How to Create the Night-to-Day Effect Video

Do you wish you could control when it’s nighttime to daytime? It would make getting ready in the morning much faster! This tutorial will show you how to use the keyframe and mask feature in Filmora to make a remarkable night-to-day transition.

How-to Guide

1) Preparation

For this effect, you will need to shoot two footage shots with the same frame. The first is for the daytime clip, and the second is for nighttime.

But before that, you need to prepare some things, such as:

1. Tripod to ensure your camera stays at the same point, so the frame doesn’t change.
2. Mark the place where you want to shoot the scene. You can put a marker on the floor to ensure that you perform at the same spot in different shots.

Once done, let’s start shooting to get the footage.

2) Steps

Shooting footages

First, get the daytime shot. For this tutorial, we will pretend that you are walking and transitioning into nighttime at the spot you have marked.

Now, let’s film the nighttime clip. You will walk through the living room and do the same movement again at the same spot. You can dim the light and change the camera’s white balance settings to bluer to create a night feeling.

After you have both clips that you need, let’s go to Filmora and start editing.

Night-to-day transition

Step1 Launch Filmora and import the footage into the program. If you haven’t installed it, you can download Filmora on their website here: https://filmora.wondershare.com

Step2 Place the nighttime video clip on the first video track of the timeline and place the daytime clip on the top.

Step3 Find the spot where you want to create a transition between the day and nighttime. Then, you can delete the unwanted part.

Step4 Since the transition for this tutorial is where the subject started waving, make sure to place the daytime clip at the same time the subject started waving in the nighttime clip. Hence, the timing in both clips syncs.

Masking transition

For the next step, we will make a masking transition with the Filmora mask feature.

Step1 Double-click the daytime clip on the timeline. In the Filmora setting, find the Mask section > Circle. You can see the mask is applied in the preview screen.

Step2 Scroll down the setting and click add a keyframe at the beginning of the clip.

Step3 Change the scale of the mask to the smallest number and adjust the Width and Height down to 0. You can set the blur strength to 15 to make the transition edge smoother.

Step4 Move the play head to find the spot where you want the mask fully opens up, then add another keyframe. Change the scale of the mask to 2 and the Width and Height to 50. Make sure the mask occupies the whole frame.

Now, if you play back, you can see the nighttime becomes daytime through the mask.

If the movement in the two clips is a bit off, you can fix it by adding more keyframes on the mask.

3) Pro tips

You can add one more effect in Filmora to make it more magical. To do this, open the Effects window on the top left and find “Heartbeat” under the Basic section.

Drag and drop it onto the third video track and start the effect when the mask opens up. Then, trim the effect length to match the movement. Adjust the speed of this effect if needed.

The final result will look like this:

Summary

That is how to do this night-to-day transition night-to-day time shift effect in Filmora. By the end of this tutorial, you should be able to use the masking transition technique. You can apply and adjust it based on your needs.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

7 Best Green Screen Software for Beginners on Mac

Almost every major film released in 2019 used green screen effects for at least one scene. While that is an entirely unscientific assessment that you should not cite in a college paper, given the accessibility and sophistication of today’s green screen technology, it is probably not far off. Everyone has access to expert compositing technology, from Marvel movies to local news stations.

WHAT ARE GREEN SCREEN AND CHROMA KEYING?

The colored background you want to make transparent and remove from your shot is referred to as a green screen. This is typically a single-colored backdrop, which can be any color but is usually bright green because it is the color most dissimilar to human skin tones. (Blue screens were commonly used in the early days of film, and they may still be used in some cases.)

The chroma key is a time-honored and widely used visual effects technique. Simply stated, chroma key is the process of photographing a subject against a solid-color background and then removing that background in post-production and replacing it with transparency. The subject can then be positioned in front of any new background.

BEST FREE GREEN SCREEN SOFTWARE FOR BEGINNERS ON MAC

FILMORA VIDEO EDITOR

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

Filmora Video Editor has two modes based on your experience with video editing software. Users can use the easy mode or the full feature editor to access the program’s full focus.

The theme focus can also make it easier to select the videos and audio that you want to use. There are a number of features and effects that can be used to complement various themes, which can help improve transitions or find different effects in the program without having to dig around.

The preview mode and music tracks available from the themes make it simple to enhance your video.

The full feature mode gives you even more control; this is where Filmora begins to resemble an actual video editor. You can drag images, sounds, and other media into different tracks and apply advanced effects.

Green screens, premade filters for color correction, cropping, cutting, splitting, and combining with simple tools are all available in the full feature mode. The full-featured editor also has an audio mixer and equalizer, as well as the ability to burn your creations to DVD, Facebook, Vimeo, and other platforms.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Features:

4k Editing Support

Gif Support

Noise Removal

Color Tuning

Advanced Text Editor

Audio Mixer

Video Stabilization

Scene Detection

Audio Equalizer

Chroma Keying

Pros:

• It can be a program that’s easy to master even if you have never used a video editing program before
• There are plenty of visual effects and premade effects that can help you make a great looking video within a few minutes
• The 4k video support is also helpful

Cons:

• It does lack a few advanced features like the option for motion tracking, multi-camera support, and assistance with 360° videos

Steps On How To Chroma Key On Filmora

1. Click the “Import Media Files Here“ to import the background video and video with the green screen background into the media library. And then drag and drop the background video and green screen video to the video track in the timeline respectively.

Note: Ensure the video with green screen background is placed as the overlay video.

1. Right-click on the overlay video and find the “Green Screen“ option.

1. Click on “Green Screen“ and you’ll open the video editing panel. And the green screen background has been removed.

To open the green screen editing panel, you can also double click the overlay video, then check “Chroma Key” to apply the green screen function. And you can also adjust the offset, tolerance, edge thickness, etc. according to your own needs.

When you’re satisfied with the effect, you can click the “OK“ button to save the changes.

OPENSHOT

OpenShot Video Editor is a free, open-source video editor for Mac and Windows PC that can take your videos, photos, and music files and assist you in creating the film you’ve always wanted to make. Add subtitles, transitions, and effects with ease, and then export your film to DVD, YouTube, Vimeo, Xbox 360, and a variety of other popular formats.

A cross-platform video editing solution designed to help businesses of all sizes edit audios, videos, or images using a drag-and-drop interface. Administrators can use OpenShot Video Editor to enhance videos by adding animation effects such as fade, flying text, snow, and bounce, watermarks, 3D titles, and audio tracks, among other things.

The multilingual platform, which was specifically designed for video editors, allows teams to adjust color contrasts and brightness, as well as add time.

Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux

Features:

• Cross-platform (Linux, Mac, and Windows)
• Support for many videos, audio, and image formats (based on FFmpeg)
• Powerful curve-based Key frame animations
• Desktop integration (drag and drop support)
• Unlimited tracks/layers
• Clip resizing, scaling, trimming, snapping, rotation, and cutting
• Video transitions with real-time previews
• Compositing, image overlays, watermarks
• Title templates, title creation, sub-titles
• 2D animation support (image sequences)
• 3D animated titles (and effects)
• SVG friendly, to create and include vector titles and credits
• Scrolling motion picture credits
• Advanced Timeline (including Drag & drop scrolling, panning, zooming, and snapping)
• Frame accuracy (step through each frame of video)
• Time-mapping and speed changes on clips (slow/fast, forward/backward, etc…)
• Audio mixing and editing
• Digital video effects, including brightness, gamma, hue, greyscale, chroma key, and many more!
• Experimental hardware encoding and decoding (VA-API, NVDEC, D3D9, D3D11, VTB)
• Import & Export widely supported formats (EDL, XML)
• Render videos in many codecs and formats (based on FFmpeg)

Pros:

• 3D Titles
• Curve-based Time Mapping
• Non-linear Editor with Infinite Tracks
• No Watermark
• Frequent Update
• Easy to Use
• Multi-lingual

Cons:

• Unstable Performance
• Limited Editing Features
• Less Powerful Hardware Acceleration
• Obsolete Interface

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Openshot

1. To create a chroma key (e.g. greenscreen or bluescreen) in OpenShot, begin by importing the files you’re going to use.

1. Drag the file to be keyed onto Track 2 in the timeline, and the file to use as the background onto Track 1. The plan is to make the green part of the upper image transparent so the file underneath becomes visible.

1. Click the Effects tab, find the Chroma Key effect, and drag it onto the top file in the timeline. You will see a star appear on the file in the timeline.

1. Right-click the top file in the timeline and select Properties. In the Properties window, click the Effects tab and then click the Chroma Key effect.

1. Click the green-colored area next to the word “Key” (shown above) to bring up the Pick a Color window (shown below). Click the eyedropper tool and then click on a green part of the video image.

1. Click OK, then click Apply in the properties window. You should now be able to scrub through the timeline and see the effect in action.

iMovie

When you record a video against a green screen, you can make the background transparent and replace it with other video clips, graphics, or still images of your choice. It’s easy to overlay any footage with iMovie’s green screen effect. For example, you can transport yourself anywhere or appear in your favorite films.

The green Screen effect, also referred as the Chroma Key effect, is a simple way to combine two clips into one with impressive scenes. You can, for example, fly over a very high mountain. Green Screen is a background that is only one color, usually green. This could be another pure color, such as Blue or Pink. By dragging and dropping, you can apply a green screen video to another in iMovie. It’s incredibly simple to create stunning videos using the iMovie Green Screen effect.

Supported OS: macOS and iOS

Features:

• Options to modify and enhance video color settings
• Crop and rotate video clips
• Stabilize shaky videos
• Add video transitions
• Change the speed of clips.
• iMovie allows you to remove both green and blue screens

Pros:

• Clean, elegant interface
• Well optimized, responsive, and fast on modern Macs
• Effects and titles are all top-notch—especially for a free program
• Robust and useful interactions with other Apple products and software

Cons:

• Doesn’t have some advanced features present in other applications, like 360 video or Multicam
• Sometimes the efforts to keep the interface simple make finding a solution obtuse
• The user interface is not customizable
• Supports fewer export formats than some competing products

Steps On How To Chroma Key In iMovie

1. Open an empty project.
2. Select the background you would like to use.

1. Drag and drop the background video or image into the timeline.

1. Select the green screen footage you want to use.
2. Drag and drop it above the background.

1. Drag the edge of the background to make the background longer or shorter to match your green screen footage.

1. Click to select the green screen footage in the timeline
2. Select Green/Blue Screen from the drop-down menu that defaults to Cutaway above the left corner of the viewer window.

1. The green should now be removed to reveal the background behind it.

DA VINCI RESOLVE

Davinci Resolve has two versions including a full studio version which is available for $299. Because some professional tools, such as team collaboration and video noise reduction, cannot be used without a full license, the free program has a surprising number of features. The majority of the features included in the free version are adequate for professionals and hobbyists.

Although the Davinci Resolve program is regarded as a professional grade editor, it does include some advanced tools such as exporting, audio mastering, color correction, and more. The program is also useful for arranging audio and video clips, and it has a large selection of effects and filters. The additional color correction and adjustments available here can also aid in HDR support and produce more professional results when working with camera RAW data.

Davinci Resolve is also well-known for having one of the best color grading programs available. The outcome can be hugely potent when using the accessible chromakey tools. It doesn’t take much to figure out how to use this effect with the quick tutorial on board.

Supported OS: Mac and Windows

Features:

• Options to modify and enhance video color settings
• Crop and rotate video clips
• Stabilize shaky videos
• Add video transitions
• Change the speed of clips.
• iMovie allows you to remove both green and blue screens

Pros:

• Clean, elegant interface
• Well optimized, responsive, and fast on modern Macs
• Effects and titles are all top-notch—especially for a free program
• Robust and useful interactions with other Apple products and software

Cons:

• Doesn’t have some advanced features present in other applications, like 360 video or Multicam
• Sometimes the efforts to keep the interface simple make finding a solution obtuse
• The user interface is not customizable
• Supports fewer export formats than some competing products

Steps On How To Remove the Green Screen in DaVinci Resolve Inside the Color Tab

Step 1 – Add the Qualifier Tool & select the color

After you finish cutting the video, jump inside the “Color” tab and select the Qualifier Tool. Make sure you set the tool in “3D” mode to enable us to select a bigger range of the green spectrum.

Do this by simply selecting the fourth dot from the middle-upper area of the window or by selecting it from the drop-down mode selector situated in the window’s top-right corner.

After selecting the 3D mode for the Qualifier Tool, go ahead and select the range of green colors you want to remove by simply drawing lines on top of the screen, similar to the way I did in the image below.

