key in CapCut, tick the checkbox next to the Chroma key function. This presents you with a color picker and sliders to adjust its intensity. Click the marker icon for the color picker and hover your mouse pointer over the video in the player. Click on the screen color you intend to remove. To apply the effect, drag the strength slider to the right or use the arrows to set your preferred percentage. You can also control shadow intensity until you get your desired results.
6. 

   

7. Alternatively, the Auto cutout function can help remove an unwanted chroma key background. Once your video is on the timeline, click the Auto cutout feature and wait for the process to reach 100%. This automatically removes the green screen video background, leaving you with the subject in the foreground. Add strokes like straight cut, solid color, offset, and dotted to enhance the effect further. You can change the strokes' color, size, and spacing. However, the Auto cut-out method only works for videos with human figures.
8. 

   

9. Another method to remove the green screen background is custom removal. For this, you'll use masking. Go to the video tab on the right-side panel and select Mask. You'll see different shapes and styles like horizontal, mirror, circle, rectangular, heart, and star. Select one to apply it to the video in the player. You can adjust its edges for a perfect fit and drag the feather slider to control the intensity.
10. 

    

Step
11. Export

After you are done removing the chroma screen green background, click Export. This allows you to adjust the video exporting settings, such as folders to save video, resolution up to 4K, bit rate, and codec. You can also set the frame rate (24-60fps) and export the video as MP4 or MOV. Click Export and the video will download to your device.



After the export process, the next popup window lets you share the video online quickly with your audience. Click the "TikTok" or "YouTube" tabs to post the final video on the respective platforms. If the video has sound, you can run a free copyright check before sharing it.



Note: If you prefer working online without installing software, go for CapCut's online video editor. It unlocks endless possibilities with its chroma key green screen function.

2. Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro is a popular application with rich media editing features. The chroma key Final Cut Pro removes your video backdrops with studio-grade quality. You can also replace the background with a new backdrop if needed. This is how the Adobe Premiere Pro chroma key works:

Steps

Step
1. Import video
2. Download, install, and run Adobe Premiere Pro software on your computer. Go to Project, Import and choose a chroma key green background video.
Step
3. Green screen chroma key
4. Add the video to the timeline and open the Effects tab. Search for the ultra key effect and drag and drop it over the green screen video to apply it.
5. Click Effects Controls, navigate to the Key color parameter, and select the eyedropper tool. Move the eyedropper to the right-side preview window and click on the green part. The software will now know the required color pixel and select it. If the green screen background is evenly lit, it will vanish, leaving only the subject, actor, or object in the video.
Step
6. Export
7. Go to File, click Export, and open Media. Alternatively, press Ctrl+M on Windows or Cmd+M on macOS. Adjust the video format, basic settings, bitrate, and click Export.



3. Camtasia

Camtasia is creative software offering tools for all-level creators to make amazing videos. It is designed for Windows to let you create and record videos via screencast. Moreover, it has a Remove color feature that you can use to remove backgrounds in a chroma key video.

Steps

Step
1. Import
2. The first step is to add the green screen video to the timeline so you can begin editing.
Step
3. Select color
4. On the left-side menu, go to visual effects and drag the Remove a color effect to the timeline. Open Properties and pick the color you want to remove from the video or scene. This works best with blue and green. You can also adjust color tolerance, softness, hue, and defringe.
Step
5. Export

Once you remove the green screen background, you can save your video or even replace it with a new background.



4. Photoshop

Like its name, Photoshop is a one-stop-shop picture-editing program. You can use it to create, change, and enhance images with tools like layers, filters, and brushes. It also helps to remove a green screen background using different techniques. Here's how:

Steps

Step
1. Import
2. Install and run the Photoshop app on your computer, go to File, and browse your folders for the video. Click Open to add it to the editor.
Step
3. Remove chroma key background
4. Click Select from the top menu and go to Color Range. On the popup dialog box, hover your mouse to position the eyedropper tool on your image's green background and click on it. Press the Shift key and drag your pointer to select more green areas. Create a layer to mask your subject by following the selected shape and leaving the subject intact without the green backdrop.
Step
5. Export

Now, save your image without a chroma key background. It is good to save the picture in a format like PNG to preserve transparency, especially if you intend to reuse it in the future.



5. Picsart

Picsart is an online editing and design platform with photo and video editing tools. It is handy to remove green screen backgrounds and swap them with new backdrops. You can use it for flyers, product shots, and more. Here is how the AI-powered background remover works:

Steps

Step
1. Upload
2. Search the Picsart green screen remover on your search engine. Once opened, select an image from your local storage and upload it.
Step
3. Remove chroma key
4. Wait for the image upload to complete, and Picsart will auto-remove the green screen background.
Step
5. Export

Click the Export button, set the image as a transparent PNG file, and download it.



Conclusion

So there you have it! With this arsenal of green screen removal tools, you're well on your way to creating professional-looking videos with captivating backgrounds. With the CapCut chroma key removal, you are guaranteed high-quality output. It has a short learning curve and offers additional tools for professional video editing. Now go forth to unleash your creativity with the magic of the CapCut desktop editor's green screen editing!

FAQs

1. What's the best alternative to the DaVinci Resolve chroma key?
2. If you want to replace DaVinci Resolve, you have many alternatives, including all the abovementioned tools. One of the best DaVince Resolve alternatives is the CapCut desktop video editor. First, CapCut is more convenient when using the chroma key feature. It is easy for beginners and experts and offers powerful editing functions for video and images. Try it to experience premium features free of charge!
3. Where can free download green chroma footage?
4. There are different platforms to download green chroma footage, but most are paid for. If you want free green screen chroma clips, CapCut is your go-to resource. It has different green-screen videos capturing animals, people, and objects. The cool part is you can remove the green screen background and repurpose the video. Also, you can enhance the video highlights using its rich editing feature set.
5. Why is the chroma key effect important?
6. The chroma key effect is important in video production because it is cost-effective and offers production efficiency. It eliminates the need to travel to specific locations or build elaborate sets. Moreover, the Chroma key gives us the creative freedom to place objects in any imaginable location. You can also separate the subject from the background for much finer manipulation in post-production. To make the most of the chroma key effect, use CapCut. It can remove green screen backgrounds with just a single button click. Also, it is an all-in-one solution for all your video editing needs.