Step 2 – Removing the color

As you can see in the small rectangle, Resolve did the keying, but it doesn’t know what to do with it because we didn’t specify. Right-click underneath the node, select “Add Alpha Output” and then link the node.

Yes, I know it will key out the subject and not the green screen. There is no problem. Go ahead and select the Revert button situated in the “Selection Range” window. Everything should be OK now.

Step 3 – Clean the edges

As you can surely notice, there are still some issues we have to address. In the hair area and on the outline of the subject, there is a noticeable green color spill. We don’t want that! On top of this, there will be many situations where you will still notice some noisy green pixels in the transparent area, around the corners of the screen, or the subject.

To get rid of these problems, we have to jump into the Qualifier window. Here, there are many settings you can play with to tweak the output. Most of the time, you will solve these problems by checking “Despill”, further selecting more of the greens and adding them to the Selection Range, or modifying the shrink, ”Black Clip” and “White Clip”.

Step 3 – Done

This is all for this method! Go ahead and add a background in the “Edit” mode and your job is done! Feel free to watch the video below, where I went through the same steps as above, but faster.

BEST PAID GREEN SCREEN SOFTWARE FOR BEGINNERS ON MAC

WEVIDEO

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

This program, which costs only $4 per month, has extensive compatibility with nearly 20 different input and output formats. Most common input and output formats, such as NT 4.0, avi, 3gp, and others, are well represented.

If you want to do green screen options online but don’t want to install any software to access a full-featured video editor, this could be one of your best options.

WeVideo is a cloud-based video editing solution that is both powerful and simple to use. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular online video editors out there. This includes options for photo animations, clip transformations, voiceovers, and more. You can also improve your video by using a variety of premium features such as screencasting, custom branding, and a wide range of free tracks that can be used with copyright-free music.

With this online editor, you can easily control almost everything in a video, from motion effects to green screen technology to scene transitions.

Features:

• 720p video resolution
• Motion titles
• Screencasting
• WeVideo JumpStart
• Cloud storage
• Music library
• Slow motion
• Voiceover
• Guilt in graphics
• Customizable environment
• Green screen
• Advanced text editing
• File & media manager
• Multi-track editing and storyboard

Pros:

• This is a multiplatform video editor that works with intense compatibility online. You can use it on almost any device.
• The interface is also quite simple and it has some tools that are used by the pros as well as a format that most people can easily understand.
• There is a full licensed library of songs with over 100 tracks you can use royalty-free.
• The cloud storage also ensures that you can pick up a project on any device that you won’t. Cloud access anywhere gives you more time for efficiency and handling your workload.

Cons:

• The program only currently supports 720 P resolution in some of the cheaper plans and there are limited minutes allowed with editing if you are only going to use the trial-free plan.

Steps On How To Chroma Key In WeVideo

1. When your WeVideo project is open, click on the clip that you wish to remove the green background from.

1. The video or image layer underneath the color-keyed clip will show through, as the background.

1. Click on the clip editor pencil icon.

1. Click on the eyedropper to choose the color you’re going to remove.

1. Click an area that is the color that you would like to remove.

CAMTASIA

Supported OS: Mac and Windows

Camtasia by Techsmith is a simple video editing and screen recording application. Camtasia, designed for beginners, allows users to create professional training videos quickly and easily.

Camtasia is a straightforward video editor and chroma key software (for basic green screen editing) that may meet your needs.

It is the ideal video editor for beginners with little knowledge to editing. It includes numerous features that make it simple to create professional videos, whether you are a student, business owner, or regular YouTube user looking to spice up their content.

Features:

• Intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
• The ability to upload videos straight from the application, via Dropbox or YouTube.
• A wide range of built-in editing templates makes it easier for beginners to create professional-looking video content.
• Screen recording options for capturing live demos and lectures.
• Camtasia for Mac is also available, which makes it an ideal video editor for Apple users.

Pros:

• Very easy to learn
• Amazing screen capture feature
• Impressive cursor effects
• Interactivity features
• Good asset library
• Mobile version
• Great customer service
• Low cost

Cons:

• Constant crashes and bugs
• Limited customization
• No keyframe tracking
• Poor keyboard commands
• Export issues

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Camtasia

1. Record a video with a green screen

Make sure the green screen fills up the whole background while recording.

After your video is recorded, it will be placed on your Timeline as the recorded Camera and Screen.

2. Remove the green

Use the Remove a Color tool from the Visual Effects section to remove the green in the background.

Under the properties on the right side, select the color drop-down menu and use the eyedropper tool to select the green color. (Tip: With the Eyedropper tool selected, click on the green part of your Green Screen to select that color for removal.)

Adjust the Tolerance and Softness to get a clean color removal.

1. Adjust the video

Adjust and move your now greenless recording to a desired size and position.

Lightworks

Supported OS: Mac, Windows 8.1, and Linux

Lightworks is ideal for creating real-time effects. The basic package includes free software with green screen editing capabilities. It makes changing the background of your videos simple and effective.

Lightworks provides access to professional-grade features that allow you to create visually appealing videos. The software is quick and adapts quickly to your needs, whether you are a beginner or a pro. It has a learning curve, but there is probably no tool out there that is easier to use once you get used to it.

It offers advanced effects that allow users to enhance videos in real time. You can use a variety of tools, including blurring, masking, and color grading.

You can instantly export videos to YouTube, Vimeo, and other platform services.

Features:

• Works with a wide variety of video formats
• Allows fast export to MPEG4/
• Fully optimized to offer fast speeds
• Multicam editing options
• Realtime effects with the help of inbuilt presets
• Advanced Boris FX Plugin
• Boris Graffiti for text effects
• Fully customizable interface
• Options for real-time collaboration
• Dedicated hardware support

Pros:

• Real-time effects with 4K Editing
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Easy to share videos on the internet
• Access to royalty-free audio and video content
• Histogram tool and 32bit GPU precision
• Lots of ready-to-use effects

Cons:

• The Video Stabilization feature is missing
• 3D Video Editing is not supported
• No Split and Merge features

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Lightworks

1. Record your video

First, you need a green or blue background to shoot against. As we’ll explain later, it doesn’t have to be a very specific shade, but it needs to be substantially different from the subject you’re shooting. You might have seen occasions when a weather presenter’s tie has appeared transparent during a broadcast. This is because the material was too close in color to the backdrop, or the key wasn’t quite set accurately enough.

You can make your backdrop using a sheet, or a large sheet of paper or card. If you’re planning to make videos frequently, there are inexpensive chromakey backdrops available that include a frame to hang the cloth from. If space is limited, collapsible screens are also available starting at around US$40. These screens are also handy for photography.

Good lighting is essential. You need to make sure that the screen is evenly lit so the color is consistent. It’s also important to ensure your subject is far enough from the screen to avoid shadows and color spills (when the blue or green backdrop reflects off your subject).

2. Import and trim

Once you’ve shot your video, download and install Lightworks . It’s free for personal use, but you’ll need to register for a free account if you want to use it for longer than 30 days.

Click the button marked Create a New Project, give it a name, and select a frame rate (you can find this by right-clicking your recorded video and selecting the Details tab). Here we’re using a still image as a background, but you can also use another video. Import this the same way.

Click the Edit tab and drag your video from the Project Contents panel onto the V1 track of the timeline below. If there’s unwanted footage at the beginning or end of your clip, right-click it and select Trim In or Trim Out, then use the yellow handles to change where the clip starts and finishes.

Right-click the preview window marked Sequence #1 and select Tracks > Add Video. Drag your video clip into the V1 track and your still image into V2. Click and drag the right-hand side of the image in the V2 track until it’s the same length as the video.

3. Set the key

Now click the VFX tab, select the V1 track in the timeline and click the tab marked with a plus icon. Click the Favorites drop-down menu and select Key, followed by Green Screen. Click Add Effect and you’ll see a new panel of settings under the color correction wheels.

Use the eyedropper tool on the left to select the background you want to remove. This will typically do quite a good job by itself, but it will need a little fine-tuning. Try sliding the Saturation and Luminance sliders and adjusting their steepness using the handles that appear when you move your mouse over them. You’ll notice that each adjustment you make has a knock-on effect on the changes you’ve made with the other sliders; it’s a matter of balancing all three to achieve the best effect, preserving detail while minimizing spill.

To see how the filter is working, click the ‘Reveal’ box. The white areas are the parts of the video that will be removed, and the black areas are the parts that will remain.

The Remove Spill slider will add a purple tint to neutralize green tones in areas that need it.

4. Tweak and export

Once you’re happy, you can use Lightworks’ other VFX tools to make other changes like color correction and cropping. When you’re done, return to the Edit tab, right-click the preview window at the top right and select Export.

The only two export options you’ll see in the free version of Lightworks are Vimeo and YouTube, but this is a little misleading. These will save the video to your PC or Mac in an MP4 format, but they won’t do the uploading for you unless you check the appropriate box.

Select a destination folder and name for your video file and click ‘Start’. The processing will begin, and you’ll see a progress bar at the top right. This task will run in the background so you can continue working on your project, and you’ll be notified when it’s complete.

WHICH SHOULD I CHOOSE: FREE OR PAID GREEN SCREEN SOFTWARE?

If you want something quick, cheap, and easy, and having your footage seems to be fairly clean with few shadows or spills, there are several cheap or free apps into which you can import a clip, apply a chroma key, and export without much editing or advanced features.

If your footage calls for attention, extra equipment can be required. If your clip has inconsistent lighting fixtures or poor quality, you may require equipment that permits you to observe a couple of chroma keys to suit the numerous shades of green or color correction equipment to restore your pictures. For even advanced functions, you’ll want to spend a little time and money learning, however the end result will most possibly be worthwhile. More advanced chroma key equipment are normally used inside full-featured NLEs through integrated equipment or expert plug-ins that encompass extra beneficial functions including advanced color correction, noise reduction, HDR (High Dynamic Range) color support, movement and keyframing, extra file layout and high-resolution support, and multi-camera editing.

FAQS ABOUT EDITING GREEN SCREEN

1. What is the most important thing when using a green screen?

When lighting your green screen, ensure there is even, soft light on the entirety of the green screen. This is crucial for a proper key. Many filmmakers overlook this essential part and focus on lighting the subject. However, be sure to use whatever lights you have to expose the green screen background evenly.

1. Why do filmmakers use green screens?

A green screen basically lets you drop in whatever background images you want behind the actors and/or foreground. It’s used in film production (and also in news and weather reports) to relatively simply place the desired background behind the subject/actor/presenter.

1. Why is a green screen not a different color?

The really short answer is that green screens are green because people are not green. For the effect to work, the background must use a color that isn’t used elsewhere in the shot – and green is nothing like human skin tone.

Conclusion:

Green screen video production is not difficult. Anyone, with the right tools can create green screen effects like a pro. Simply follow the precautions listed above and choose the software that best suits your needs.

Whether you’re making a professional film or a simple family video, I’m confident you’ll find something suitable among the options listed above.

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

Filmora Video Editor has two modes based on your experience with video editing software. Users can use the easy mode or the full feature editor to access the program’s full focus.

The theme focus can also make it easier to select the videos and audio that you want to use. There are a number of features and effects that can be used to complement various themes, which can help improve transitions or find different effects in the program without having to dig around.

The preview mode and music tracks available from the themes make it simple to enhance your video.

The full feature mode gives you even more control; this is where Filmora begins to resemble an actual video editor. You can drag images, sounds, and other media into different tracks and apply advanced effects.

Green screens, premade filters for color correction, cropping, cutting, splitting, and combining with simple tools are all available in the full feature mode. The full-featured editor also has an audio mixer and equalizer, as well as the ability to burn your creations to DVD, Facebook, Vimeo, and other platforms.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Features:

4k Editing Support

Gif Support

Noise Removal

Color Tuning

Advanced Text Editor

Audio Mixer

Video Stabilization

Scene Detection

Audio Equalizer

Chroma Keying

Pros:

• It can be a program that’s easy to master even if you have never used a video editing program before
• There are plenty of visual effects and premade effects that can help you make a great looking video within a few minutes
• The 4k video support is also helpful

Cons:

• It does lack a few advanced features like the option for motion tracking, multi-camera support, and assistance with 360° videos

Steps On How To Chroma Key On Filmora

1. Click the “Import Media Files Here“ to import the background video and video with the green screen background into the media library. And then drag and drop the background video and green screen video to the video track in the timeline respectively.

Note: Ensure the video with green screen background is placed as the overlay video.

1. Right-click on the overlay video and find the “Green Screen“ option.

1. Click on “Green Screen“ and you’ll open the video editing panel. And the green screen background has been removed.

To open the green screen editing panel, you can also double click the overlay video, then check “Chroma Key” to apply the green screen function. And you can also adjust the offset, tolerance, edge thickness, etc. according to your own needs.

When you’re satisfied with the effect, you can click the “OK“ button to save the changes.

OPENSHOT

OpenShot Video Editor is a free, open-source video editor for Mac and Windows PC that can take your videos, photos, and music files and assist you in creating the film you’ve always wanted to make. Add subtitles, transitions, and effects with ease, and then export your film to DVD, YouTube, Vimeo, Xbox 360, and a variety of other popular formats.

A cross-platform video editing solution designed to help businesses of all sizes edit audios, videos, or images using a drag-and-drop interface. Administrators can use OpenShot Video Editor to enhance videos by adding animation effects such as fade, flying text, snow, and bounce, watermarks, 3D titles, and audio tracks, among other things.

The multilingual platform, which was specifically designed for video editors, allows teams to adjust color contrasts and brightness, as well as add time.

Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux

Features:

• Cross-platform (Linux, Mac, and Windows)
• Support for many videos, audio, and image formats (based on FFmpeg)
• Powerful curve-based Key frame animations
• Desktop integration (drag and drop support)
• Unlimited tracks/layers
• Clip resizing, scaling, trimming, snapping, rotation, and cutting
• Video transitions with real-time previews
• Compositing, image overlays, watermarks
• Title templates, title creation, sub-titles
• 2D animation support (image sequences)
• 3D animated titles (and effects)
• SVG friendly, to create and include vector titles and credits
• Scrolling motion picture credits
• Advanced Timeline (including Drag & drop scrolling, panning, zooming, and snapping)
• Frame accuracy (step through each frame of video)
• Time-mapping and speed changes on clips (slow/fast, forward/backward, etc…)
• Audio mixing and editing
• Digital video effects, including brightness, gamma, hue, greyscale, chroma key, and many more!
• Experimental hardware encoding and decoding (VA-API, NVDEC, D3D9, D3D11, VTB)
• Import & Export widely supported formats (EDL, XML)
• Render videos in many codecs and formats (based on FFmpeg)

Pros:

• 3D Titles
• Curve-based Time Mapping
• Non-linear Editor with Infinite Tracks
• No Watermark
• Frequent Update
• Easy to Use
• Multi-lingual

Cons:

• Unstable Performance
• Limited Editing Features
• Less Powerful Hardware Acceleration
• Obsolete Interface

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Openshot

1. To create a chroma key (e.g. greenscreen or bluescreen) in OpenShot, begin by importing the files you’re going to use.

1. Drag the file to be keyed onto Track 2 in the timeline, and the file to use as the background onto Track 1. The plan is to make the green part of the upper image transparent so the file underneath becomes visible.

1. Click the Effects tab, find the Chroma Key effect, and drag it onto the top file in the timeline. You will see a star appear on the file in the timeline.

1. Right-click the top file in the timeline and select Properties. In the Properties window, click the Effects tab and then click the Chroma Key effect.

1. Click the green-colored area next to the word “Key” (shown above) to bring up the Pick a Color window (shown below). Click the eyedropper tool and then click on a green part of the video image.

1. Click OK, then click Apply in the properties window. You should now be able to scrub through the timeline and see the effect in action.

iMovie

When you record a video against a green screen, you can make the background transparent and replace it with other video clips, graphics, or still images of your choice. It’s easy to overlay any footage with iMovie’s green screen effect. For example, you can transport yourself anywhere or appear in your favorite films.

The green Screen effect, also referred as the Chroma Key effect, is a simple way to combine two clips into one with impressive scenes. You can, for example, fly over a very high mountain. Green Screen is a background that is only one color, usually green. This could be another pure color, such as Blue or Pink. By dragging and dropping, you can apply a green screen video to another in iMovie. It’s incredibly simple to create stunning videos using the iMovie Green Screen effect.

Supported OS: macOS and iOS

Features:

• Options to modify and enhance video color settings
• Crop and rotate video clips
• Stabilize shaky videos
• Add video transitions
• Change the speed of clips.
• iMovie allows you to remove both green and blue screens

Pros:

• Clean, elegant interface
• Well optimized, responsive, and fast on modern Macs
• Effects and titles are all top-notch—especially for a free program
• Robust and useful interactions with other Apple products and software

Cons:

• Doesn’t have some advanced features present in other applications, like 360 video or Multicam
• Sometimes the efforts to keep the interface simple make finding a solution obtuse
• The user interface is not customizable
• Supports fewer export formats than some competing products

Steps On How To Chroma Key In iMovie

1. Open an empty project.
2. Select the background you would like to use.

1. Drag and drop the background video or image into the timeline.

1. Select the green screen footage you want to use.
2. Drag and drop it above the background.

1. Drag the edge of the background to make the background longer or shorter to match your green screen footage.

1. Click to select the green screen footage in the timeline
2. Select Green/Blue Screen from the drop-down menu that defaults to Cutaway above the left corner of the viewer window.

1. The green should now be removed to reveal the background behind it.

DA VINCI RESOLVE

Davinci Resolve has two versions including a full studio version which is available for $299. Because some professional tools, such as team collaboration and video noise reduction, cannot be used without a full license, the free program has a surprising number of features. The majority of the features included in the free version are adequate for professionals and hobbyists.

Although the Davinci Resolve program is regarded as a professional grade editor, it does include some advanced tools such as exporting, audio mastering, color correction, and more. The program is also useful for arranging audio and video clips, and it has a large selection of effects and filters. The additional color correction and adjustments available here can also aid in HDR support and produce more professional results when working with camera RAW data.

Davinci Resolve is also well-known for having one of the best color grading programs available. The outcome can be hugely potent when using the accessible chromakey tools. It doesn’t take much to figure out how to use this effect with the quick tutorial on board.

Supported OS: Mac and Windows

Features:

• Options to modify and enhance video color settings
• Crop and rotate video clips
• Stabilize shaky videos
• Add video transitions
• Change the speed of clips.
• iMovie allows you to remove both green and blue screens

Pros:

• Clean, elegant interface
• Well optimized, responsive, and fast on modern Macs
• Effects and titles are all top-notch—especially for a free program
• Robust and useful interactions with other Apple products and software

Cons:

• Doesn’t have some advanced features present in other applications, like 360 video or Multicam
• Sometimes the efforts to keep the interface simple make finding a solution obtuse
• The user interface is not customizable
• Supports fewer export formats than some competing products

Steps On How To Remove the Green Screen in DaVinci Resolve Inside the Color Tab

Step 1 – Add the Qualifier Tool & select the color

After you finish cutting the video, jump inside the “Color” tab and select the Qualifier Tool. Make sure you set the tool in “3D” mode to enable us to select a bigger range of the green spectrum.

Do this by simply selecting the fourth dot from the middle-upper area of the window or by selecting it from the drop-down mode selector situated in the window’s top-right corner.

After selecting the 3D mode for the Qualifier Tool, go ahead and select the range of green colors you want to remove by simply drawing lines on top of the screen, similar to the way I did in the image below.

Step 2 – Removing the color

As you can see in the small rectangle, Resolve did the keying, but it doesn’t know what to do with it because we didn’t specify. Right-click underneath the node, select “Add Alpha Output” and then link the node.

Yes, I know it will key out the subject and not the green screen. There is no problem. Go ahead and select the Revert button situated in the “Selection Range” window. Everything should be OK now.

Step 3 – Clean the edges

As you can surely notice, there are still some issues we have to address. In the hair area and on the outline of the subject, there is a noticeable green color spill. We don’t want that! On top of this, there will be many situations where you will still notice some noisy green pixels in the transparent area, around the corners of the screen, or the subject.

To get rid of these problems, we have to jump into the Qualifier window. Here, there are many settings you can play with to tweak the output. Most of the time, you will solve these problems by checking “Despill”, further selecting more of the greens and adding them to the Selection Range, or modifying the shrink, ”Black Clip” and “White Clip”.

Step 3 – Done

This is all for this method! Go ahead and add a background in the “Edit” mode and your job is done! Feel free to watch the video below, where I went through the same steps as above, but faster.

BEST PAID GREEN SCREEN SOFTWARE FOR BEGINNERS ON MAC

WEVIDEO

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

This program, which costs only $4 per month, has extensive compatibility with nearly 20 different input and output formats. Most common input and output formats, such as NT 4.0, avi, 3gp, and others, are well represented.

If you want to do green screen options online but don’t want to install any software to access a full-featured video editor, this could be one of your best options.

WeVideo is a cloud-based video editing solution that is both powerful and simple to use. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular online video editors out there. This includes options for photo animations, clip transformations, voiceovers, and more. You can also improve your video by using a variety of premium features such as screencasting, custom branding, and a wide range of free tracks that can be used with copyright-free music.

With this online editor, you can easily control almost everything in a video, from motion effects to green screen technology to scene transitions.

Features:

• 720p video resolution
• Motion titles
• Screencasting
• WeVideo JumpStart
• Cloud storage
• Music library
• Slow motion
• Voiceover
• Guilt in graphics
• Customizable environment
• Green screen
• Advanced text editing
• File & media manager
• Multi-track editing and storyboard

Pros:

• This is a multiplatform video editor that works with intense compatibility online. You can use it on almost any device.
• The interface is also quite simple and it has some tools that are used by the pros as well as a format that most people can easily understand.
• There is a full licensed library of songs with over 100 tracks you can use royalty-free.
• The cloud storage also ensures that you can pick up a project on any device that you won’t. Cloud access anywhere gives you more time for efficiency and handling your workload.

Cons:

• The program only currently supports 720 P resolution in some of the cheaper plans and there are limited minutes allowed with editing if you are only going to use the trial-free plan.

Steps On How To Chroma Key In WeVideo

1. When your WeVideo project is open, click on the clip that you wish to remove the green background from.

1. The video or image layer underneath the color-keyed clip will show through, as the background.

1. Click on the clip editor pencil icon.

1. Click on the eyedropper to choose the color you’re going to remove.

1. Click an area that is the color that you would like to remove.

CAMTASIA

Supported OS: Mac and Windows

Camtasia by Techsmith is a simple video editing and screen recording application. Camtasia, designed for beginners, allows users to create professional training videos quickly and easily.

Camtasia is a straightforward video editor and chroma key software (for basic green screen editing) that may meet your needs.

It is the ideal video editor for beginners with little knowledge to editing. It includes numerous features that make it simple to create professional videos, whether you are a student, business owner, or regular YouTube user looking to spice up their content.

Features:

• Intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
• The ability to upload videos straight from the application, via Dropbox or YouTube.
• A wide range of built-in editing templates makes it easier for beginners to create professional-looking video content.
• Screen recording options for capturing live demos and lectures.
• Camtasia for Mac is also available, which makes it an ideal video editor for Apple users.

Pros:

• Very easy to learn
• Amazing screen capture feature
• Impressive cursor effects
• Interactivity features
• Good asset library
• Mobile version
• Great customer service
• Low cost

Cons:

• Constant crashes and bugs
• Limited customization
• No keyframe tracking
• Poor keyboard commands
• Export issues

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Camtasia

1. Record a video with a green screen

Make sure the green screen fills up the whole background while recording.

After your video is recorded, it will be placed on your Timeline as the recorded Camera and Screen.

2. Remove the green

Use the Remove a Color tool from the Visual Effects section to remove the green in the background.

Under the properties on the right side, select the color drop-down menu and use the eyedropper tool to select the green color. (Tip: With the Eyedropper tool selected, click on the green part of your Green Screen to select that color for removal.)

Adjust the Tolerance and Softness to get a clean color removal.

1. Adjust the video

Adjust and move your now greenless recording to a desired size and position.

Lightworks

Supported OS: Mac, Windows 8.1, and Linux

Lightworks is ideal for creating real-time effects. The basic package includes free software with green screen editing capabilities. It makes changing the background of your videos simple and effective.

Lightworks provides access to professional-grade features that allow you to create visually appealing videos. The software is quick and adapts quickly to your needs, whether you are a beginner or a pro. It has a learning curve, but there is probably no tool out there that is easier to use once you get used to it.

It offers advanced effects that allow users to enhance videos in real time. You can use a variety of tools, including blurring, masking, and color grading.

You can instantly export videos to YouTube, Vimeo, and other platform services.

Features:

• Works with a wide variety of video formats
• Allows fast export to MPEG4/
• Fully optimized to offer fast speeds
• Multicam editing options
• Realtime effects with the help of inbuilt presets
• Advanced Boris FX Plugin
• Boris Graffiti for text effects
• Fully customizable interface
• Options for real-time collaboration
• Dedicated hardware support

Pros:

• Real-time effects with 4K Editing
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Easy to share videos on the internet
• Access to royalty-free audio and video content
• Histogram tool and 32bit GPU precision
• Lots of ready-to-use effects

Cons:

• The Video Stabilization feature is missing
• 3D Video Editing is not supported
• No Split and Merge features

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Lightworks

1. Record your video

First, you need a green or blue background to shoot against. As we’ll explain later, it doesn’t have to be a very specific shade, but it needs to be substantially different from the subject you’re shooting. You might have seen occasions when a weather presenter’s tie has appeared transparent during a broadcast. This is because the material was too close in color to the backdrop, or the key wasn’t quite set accurately enough.

You can make your backdrop using a sheet, or a large sheet of paper or card. If you’re planning to make videos frequently, there are inexpensive chromakey backdrops available that include a frame to hang the cloth from. If space is limited, collapsible screens are also available starting at around US$40. These screens are also handy for photography.

Good lighting is essential. You need to make sure that the screen is evenly lit so the color is consistent. It’s also important to ensure your subject is far enough from the screen to avoid shadows and color spills (when the blue or green backdrop reflects off your subject).

2. Import and trim

Once you’ve shot your video, download and install Lightworks . It’s free for personal use, but you’ll need to register for a free account if you want to use it for longer than 30 days.

Click the button marked Create a New Project, give it a name, and select a frame rate (you can find this by right-clicking your recorded video and selecting the Details tab). Here we’re using a still image as a background, but you can also use another video. Import this the same way.

Click the Edit tab and drag your video from the Project Contents panel onto the V1 track of the timeline below. If there’s unwanted footage at the beginning or end of your clip, right-click it and select Trim In or Trim Out, then use the yellow handles to change where the clip starts and finishes.

Right-click the preview window marked Sequence #1 and select Tracks > Add Video. Drag your video clip into the V1 track and your still image into V2. Click and drag the right-hand side of the image in the V2 track until it’s the same length as the video.

3. Set the key

Now click the VFX tab, select the V1 track in the timeline and click the tab marked with a plus icon. Click the Favorites drop-down menu and select Key, followed by Green Screen. Click Add Effect and you’ll see a new panel of settings under the color correction wheels.

Use the eyedropper tool on the left to select the background you want to remove. This will typically do quite a good job by itself, but it will need a little fine-tuning. Try sliding the Saturation and Luminance sliders and adjusting their steepness using the handles that appear when you move your mouse over them. You’ll notice that each adjustment you make has a knock-on effect on the changes you’ve made with the other sliders; it’s a matter of balancing all three to achieve the best effect, preserving detail while minimizing spill.

To see how the filter is working, click the ‘Reveal’ box. The white areas are the parts of the video that will be removed, and the black areas are the parts that will remain.

The Remove Spill slider will add a purple tint to neutralize green tones in areas that need it.

4. Tweak and export

Once you’re happy, you can use Lightworks’ other VFX tools to make other changes like color correction and cropping. When you’re done, return to the Edit tab, right-click the preview window at the top right and select Export.

The only two export options you’ll see in the free version of Lightworks are Vimeo and YouTube, but this is a little misleading. These will save the video to your PC or Mac in an MP4 format, but they won’t do the uploading for you unless you check the appropriate box.

Select a destination folder and name for your video file and click ‘Start’. The processing will begin, and you’ll see a progress bar at the top right. This task will run in the background so you can continue working on your project, and you’ll be notified when it’s complete.

WHICH SHOULD I CHOOSE: FREE OR PAID GREEN SCREEN SOFTWARE?

If you want something quick, cheap, and easy, and having your footage seems to be fairly clean with few shadows or spills, there are several cheap or free apps into which you can import a clip, apply a chroma key, and export without much editing or advanced features.

If your footage calls for attention, extra equipment can be required. If your clip has inconsistent lighting fixtures or poor quality, you may require equipment that permits you to observe a couple of chroma keys to suit the numerous shades of green or color correction equipment to restore your pictures. For even advanced functions, you’ll want to spend a little time and money learning, however the end result will most possibly be worthwhile. More advanced chroma key equipment are normally used inside full-featured NLEs through integrated equipment or expert plug-ins that encompass extra beneficial functions including advanced color correction, noise reduction, HDR (High Dynamic Range) color support, movement and keyframing, extra file layout and high-resolution support, and multi-camera editing.

FAQS ABOUT EDITING GREEN SCREEN

1. What is the most important thing when using a green screen?

When lighting your green screen, ensure there is even, soft light on the entirety of the green screen. This is crucial for a proper key. Many filmmakers overlook this essential part and focus on lighting the subject. However, be sure to use whatever lights you have to expose the green screen background evenly.

1. Why do filmmakers use green screens?

A green screen basically lets you drop in whatever background images you want behind the actors and/or foreground. It’s used in film production (and also in news and weather reports) to relatively simply place the desired background behind the subject/actor/presenter.

1. Why is a green screen not a different color?

The really short answer is that green screens are green because people are not green. For the effect to work, the background must use a color that isn’t used elsewhere in the shot – and green is nothing like human skin tone.

Conclusion:

Green screen video production is not difficult. Anyone, with the right tools can create green screen effects like a pro. Simply follow the precautions listed above and choose the software that best suits your needs.

Whether you’re making a professional film or a simple family video, I’m confident you’ll find something suitable among the options listed above.

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

Filmora Video Editor has two modes based on your experience with video editing software. Users can use the easy mode or the full feature editor to access the program’s full focus.

The theme focus can also make it easier to select the videos and audio that you want to use. There are a number of features and effects that can be used to complement various themes, which can help improve transitions or find different effects in the program without having to dig around.

The preview mode and music tracks available from the themes make it simple to enhance your video.

The full feature mode gives you even more control; this is where Filmora begins to resemble an actual video editor. You can drag images, sounds, and other media into different tracks and apply advanced effects.

Green screens, premade filters for color correction, cropping, cutting, splitting, and combining with simple tools are all available in the full feature mode. The full-featured editor also has an audio mixer and equalizer, as well as the ability to burn your creations to DVD, Facebook, Vimeo, and other platforms.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Features:

4k Editing Support

Gif Support

Noise Removal

Color Tuning

Advanced Text Editor

Audio Mixer

Video Stabilization

Scene Detection

Audio Equalizer

Chroma Keying

Pros:

• It can be a program that’s easy to master even if you have never used a video editing program before
• There are plenty of visual effects and premade effects that can help you make a great looking video within a few minutes
• The 4k video support is also helpful

Cons:

• It does lack a few advanced features like the option for motion tracking, multi-camera support, and assistance with 360° videos

Steps On How To Chroma Key On Filmora

1. Click the “Import Media Files Here“ to import the background video and video with the green screen background into the media library. And then drag and drop the background video and green screen video to the video track in the timeline respectively.

Note: Ensure the video with green screen background is placed as the overlay video.

1. Right-click on the overlay video and find the “Green Screen“ option.

1. Click on “Green Screen“ and you’ll open the video editing panel. And the green screen background has been removed.

To open the green screen editing panel, you can also double click the overlay video, then check “Chroma Key” to apply the green screen function. And you can also adjust the offset, tolerance, edge thickness, etc. according to your own needs.

When you’re satisfied with the effect, you can click the “OK“ button to save the changes.

OPENSHOT

OpenShot Video Editor is a free, open-source video editor for Mac and Windows PC that can take your videos, photos, and music files and assist you in creating the film you’ve always wanted to make. Add subtitles, transitions, and effects with ease, and then export your film to DVD, YouTube, Vimeo, Xbox 360, and a variety of other popular formats.

A cross-platform video editing solution designed to help businesses of all sizes edit audios, videos, or images using a drag-and-drop interface. Administrators can use OpenShot Video Editor to enhance videos by adding animation effects such as fade, flying text, snow, and bounce, watermarks, 3D titles, and audio tracks, among other things.

The multilingual platform, which was specifically designed for video editors, allows teams to adjust color contrasts and brightness, as well as add time.

Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux

Features:

• Cross-platform (Linux, Mac, and Windows)
• Support for many videos, audio, and image formats (based on FFmpeg)
• Powerful curve-based Key frame animations
• Desktop integration (drag and drop support)
• Unlimited tracks/layers
• Clip resizing, scaling, trimming, snapping, rotation, and cutting
• Video transitions with real-time previews
• Compositing, image overlays, watermarks
• Title templates, title creation, sub-titles
• 2D animation support (image sequences)
• 3D animated titles (and effects)
• SVG friendly, to create and include vector titles and credits
• Scrolling motion picture credits
• Advanced Timeline (including Drag & drop scrolling, panning, zooming, and snapping)
• Frame accuracy (step through each frame of video)
• Time-mapping and speed changes on clips (slow/fast, forward/backward, etc…)
• Audio mixing and editing
• Digital video effects, including brightness, gamma, hue, greyscale, chroma key, and many more!
• Experimental hardware encoding and decoding (VA-API, NVDEC, D3D9, D3D11, VTB)
• Import & Export widely supported formats (EDL, XML)
• Render videos in many codecs and formats (based on FFmpeg)

Pros:

• 3D Titles
• Curve-based Time Mapping
• Non-linear Editor with Infinite Tracks
• No Watermark
• Frequent Update
• Easy to Use
• Multi-lingual

Cons:

• Unstable Performance
• Limited Editing Features
• Less Powerful Hardware Acceleration
• Obsolete Interface

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Openshot

1. To create a chroma key (e.g. greenscreen or bluescreen) in OpenShot, begin by importing the files you’re going to use.

1. Drag the file to be keyed onto Track 2 in the timeline, and the file to use as the background onto Track 1. The plan is to make the green part of the upper image transparent so the file underneath becomes visible.

1. Click the Effects tab, find the Chroma Key effect, and drag it onto the top file in the timeline. You will see a star appear on the file in the timeline.

1. Right-click the top file in the timeline and select Properties. In the Properties window, click the Effects tab and then click the Chroma Key effect.

1. Click the green-colored area next to the word “Key” (shown above) to bring up the Pick a Color window (shown below). Click the eyedropper tool and then click on a green part of the video image.

1. Click OK, then click Apply in the properties window. You should now be able to scrub through the timeline and see the effect in action.

iMovie

When you record a video against a green screen, you can make the background transparent and replace it with other video clips, graphics, or still images of your choice. It’s easy to overlay any footage with iMovie’s green screen effect. For example, you can transport yourself anywhere or appear in your favorite films.

The green Screen effect, also referred as the Chroma Key effect, is a simple way to combine two clips into one with impressive scenes. You can, for example, fly over a very high mountain. Green Screen is a background that is only one color, usually green. This could be another pure color, such as Blue or Pink. By dragging and dropping, you can apply a green screen video to another in iMovie. It’s incredibly simple to create stunning videos using the iMovie Green Screen effect.

Supported OS: macOS and iOS

Features:

• Options to modify and enhance video color settings
• Crop and rotate video clips
• Stabilize shaky videos
• Add video transitions
• Change the speed of clips.
• iMovie allows you to remove both green and blue screens

Pros:

• Clean, elegant interface
• Well optimized, responsive, and fast on modern Macs
• Effects and titles are all top-notch—especially for a free program
• Robust and useful interactions with other Apple products and software

Cons:

• Doesn’t have some advanced features present in other applications, like 360 video or Multicam
• Sometimes the efforts to keep the interface simple make finding a solution obtuse
• The user interface is not customizable
• Supports fewer export formats than some competing products

Steps On How To Chroma Key In iMovie

1. Open an empty project.
2. Select the background you would like to use.

1. Drag and drop the background video or image into the timeline.

1. Select the green screen footage you want to use.
2. Drag and drop it above the background.

1. Drag the edge of the background to make the background longer or shorter to match your green screen footage.

1. Click to select the green screen footage in the timeline
2. Select Green/Blue Screen from the drop-down menu that defaults to Cutaway above the left corner of the viewer window.

1. The green should now be removed to reveal the background behind it.

DA VINCI RESOLVE

Davinci Resolve has two versions including a full studio version which is available for $299. Because some professional tools, such as team collaboration and video noise reduction, cannot be used without a full license, the free program has a surprising number of features. The majority of the features included in the free version are adequate for professionals and hobbyists.

Although the Davinci Resolve program is regarded as a professional grade editor, it does include some advanced tools such as exporting, audio mastering, color correction, and more. The program is also useful for arranging audio and video clips, and it has a large selection of effects and filters. The additional color correction and adjustments available here can also aid in HDR support and produce more professional results when working with camera RAW data.

Davinci Resolve is also well-known for having one of the best color grading programs available. The outcome can be hugely potent when using the accessible chromakey tools. It doesn’t take much to figure out how to use this effect with the quick tutorial on board.

Supported OS: Mac and Windows

Features:

• Options to modify and enhance video color settings
• Crop and rotate video clips
• Stabilize shaky videos
• Add video transitions
• Change the speed of clips.
• iMovie allows you to remove both green and blue screens

Pros:

• Clean, elegant interface
• Well optimized, responsive, and fast on modern Macs
• Effects and titles are all top-notch—especially for a free program
• Robust and useful interactions with other Apple products and software

Cons:

• Doesn’t have some advanced features present in other applications, like 360 video or Multicam
• Sometimes the efforts to keep the interface simple make finding a solution obtuse
• The user interface is not customizable
• Supports fewer export formats than some competing products

Steps On How To Remove the Green Screen in DaVinci Resolve Inside the Color Tab

Step 1 – Add the Qualifier Tool & select the color

After you finish cutting the video, jump inside the “Color” tab and select the Qualifier Tool. Make sure you set the tool in “3D” mode to enable us to select a bigger range of the green spectrum.

Do this by simply selecting the fourth dot from the middle-upper area of the window or by selecting it from the drop-down mode selector situated in the window’s top-right corner.

After selecting the 3D mode for the Qualifier Tool, go ahead and select the range of green colors you want to remove by simply drawing lines on top of the screen, similar to the way I did in the image below.

Step 2 – Removing the color

As you can see in the small rectangle, Resolve did the keying, but it doesn’t know what to do with it because we didn’t specify. Right-click underneath the node, select “Add Alpha Output” and then link the node.

Yes, I know it will key out the subject and not the green screen. There is no problem. Go ahead and select the Revert button situated in the “Selection Range” window. Everything should be OK now.

Step 3 – Clean the edges

As you can surely notice, there are still some issues we have to address. In the hair area and on the outline of the subject, there is a noticeable green color spill. We don’t want that! On top of this, there will be many situations where you will still notice some noisy green pixels in the transparent area, around the corners of the screen, or the subject.

To get rid of these problems, we have to jump into the Qualifier window. Here, there are many settings you can play with to tweak the output. Most of the time, you will solve these problems by checking “Despill”, further selecting more of the greens and adding them to the Selection Range, or modifying the shrink, ”Black Clip” and “White Clip”.

Step 3 – Done

This is all for this method! Go ahead and add a background in the “Edit” mode and your job is done! Feel free to watch the video below, where I went through the same steps as above, but faster.

BEST PAID GREEN SCREEN SOFTWARE FOR BEGINNERS ON MAC

WEVIDEO

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

This program, which costs only $4 per month, has extensive compatibility with nearly 20 different input and output formats. Most common input and output formats, such as NT 4.0, avi, 3gp, and others, are well represented.

If you want to do green screen options online but don’t want to install any software to access a full-featured video editor, this could be one of your best options.

WeVideo is a cloud-based video editing solution that is both powerful and simple to use. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular online video editors out there. This includes options for photo animations, clip transformations, voiceovers, and more. You can also improve your video by using a variety of premium features such as screencasting, custom branding, and a wide range of free tracks that can be used with copyright-free music.

With this online editor, you can easily control almost everything in a video, from motion effects to green screen technology to scene transitions.

Features:

• 720p video resolution
• Motion titles
• Screencasting
• WeVideo JumpStart
• Cloud storage
• Music library
• Slow motion
• Voiceover
• Guilt in graphics
• Customizable environment
• Green screen
• Advanced text editing
• File & media manager
• Multi-track editing and storyboard

Pros:

• This is a multiplatform video editor that works with intense compatibility online. You can use it on almost any device.
• The interface is also quite simple and it has some tools that are used by the pros as well as a format that most people can easily understand.
• There is a full licensed library of songs with over 100 tracks you can use royalty-free.
• The cloud storage also ensures that you can pick up a project on any device that you won’t. Cloud access anywhere gives you more time for efficiency and handling your workload.

Cons:

• The program only currently supports 720 P resolution in some of the cheaper plans and there are limited minutes allowed with editing if you are only going to use the trial-free plan.

Steps On How To Chroma Key In WeVideo

1. When your WeVideo project is open, click on the clip that you wish to remove the green background from.

1. The video or image layer underneath the color-keyed clip will show through, as the background.

1. Click on the clip editor pencil icon.

1. Click on the eyedropper to choose the color you’re going to remove.

1. Click an area that is the color that you would like to remove.

CAMTASIA

Supported OS: Mac and Windows

Camtasia by Techsmith is a simple video editing and screen recording application. Camtasia, designed for beginners, allows users to create professional training videos quickly and easily.

Camtasia is a straightforward video editor and chroma key software (for basic green screen editing) that may meet your needs.

It is the ideal video editor for beginners with little knowledge to editing. It includes numerous features that make it simple to create professional videos, whether you are a student, business owner, or regular YouTube user looking to spice up their content.

Features:

• Intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
• The ability to upload videos straight from the application, via Dropbox or YouTube.
• A wide range of built-in editing templates makes it easier for beginners to create professional-looking video content.
• Screen recording options for capturing live demos and lectures.
• Camtasia for Mac is also available, which makes it an ideal video editor for Apple users.

Pros:

• Very easy to learn
• Amazing screen capture feature
• Impressive cursor effects
• Interactivity features
• Good asset library
• Mobile version
• Great customer service
• Low cost

Cons:

• Constant crashes and bugs
• Limited customization
• No keyframe tracking
• Poor keyboard commands
• Export issues

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Camtasia

1. Record a video with a green screen

Make sure the green screen fills up the whole background while recording.

After your video is recorded, it will be placed on your Timeline as the recorded Camera and Screen.

2. Remove the green

Use the Remove a Color tool from the Visual Effects section to remove the green in the background.

Under the properties on the right side, select the color drop-down menu and use the eyedropper tool to select the green color. (Tip: With the Eyedropper tool selected, click on the green part of your Green Screen to select that color for removal.)

Adjust the Tolerance and Softness to get a clean color removal.

1. Adjust the video

Adjust and move your now greenless recording to a desired size and position.

Lightworks

Supported OS: Mac, Windows 8.1, and Linux

Lightworks is ideal for creating real-time effects. The basic package includes free software with green screen editing capabilities. It makes changing the background of your videos simple and effective.

Lightworks provides access to professional-grade features that allow you to create visually appealing videos. The software is quick and adapts quickly to your needs, whether you are a beginner or a pro. It has a learning curve, but there is probably no tool out there that is easier to use once you get used to it.

It offers advanced effects that allow users to enhance videos in real time. You can use a variety of tools, including blurring, masking, and color grading.

You can instantly export videos to YouTube, Vimeo, and other platform services.

Features:

• Works with a wide variety of video formats
• Allows fast export to MPEG4/
• Fully optimized to offer fast speeds
• Multicam editing options
• Realtime effects with the help of inbuilt presets
• Advanced Boris FX Plugin
• Boris Graffiti for text effects
• Fully customizable interface
• Options for real-time collaboration
• Dedicated hardware support

Pros:

• Real-time effects with 4K Editing
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Easy to share videos on the internet
• Access to royalty-free audio and video content
• Histogram tool and 32bit GPU precision
• Lots of ready-to-use effects

Cons:

• The Video Stabilization feature is missing
• 3D Video Editing is not supported
• No Split and Merge features

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Lightworks

1. Record your video

First, you need a green or blue background to shoot against. As we’ll explain later, it doesn’t have to be a very specific shade, but it needs to be substantially different from the subject you’re shooting. You might have seen occasions when a weather presenter’s tie has appeared transparent during a broadcast. This is because the material was too close in color to the backdrop, or the key wasn’t quite set accurately enough.

You can make your backdrop using a sheet, or a large sheet of paper or card. If you’re planning to make videos frequently, there are inexpensive chromakey backdrops available that include a frame to hang the cloth from. If space is limited, collapsible screens are also available starting at around US$40. These screens are also handy for photography.

Good lighting is essential. You need to make sure that the screen is evenly lit so the color is consistent. It’s also important to ensure your subject is far enough from the screen to avoid shadows and color spills (when the blue or green backdrop reflects off your subject).

2. Import and trim

Once you’ve shot your video, download and install Lightworks . It’s free for personal use, but you’ll need to register for a free account if you want to use it for longer than 30 days.

Click the button marked Create a New Project, give it a name, and select a frame rate (you can find this by right-clicking your recorded video and selecting the Details tab). Here we’re using a still image as a background, but you can also use another video. Import this the same way.

Click the Edit tab and drag your video from the Project Contents panel onto the V1 track of the timeline below. If there’s unwanted footage at the beginning or end of your clip, right-click it and select Trim In or Trim Out, then use the yellow handles to change where the clip starts and finishes.

Right-click the preview window marked Sequence #1 and select Tracks > Add Video. Drag your video clip into the V1 track and your still image into V2. Click and drag the right-hand side of the image in the V2 track until it’s the same length as the video.

3. Set the key

Now click the VFX tab, select the V1 track in the timeline and click the tab marked with a plus icon. Click the Favorites drop-down menu and select Key, followed by Green Screen. Click Add Effect and you’ll see a new panel of settings under the color correction wheels.

Use the eyedropper tool on the left to select the background you want to remove. This will typically do quite a good job by itself, but it will need a little fine-tuning. Try sliding the Saturation and Luminance sliders and adjusting their steepness using the handles that appear when you move your mouse over them. You’ll notice that each adjustment you make has a knock-on effect on the changes you’ve made with the other sliders; it’s a matter of balancing all three to achieve the best effect, preserving detail while minimizing spill.

To see how the filter is working, click the ‘Reveal’ box. The white areas are the parts of the video that will be removed, and the black areas are the parts that will remain.

The Remove Spill slider will add a purple tint to neutralize green tones in areas that need it.

4. Tweak and export

Once you’re happy, you can use Lightworks’ other VFX tools to make other changes like color correction and cropping. When you’re done, return to the Edit tab, right-click the preview window at the top right and select Export.

The only two export options you’ll see in the free version of Lightworks are Vimeo and YouTube, but this is a little misleading. These will save the video to your PC or Mac in an MP4 format, but they won’t do the uploading for you unless you check the appropriate box.

Select a destination folder and name for your video file and click ‘Start’. The processing will begin, and you’ll see a progress bar at the top right. This task will run in the background so you can continue working on your project, and you’ll be notified when it’s complete.

WHICH SHOULD I CHOOSE: FREE OR PAID GREEN SCREEN SOFTWARE?

If you want something quick, cheap, and easy, and having your footage seems to be fairly clean with few shadows or spills, there are several cheap or free apps into which you can import a clip, apply a chroma key, and export without much editing or advanced features.

If your footage calls for attention, extra equipment can be required. If your clip has inconsistent lighting fixtures or poor quality, you may require equipment that permits you to observe a couple of chroma keys to suit the numerous shades of green or color correction equipment to restore your pictures. For even advanced functions, you’ll want to spend a little time and money learning, however the end result will most possibly be worthwhile. More advanced chroma key equipment are normally used inside full-featured NLEs through integrated equipment or expert plug-ins that encompass extra beneficial functions including advanced color correction, noise reduction, HDR (High Dynamic Range) color support, movement and keyframing, extra file layout and high-resolution support, and multi-camera editing.

FAQS ABOUT EDITING GREEN SCREEN

1. What is the most important thing when using a green screen?

When lighting your green screen, ensure there is even, soft light on the entirety of the green screen. This is crucial for a proper key. Many filmmakers overlook this essential part and focus on lighting the subject. However, be sure to use whatever lights you have to expose the green screen background evenly.

1. Why do filmmakers use green screens?

A green screen basically lets you drop in whatever background images you want behind the actors and/or foreground. It’s used in film production (and also in news and weather reports) to relatively simply place the desired background behind the subject/actor/presenter.

1. Why is a green screen not a different color?

The really short answer is that green screens are green because people are not green. For the effect to work, the background must use a color that isn’t used elsewhere in the shot – and green is nothing like human skin tone.

Conclusion:

Green screen video production is not difficult. Anyone, with the right tools can create green screen effects like a pro. Simply follow the precautions listed above and choose the software that best suits your needs.

Whether you’re making a professional film or a simple family video, I’m confident you’ll find something suitable among the options listed above.

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

Filmora Video Editor has two modes based on your experience with video editing software. Users can use the easy mode or the full feature editor to access the program’s full focus.

The theme focus can also make it easier to select the videos and audio that you want to use. There are a number of features and effects that can be used to complement various themes, which can help improve transitions or find different effects in the program without having to dig around.

The preview mode and music tracks available from the themes make it simple to enhance your video.

The full feature mode gives you even more control; this is where Filmora begins to resemble an actual video editor. You can drag images, sounds, and other media into different tracks and apply advanced effects.

Green screens, premade filters for color correction, cropping, cutting, splitting, and combining with simple tools are all available in the full feature mode. The full-featured editor also has an audio mixer and equalizer, as well as the ability to burn your creations to DVD, Facebook, Vimeo, and other platforms.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Features:

4k Editing Support

Gif Support

Noise Removal

Color Tuning

Advanced Text Editor

Audio Mixer

Video Stabilization

Scene Detection

Audio Equalizer

Chroma Keying

Pros:

• It can be a program that’s easy to master even if you have never used a video editing program before
• There are plenty of visual effects and premade effects that can help you make a great looking video within a few minutes
• The 4k video support is also helpful

Cons:

• It does lack a few advanced features like the option for motion tracking, multi-camera support, and assistance with 360° videos

Steps On How To Chroma Key On Filmora

1. Click the “Import Media Files Here“ to import the background video and video with the green screen background into the media library. And then drag and drop the background video and green screen video to the video track in the timeline respectively.

Note: Ensure the video with green screen background is placed as the overlay video.

1. Right-click on the overlay video and find the “Green Screen“ option.

1. Click on “Green Screen“ and you’ll open the video editing panel. And the green screen background has been removed.

To open the green screen editing panel, you can also double click the overlay video, then check “Chroma Key” to apply the green screen function. And you can also adjust the offset, tolerance, edge thickness, etc. according to your own needs.

When you’re satisfied with the effect, you can click the “OK“ button to save the changes.

OPENSHOT

OpenShot Video Editor is a free, open-source video editor for Mac and Windows PC that can take your videos, photos, and music files and assist you in creating the film you’ve always wanted to make. Add subtitles, transitions, and effects with ease, and then export your film to DVD, YouTube, Vimeo, Xbox 360, and a variety of other popular formats.

A cross-platform video editing solution designed to help businesses of all sizes edit audios, videos, or images using a drag-and-drop interface. Administrators can use OpenShot Video Editor to enhance videos by adding animation effects such as fade, flying text, snow, and bounce, watermarks, 3D titles, and audio tracks, among other things.

The multilingual platform, which was specifically designed for video editors, allows teams to adjust color contrasts and brightness, as well as add time.

Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux

Features:

• Cross-platform (Linux, Mac, and Windows)
• Support for many videos, audio, and image formats (based on FFmpeg)
• Powerful curve-based Key frame animations
• Desktop integration (drag and drop support)
• Unlimited tracks/layers
• Clip resizing, scaling, trimming, snapping, rotation, and cutting
• Video transitions with real-time previews
• Compositing, image overlays, watermarks
• Title templates, title creation, sub-titles
• 2D animation support (image sequences)
• 3D animated titles (and effects)
• SVG friendly, to create and include vector titles and credits
• Scrolling motion picture credits
• Advanced Timeline (including Drag & drop scrolling, panning, zooming, and snapping)
• Frame accuracy (step through each frame of video)
• Time-mapping and speed changes on clips (slow/fast, forward/backward, etc…)
• Audio mixing and editing
• Digital video effects, including brightness, gamma, hue, greyscale, chroma key, and many more!
• Experimental hardware encoding and decoding (VA-API, NVDEC, D3D9, D3D11, VTB)
• Import & Export widely supported formats (EDL, XML)
• Render videos in many codecs and formats (based on FFmpeg)

Pros:

• 3D Titles
• Curve-based Time Mapping
• Non-linear Editor with Infinite Tracks
• No Watermark
• Frequent Update
• Easy to Use
• Multi-lingual

Cons:

• Unstable Performance
• Limited Editing Features
• Less Powerful Hardware Acceleration
• Obsolete Interface

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Openshot

1. To create a chroma key (e.g. greenscreen or bluescreen) in OpenShot, begin by importing the files you’re going to use.

1. Drag the file to be keyed onto Track 2 in the timeline, and the file to use as the background onto Track 1. The plan is to make the green part of the upper image transparent so the file underneath becomes visible.

1. Click the Effects tab, find the Chroma Key effect, and drag it onto the top file in the timeline. You will see a star appear on the file in the timeline.

1. Right-click the top file in the timeline and select Properties. In the Properties window, click the Effects tab and then click the Chroma Key effect.

1. Click the green-colored area next to the word “Key” (shown above) to bring up the Pick a Color window (shown below). Click the eyedropper tool and then click on a green part of the video image.

1. Click OK, then click Apply in the properties window. You should now be able to scrub through the timeline and see the effect in action.

iMovie

When you record a video against a green screen, you can make the background transparent and replace it with other video clips, graphics, or still images of your choice. It’s easy to overlay any footage with iMovie’s green screen effect. For example, you can transport yourself anywhere or appear in your favorite films.

The green Screen effect, also referred as the Chroma Key effect, is a simple way to combine two clips into one with impressive scenes. You can, for example, fly over a very high mountain. Green Screen is a background that is only one color, usually green. This could be another pure color, such as Blue or Pink. By dragging and dropping, you can apply a green screen video to another in iMovie. It’s incredibly simple to create stunning videos using the iMovie Green Screen effect.

Supported OS: macOS and iOS

Features:

• Options to modify and enhance video color settings
• Crop and rotate video clips
• Stabilize shaky videos
• Add video transitions
• Change the speed of clips.
• iMovie allows you to remove both green and blue screens

Pros:

• Clean, elegant interface
• Well optimized, responsive, and fast on modern Macs
• Effects and titles are all top-notch—especially for a free program
• Robust and useful interactions with other Apple products and software

Cons:

• Doesn’t have some advanced features present in other applications, like 360 video or Multicam
• Sometimes the efforts to keep the interface simple make finding a solution obtuse
• The user interface is not customizable
• Supports fewer export formats than some competing products

Steps On How To Chroma Key In iMovie

1. Open an empty project.
2. Select the background you would like to use.

1. Drag and drop the background video or image into the timeline.

1. Select the green screen footage you want to use.
2. Drag and drop it above the background.

1. Drag the edge of the background to make the background longer or shorter to match your green screen footage.

1. Click to select the green screen footage in the timeline
2. Select Green/Blue Screen from the drop-down menu that defaults to Cutaway above the left corner of the viewer window.

1. The green should now be removed to reveal the background behind it.

DA VINCI RESOLVE

Davinci Resolve has two versions including a full studio version which is available for $299. Because some professional tools, such as team collaboration and video noise reduction, cannot be used without a full license, the free program has a surprising number of features. The majority of the features included in the free version are adequate for professionals and hobbyists.

Although the Davinci Resolve program is regarded as a professional grade editor, it does include some advanced tools such as exporting, audio mastering, color correction, and more. The program is also useful for arranging audio and video clips, and it has a large selection of effects and filters. The additional color correction and adjustments available here can also aid in HDR support and produce more professional results when working with camera RAW data.

Davinci Resolve is also well-known for having one of the best color grading programs available. The outcome can be hugely potent when using the accessible chromakey tools. It doesn’t take much to figure out how to use this effect with the quick tutorial on board.

Supported OS: Mac and Windows

Features:

• Options to modify and enhance video color settings
• Crop and rotate video clips
• Stabilize shaky videos
• Add video transitions
• Change the speed of clips.
• iMovie allows you to remove both green and blue screens

Pros:

• Clean, elegant interface
• Well optimized, responsive, and fast on modern Macs
• Effects and titles are all top-notch—especially for a free program
• Robust and useful interactions with other Apple products and software

Cons:

• Doesn’t have some advanced features present in other applications, like 360 video or Multicam
• Sometimes the efforts to keep the interface simple make finding a solution obtuse
• The user interface is not customizable
• Supports fewer export formats than some competing products

Steps On How To Remove the Green Screen in DaVinci Resolve Inside the Color Tab

Step 1 – Add the Qualifier Tool & select the color

After you finish cutting the video, jump inside the “Color” tab and select the Qualifier Tool. Make sure you set the tool in “3D” mode to enable us to select a bigger range of the green spectrum.

Do this by simply selecting the fourth dot from the middle-upper area of the window or by selecting it from the drop-down mode selector situated in the window’s top-right corner.

After selecting the 3D mode for the Qualifier Tool, go ahead and select the range of green colors you want to remove by simply drawing lines on top of the screen, similar to the way I did in the image below.

Step 2 – Removing the color

As you can see in the small rectangle, Resolve did the keying, but it doesn’t know what to do with it because we didn’t specify. Right-click underneath the node, select “Add Alpha Output” and then link the node.

Yes, I know it will key out the subject and not the green screen. There is no problem. Go ahead and select the Revert button situated in the “Selection Range” window. Everything should be OK now.

Step 3 – Clean the edges

As you can surely notice, there are still some issues we have to address. In the hair area and on the outline of the subject, there is a noticeable green color spill. We don’t want that! On top of this, there will be many situations where you will still notice some noisy green pixels in the transparent area, around the corners of the screen, or the subject.

To get rid of these problems, we have to jump into the Qualifier window. Here, there are many settings you can play with to tweak the output. Most of the time, you will solve these problems by checking “Despill”, further selecting more of the greens and adding them to the Selection Range, or modifying the shrink, ”Black Clip” and “White Clip”.

Step 3 – Done

This is all for this method! Go ahead and add a background in the “Edit” mode and your job is done! Feel free to watch the video below, where I went through the same steps as above, but faster.

BEST PAID GREEN SCREEN SOFTWARE FOR BEGINNERS ON MAC

WEVIDEO

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

This program, which costs only $4 per month, has extensive compatibility with nearly 20 different input and output formats. Most common input and output formats, such as NT 4.0, avi, 3gp, and others, are well represented.

If you want to do green screen options online but don’t want to install any software to access a full-featured video editor, this could be one of your best options.

WeVideo is a cloud-based video editing solution that is both powerful and simple to use. There’s a reason it’s one of the most popular online video editors out there. This includes options for photo animations, clip transformations, voiceovers, and more. You can also improve your video by using a variety of premium features such as screencasting, custom branding, and a wide range of free tracks that can be used with copyright-free music.

With this online editor, you can easily control almost everything in a video, from motion effects to green screen technology to scene transitions.

Features:

• 720p video resolution
• Motion titles
• Screencasting
• WeVideo JumpStart
• Cloud storage
• Music library
• Slow motion
• Voiceover
• Guilt in graphics
• Customizable environment
• Green screen
• Advanced text editing
• File & media manager
• Multi-track editing and storyboard

Pros:

• This is a multiplatform video editor that works with intense compatibility online. You can use it on almost any device.
• The interface is also quite simple and it has some tools that are used by the pros as well as a format that most people can easily understand.
• There is a full licensed library of songs with over 100 tracks you can use royalty-free.
• The cloud storage also ensures that you can pick up a project on any device that you won’t. Cloud access anywhere gives you more time for efficiency and handling your workload.

Cons:

• The program only currently supports 720 P resolution in some of the cheaper plans and there are limited minutes allowed with editing if you are only going to use the trial-free plan.

Steps On How To Chroma Key In WeVideo

1. When your WeVideo project is open, click on the clip that you wish to remove the green background from.

1. The video or image layer underneath the color-keyed clip will show through, as the background.

1. Click on the clip editor pencil icon.

1. Click on the eyedropper to choose the color you’re going to remove.

1. Click an area that is the color that you would like to remove.

CAMTASIA

Supported OS: Mac and Windows

Camtasia by Techsmith is a simple video editing and screen recording application. Camtasia, designed for beginners, allows users to create professional training videos quickly and easily.

Camtasia is a straightforward video editor and chroma key software (for basic green screen editing) that may meet your needs.

It is the ideal video editor for beginners with little knowledge to editing. It includes numerous features that make it simple to create professional videos, whether you are a student, business owner, or regular YouTube user looking to spice up their content.

Features:

• Intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
• The ability to upload videos straight from the application, via Dropbox or YouTube.
• A wide range of built-in editing templates makes it easier for beginners to create professional-looking video content.
• Screen recording options for capturing live demos and lectures.
• Camtasia for Mac is also available, which makes it an ideal video editor for Apple users.

Pros:

• Very easy to learn
• Amazing screen capture feature
• Impressive cursor effects
• Interactivity features
• Good asset library
• Mobile version
• Great customer service
• Low cost

Cons:

• Constant crashes and bugs
• Limited customization
• No keyframe tracking
• Poor keyboard commands
• Export issues

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Camtasia

1. Record a video with a green screen

Make sure the green screen fills up the whole background while recording.

After your video is recorded, it will be placed on your Timeline as the recorded Camera and Screen.

2. Remove the green

Use the Remove a Color tool from the Visual Effects section to remove the green in the background.

Under the properties on the right side, select the color drop-down menu and use the eyedropper tool to select the green color. (Tip: With the Eyedropper tool selected, click on the green part of your Green Screen to select that color for removal.)

Adjust the Tolerance and Softness to get a clean color removal.

1. Adjust the video

Adjust and move your now greenless recording to a desired size and position.

Lightworks

Supported OS: Mac, Windows 8.1, and Linux

Lightworks is ideal for creating real-time effects. The basic package includes free software with green screen editing capabilities. It makes changing the background of your videos simple and effective.

Lightworks provides access to professional-grade features that allow you to create visually appealing videos. The software is quick and adapts quickly to your needs, whether you are a beginner or a pro. It has a learning curve, but there is probably no tool out there that is easier to use once you get used to it.

It offers advanced effects that allow users to enhance videos in real time. You can use a variety of tools, including blurring, masking, and color grading.

You can instantly export videos to YouTube, Vimeo, and other platform services.

Features:

• Works with a wide variety of video formats
• Allows fast export to MPEG4/
• Fully optimized to offer fast speeds
• Multicam editing options
• Realtime effects with the help of inbuilt presets
• Advanced Boris FX Plugin
• Boris Graffiti for text effects
• Fully customizable interface
• Options for real-time collaboration
• Dedicated hardware support

Pros:

• Real-time effects with 4K Editing
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Easy to share videos on the internet
• Access to royalty-free audio and video content
• Histogram tool and 32bit GPU precision
• Lots of ready-to-use effects

Cons:

• The Video Stabilization feature is missing
• 3D Video Editing is not supported
• No Split and Merge features

Steps On How To Chroma Key In Lightworks

1. Record your video

First, you need a green or blue background to shoot against. As we’ll explain later, it doesn’t have to be a very specific shade, but it needs to be substantially different from the subject you’re shooting. You might have seen occasions when a weather presenter’s tie has appeared transparent during a broadcast. This is because the material was too close in color to the backdrop, or the key wasn’t quite set accurately enough.

You can make your backdrop using a sheet, or a large sheet of paper or card. If you’re planning to make videos frequently, there are inexpensive chromakey backdrops available that include a frame to hang the cloth from. If space is limited, collapsible screens are also available starting at around US$40. These screens are also handy for photography.

Good lighting is essential. You need to make sure that the screen is evenly lit so the color is consistent. It’s also important to ensure your subject is far enough from the screen to avoid shadows and color spills (when the blue or green backdrop reflects off your subject).

2. Import and trim

Once you’ve shot your video, download and install Lightworks . It’s free for personal use, but you’ll need to register for a free account if you want to use it for longer than 30 days.

Click the button marked Create a New Project, give it a name, and select a frame rate (you can find this by right-clicking your recorded video and selecting the Details tab). Here we’re using a still image as a background, but you can also use another video. Import this the same way.

Click the Edit tab and drag your video from the Project Contents panel onto the V1 track of the timeline below. If there’s unwanted footage at the beginning or end of your clip, right-click it and select Trim In or Trim Out, then use the yellow handles to change where the clip starts and finishes.

Right-click the preview window marked Sequence #1 and select Tracks > Add Video. Drag your video clip into the V1 track and your still image into V2. Click and drag the right-hand side of the image in the V2 track until it’s the same length as the video.

3. Set the key

Now click the VFX tab, select the V1 track in the timeline and click the tab marked with a plus icon. Click the Favorites drop-down menu and select Key, followed by Green Screen. Click Add Effect and you’ll see a new panel of settings under the color correction wheels.

Use the eyedropper tool on the left to select the background you want to remove. This will typically do quite a good job by itself, but it will need a little fine-tuning. Try sliding the Saturation and Luminance sliders and adjusting their steepness using the handles that appear when you move your mouse over them. You’ll notice that each adjustment you make has a knock-on effect on the changes you’ve made with the other sliders; it’s a matter of balancing all three to achieve the best effect, preserving detail while minimizing spill.

To see how the filter is working, click the ‘Reveal’ box. The white areas are the parts of the video that will be removed, and the black areas are the parts that will remain.

The Remove Spill slider will add a purple tint to neutralize green tones in areas that need it.

4. Tweak and export

Once you’re happy, you can use Lightworks’ other VFX tools to make other changes like color correction and cropping. When you’re done, return to the Edit tab, right-click the preview window at the top right and select Export.

The only two export options you’ll see in the free version of Lightworks are Vimeo and YouTube, but this is a little misleading. These will save the video to your PC or Mac in an MP4 format, but they won’t do the uploading for you unless you check the appropriate box.

Select a destination folder and name for your video file and click ‘Start’. The processing will begin, and you’ll see a progress bar at the top right. This task will run in the background so you can continue working on your project, and you’ll be notified when it’s complete.

WHICH SHOULD I CHOOSE: FREE OR PAID GREEN SCREEN SOFTWARE?

If you want something quick, cheap, and easy, and having your footage seems to be fairly clean with few shadows or spills, there are several cheap or free apps into which you can import a clip, apply a chroma key, and export without much editing or advanced features.

If your footage calls for attention, extra equipment can be required. If your clip has inconsistent lighting fixtures or poor quality, you may require equipment that permits you to observe a couple of chroma keys to suit the numerous shades of green or color correction equipment to restore your pictures. For even advanced functions, you’ll want to spend a little time and money learning, however the end result will most possibly be worthwhile. More advanced chroma key equipment are normally used inside full-featured NLEs through integrated equipment or expert plug-ins that encompass extra beneficial functions including advanced color correction, noise reduction, HDR (High Dynamic Range) color support, movement and keyframing, extra file layout and high-resolution support, and multi-camera editing.

FAQS ABOUT EDITING GREEN SCREEN

1. What is the most important thing when using a green screen?

When lighting your green screen, ensure there is even, soft light on the entirety of the green screen. This is crucial for a proper key. Many filmmakers overlook this essential part and focus on lighting the subject. However, be sure to use whatever lights you have to expose the green screen background evenly.

1. Why do filmmakers use green screens?

A green screen basically lets you drop in whatever background images you want behind the actors and/or foreground. It’s used in film production (and also in news and weather reports) to relatively simply place the desired background behind the subject/actor/presenter.

1. Why is a green screen not a different color?

The really short answer is that green screens are green because people are not green. For the effect to work, the background must use a color that isn’t used elsewhere in the shot – and green is nothing like human skin tone.

Conclusion:

Green screen video production is not difficult. Anyone, with the right tools can create green screen effects like a pro. Simply follow the precautions listed above and choose the software that best suits your needs.

Whether you’re making a professional film or a simple family video, I’m confident you’ll find something suitable among the options listed above.

Split a Clip in DaVinci Resolve [Step by Step]

The DaVinci resolve is an amazing video editing software that attracts professionals and beginners to work on it. You can also fulfil your wish to edit or split the video clips in it without facing any difficulty.

But, some of them are looking for guidance to work on DaVinci resolve correctly. This article discusses the splitting of the video clips in DaVinci Resolve explicitly. There is also a brief description of its best alternative, Wondershare Filmora. This is also practically relevant and reasonable as well.

How you can split the video clips in DaVinci resolve

DaVinci resolve is a comprehensive program that allows you to deliver different solutions. It can be related to editing the videos, correcting the colours, and producing the videos and audio. Just follow the simple steps below for splitting the videos in the DaVinci resolve:

Part 1 - Splitting of one clip:

Step 1: After installing the DaVinci resolve, launch it in your system.

Step 2: Import and place the media file on the timeline from the library. This is the clip you want to split. Select the blade tool from where you want to split the clip. Use the timeline from the menu and go to Split Clip. Shortcut keys are also available that are Ctrl+\ or Cmd+\ or Cmd+B. Now the split clip is easily visible to you. You can use this clip wherever you want to use it.

Part 2- Splitting of more than one clip on various tracks:

You can also split the number of video and audio clips at the exact timings in DaVinci resolve.

Step 1: When there are piles of clips one after the other, the selection of both of the clips is essential, which have to be split. Keep moving the playhead to the exact area where there is a requirement for the changes.

Step 2: Just keep pressing Command or Control + \ keys, or click on timeline> Split Clip. The selected clips of audio and video get split together now. No more slitting of the clips individually. This option is more appropriate for you when creating and managing different parts of massive projects.

An easier way to split the video clips

Without any doubt, DaVinci resolve is an advanced level software for video editing at the professional level. Moreover, the pricing of DaVinci resolve is $299, and it shows that it is quite expensive for many people. Due to this, you need an economical solution that is Filmora Video Editor .

Most graphic designers and video editors recommend Wondershare Fimora because it is lighter for the systems. All the tools are simplified in using like trimming or splitting the clips. You can convert split video clips into other formats in Wondershare Filmora. Add and apply all the special effects on your videos and export them wherever you want.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Features:

• Splitting or trimming of the video clips
• Removing the noise
• Addition of the transition effects
• Availability of controls for the audio, sound and video
• Separating the audio from the video

Part 1 - Splitting the clips in Wondershare Filmora

If you want to split the clips or trim some parts of the videos, Wondershare Filmora is the right choice. Below are detailed steps for trimming the videos quickly and easily.

Step :1

Drag or drop the files from Media Library or Click on “Import” after selecting the video clips to make the clip visible on the timeline. No need to worry regarding the formats as Wondershare Filmora is highly supportive towards it/

Step:2

Keep hanging the mouse on the corner of the video until and unless the trimming icon appears. So, you can drag ahead or in a backward direction at the endpoints of the video you want to trim.

Step: 3

You don’t want the video parts in the centre of the video clips. First, split the video and delete it. For splitting the video, click on the icon of the scissor.

Step: 4

For deleting the part of the undesired part of the video, click on the dustbin icon. If there is any deletion by mistake, there is no need to worry about it. Click on the undo icon to make the video appear on the timeline again.

Part 2 - Splitting and trimming the clips in Wondershare Filmora:

Apart from the above steps for trimming and splitting the videos in Wondershare Filmora, the position of the video has to be in the place head of the frame that you are willing to trim. Right-click on the clip and select the option of “Trim Start to Playhead or Trim End to Playhead “ for deleting the content of the video ahead or back of it.

In the latest version of the Wondershare Filmora, you can even trim the video without adding it to the timeline. A similar video can easily split multiple times and load only the required one. Go through the following steps to split the clips in a faster way:

1. You can easily preview the video first from the library of your media files.
2. Select the clip which you want to split or trim by selecting from the beginning till the end
3. After dragging, you can view the trim section
4. Keep repeating the steps mentioned above for splitting the videos

Although various editing software is available, Wondershare Filmora has to be on the top. It is the best choice to bring your imagination into reality, whether it is transitioning, applying the effects or importing/exporting the videos. All the options are suitable in front and visible on your timeline. Wondershare Filmora supports different operating systems as well. Even no proper training is required, so start using Wondershare Filmora today to get your editing done.

Step 2: Import and place the media file on the timeline from the library. This is the clip you want to split. Select the blade tool from where you want to split the clip. Use the timeline from the menu and go to Split Clip. Shortcut keys are also available that are Ctrl+\ or Cmd+\ or Cmd+B. Now the split clip is easily visible to you. You can use this clip wherever you want to use it.

Part 2- Splitting of more than one clip on various tracks:

You can also split the number of video and audio clips at the exact timings in DaVinci resolve.

Step 1: When there are piles of clips one after the other, the selection of both of the clips is essential, which have to be split. Keep moving the playhead to the exact area where there is a requirement for the changes.

Step 2: Just keep pressing Command or Control + \ keys, or click on timeline> Split Clip. The selected clips of audio and video get split together now. No more slitting of the clips individually. This option is more appropriate for you when creating and managing different parts of massive projects.

An easier way to split the video clips

Without any doubt, DaVinci resolve is an advanced level software for video editing at the professional level. Moreover, the pricing of DaVinci resolve is $299, and it shows that it is quite expensive for many people. Due to this, you need an economical solution that is Filmora Video Editor .

Most graphic designers and video editors recommend Wondershare Fimora because it is lighter for the systems. All the tools are simplified in using like trimming or splitting the clips. You can convert split video clips into other formats in Wondershare Filmora. Add and apply all the special effects on your videos and export them wherever you want.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Features:

• Splitting or trimming of the video clips
• Removing the noise
• Addition of the transition effects
• Availability of controls for the audio, sound and video
• Separating the audio from the video

Part 1 - Splitting the clips in Wondershare Filmora

If you want to split the clips or trim some parts of the videos, Wondershare Filmora is the right choice. Below are detailed steps for trimming the videos quickly and easily.

Step :1

Drag or drop the files from Media Library or Click on “Import” after selecting the video clips to make the clip visible on the timeline. No need to worry regarding the formats as Wondershare Filmora is highly supportive towards it/

Step:2

Keep hanging the mouse on the corner of the video until and unless the trimming icon appears. So, you can drag ahead or in a backward direction at the endpoints of the video you want to trim.

Step: 3

You don’t want the video parts in the centre of the video clips. First, split the video and delete it. For splitting the video, click on the icon of the scissor.

Step: 4

For deleting the part of the undesired part of the video, click on the dustbin icon. If there is any deletion by mistake, there is no need to worry about it. Click on the undo icon to make the video appear on the timeline again.

Part 2 - Splitting and trimming the clips in Wondershare Filmora:

Apart from the above steps for trimming and splitting the videos in Wondershare Filmora, the position of the video has to be in the place head of the frame that you are willing to trim. Right-click on the clip and select the option of “Trim Start to Playhead or Trim End to Playhead “ for deleting the content of the video ahead or back of it.

In the latest version of the Wondershare Filmora, you can even trim the video without adding it to the timeline. A similar video can easily split multiple times and load only the required one. Go through the following steps to split the clips in a faster way:

1. You can easily preview the video first from the library of your media files.
2. Select the clip which you want to split or trim by selecting from the beginning till the end
3. After dragging, you can view the trim section
4. Keep repeating the steps mentioned above for splitting the videos

Although various editing software is available, Wondershare Filmora has to be on the top. It is the best choice to bring your imagination into reality, whether it is transitioning, applying the effects or importing/exporting the videos. All the options are suitable in front and visible on your timeline. Wondershare Filmora supports different operating systems as well. Even no proper training is required, so start using Wondershare Filmora today to get your editing done.

Step 2: Import and place the media file on the timeline from the library. This is the clip you want to split. Select the blade tool from where you want to split the clip. Use the timeline from the menu and go to Split Clip. Shortcut keys are also available that are Ctrl+\ or Cmd+\ or Cmd+B. Now the split clip is easily visible to you. You can use this clip wherever you want to use it.

Part 2- Splitting of more than one clip on various tracks:

You can also split the number of video and audio clips at the exact timings in DaVinci resolve.

Step 1: When there are piles of clips one after the other, the selection of both of the clips is essential, which have to be split. Keep moving the playhead to the exact area where there is a requirement for the changes.

Step 2: Just keep pressing Command or Control + \ keys, or click on timeline> Split Clip. The selected clips of audio and video get split together now. No more slitting of the clips individually. This option is more appropriate for you when creating and managing different parts of massive projects.

An easier way to split the video clips

Without any doubt, DaVinci resolve is an advanced level software for video editing at the professional level. Moreover, the pricing of DaVinci resolve is $299, and it shows that it is quite expensive for many people. Due to this, you need an economical solution that is Filmora Video Editor .

Most graphic designers and video editors recommend Wondershare Fimora because it is lighter for the systems. All the tools are simplified in using like trimming or splitting the clips. You can convert split video clips into other formats in Wondershare Filmora. Add and apply all the special effects on your videos and export them wherever you want.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Features:

• Splitting or trimming of the video clips
• Removing the noise
• Addition of the transition effects
• Availability of controls for the audio, sound and video
• Separating the audio from the video

Part 1 - Splitting the clips in Wondershare Filmora

If you want to split the clips or trim some parts of the videos, Wondershare Filmora is the right choice. Below are detailed steps for trimming the videos quickly and easily.

Step :1

Drag or drop the files from Media Library or Click on “Import” after selecting the video clips to make the clip visible on the timeline. No need to worry regarding the formats as Wondershare Filmora is highly supportive towards it/

Step:2

Keep hanging the mouse on the corner of the video until and unless the trimming icon appears. So, you can drag ahead or in a backward direction at the endpoints of the video you want to trim.

Step: 3

You don’t want the video parts in the centre of the video clips. First, split the video and delete it. For splitting the video, click on the icon of the scissor.

Step: 4

For deleting the part of the undesired part of the video, click on the dustbin icon. If there is any deletion by mistake, there is no need to worry about it. Click on the undo icon to make the video appear on the timeline again.

Part 2 - Splitting and trimming the clips in Wondershare Filmora:

Apart from the above steps for trimming and splitting the videos in Wondershare Filmora, the position of the video has to be in the place head of the frame that you are willing to trim. Right-click on the clip and select the option of “Trim Start to Playhead or Trim End to Playhead “ for deleting the content of the video ahead or back of it.

In the latest version of the Wondershare Filmora, you can even trim the video without adding it to the timeline. A similar video can easily split multiple times and load only the required one. Go through the following steps to split the clips in a faster way:

1. You can easily preview the video first from the library of your media files.
2. Select the clip which you want to split or trim by selecting from the beginning till the end
3. After dragging, you can view the trim section
4. Keep repeating the steps mentioned above for splitting the videos

Although various editing software is available, Wondershare Filmora has to be on the top. It is the best choice to bring your imagination into reality, whether it is transitioning, applying the effects or importing/exporting the videos. All the options are suitable in front and visible on your timeline. Wondershare Filmora supports different operating systems as well. Even no proper training is required, so start using Wondershare Filmora today to get your editing done.

Step 2: Import and place the media file on the timeline from the library. This is the clip you want to split. Select the blade tool from where you want to split the clip. Use the timeline from the menu and go to Split Clip. Shortcut keys are also available that are Ctrl+\ or Cmd+\ or Cmd+B. Now the split clip is easily visible to you. You can use this clip wherever you want to use it.

Part 2- Splitting of more than one clip on various tracks:

You can also split the number of video and audio clips at the exact timings in DaVinci resolve.

Step 1: When there are piles of clips one after the other, the selection of both of the clips is essential, which have to be split. Keep moving the playhead to the exact area where there is a requirement for the changes.

Step 2: Just keep pressing Command or Control + \ keys, or click on timeline> Split Clip. The selected clips of audio and video get split together now. No more slitting of the clips individually. This option is more appropriate for you when creating and managing different parts of massive projects.

An easier way to split the video clips

Without any doubt, DaVinci resolve is an advanced level software for video editing at the professional level. Moreover, the pricing of DaVinci resolve is $299, and it shows that it is quite expensive for many people. Due to this, you need an economical solution that is Filmora Video Editor .

Most graphic designers and video editors recommend Wondershare Fimora because it is lighter for the systems. All the tools are simplified in using like trimming or splitting the clips. You can convert split video clips into other formats in Wondershare Filmora. Add and apply all the special effects on your videos and export them wherever you want.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Features:

• Splitting or trimming of the video clips
• Removing the noise
• Addition of the transition effects
• Availability of controls for the audio, sound and video
• Separating the audio from the video

Part 1 - Splitting the clips in Wondershare Filmora

If you want to split the clips or trim some parts of the videos, Wondershare Filmora is the right choice. Below are detailed steps for trimming the videos quickly and easily.

Step :1

Drag or drop the files from Media Library or Click on “Import” after selecting the video clips to make the clip visible on the timeline. No need to worry regarding the formats as Wondershare Filmora is highly supportive towards it/

Step:2

Keep hanging the mouse on the corner of the video until and unless the trimming icon appears. So, you can drag ahead or in a backward direction at the endpoints of the video you want to trim.

Step: 3

You don’t want the video parts in the centre of the video clips. First, split the video and delete it. For splitting the video, click on the icon of the scissor.

Step: 4

For deleting the part of the undesired part of the video, click on the dustbin icon. If there is any deletion by mistake, there is no need to worry about it. Click on the undo icon to make the video appear on the timeline again.

Part 2 - Splitting and trimming the clips in Wondershare Filmora:

Apart from the above steps for trimming and splitting the videos in Wondershare Filmora, the position of the video has to be in the place head of the frame that you are willing to trim. Right-click on the clip and select the option of “Trim Start to Playhead or Trim End to Playhead “ for deleting the content of the video ahead or back of it.

In the latest version of the Wondershare Filmora, you can even trim the video without adding it to the timeline. A similar video can easily split multiple times and load only the required one. Go through the following steps to split the clips in a faster way:

1. You can easily preview the video first from the library of your media files.
2. Select the clip which you want to split or trim by selecting from the beginning till the end
3. After dragging, you can view the trim section
4. Keep repeating the steps mentioned above for splitting the videos

Although various editing software is available, Wondershare Filmora has to be on the top. It is the best choice to bring your imagination into reality, whether it is transitioning, applying the effects or importing/exporting the videos. All the options are suitable in front and visible on your timeline. Wondershare Filmora supports different operating systems as well. Even no proper training is required, so start using Wondershare Filmora today to get your editing done.

Find Out What Track Mattes Are in After Effects and Learn How to Find and Use It with Simple and Easy-to-Follow Instructions

Are you wondering what Track Mattes is? In After Effects, this tool adds an invisible layer that is used to mask or reveal parts of a layer, including video, graphics, text, shapes, and images. This feature is in the arsenal of any visual effects artist or motion graphic designer.

For After Effects editors, Track Mattes can be an incredibly helpful tool for managing multiple layers and creating complex animations.

In this article, we’ll explore everything you need to know about Track Mattes. We’ll cover topics like the difference between a mask and Track Matte, finding this tool in After Effects, and its four options: Alpha Matter, Alpha Inverted Matte, Luma Matte, and Luma Inverted Matte.

1. Alpha Matte
2. Alpha Inverted Matte
3. Luma Matte
4. Luma Inverted Matte
5. Differences Between Alpha Channel and Luma Channel

Part 1. What Are Track Mattes In After Effects?

A Track Matte is an element used in video editing to control the opacity of a layer. Essentially, it lets you create a “hole” in a layer so that underlying layers can show through. This tool can be used with video and audio layers, which is essential for creating complex composites in After Effects.

You can use Track Mattes to generate shapes, reveal part of a layer, or keying outs. Interestingly, it remains independent of all layers in your projects, which means you can get visual effects and animations more efficiently than with the masks tool.

Moreover, Track Mattes uses Alpha or Luma channels as a layer mask to determine what parts of the layer to reveal. For instance, you can make a top layer that provides an Alpha or Luminous effect and a bottom layer consisting of the image that will be revealed or shown.

Thus, if you want to use an image to hide your video until you want to unveil it or add a picture in your text, Track Mattes will help you to shape the appearance of a layer above it.

Part 2. Differences Between A Mask And A Track Matte

In Adobe After Effects, there are two types of masking tools: Masks and Track Mattes. Both are used to hide or reveal a portion of a layer.

Here’re some key differences between a Mask and a Track Matte:

1. A mask is dependent on a specific layer, while the Track Matter is independent of any layer.
2. A mask is applied directly to a layer having an image or a video and transforms with the layers. On the other hand, Track Matte is a stationary mask applied to the composition rather than a layer.

Part 3. Finding The Track Matte Tool In After Effects

Track Matte is located by default in the Timeline Window of the After Effects interface, but if it is unavailable there for some reason, toggle the Transfer Control Pane button on the bottom-left of the timeline.

If you are still unable to find the Track Matte option, press the F1 key or do the following steps in sequence:

1. Right-click on the area above your layers and select “Columns.”
2. Scroll down and click the “Modes” option to enable it.

1. Track Matte mode, Preserve Underlying Transparency, and Blending Modes will be available now.

Under Track Matte’s drop-down menu, you can find four further options, two with Alpha and two with Luma. We’ll discuss these options in detail in the next section.

Part 4. All Four Track Matte Options In After Effects

After Effects provides four types of Track Matte options: Alpha Matte, Alpha Inverted Matte, Luma Matte, and Luma Inverted Matte, each has its own specific use case. But first, you need to understand what Alpha and Luma are:

Alpha: This Track Matte type uses the layer’s Alpha channel to determine the layer’s opacity.

Luma: This Track Matte type uses the top layer’s brightness to mask the bottom layer.

Let’s find out the functions of each option one by one:

Alpha Matte

Alpha Matte is an important option under the Track Matte menu, as it allows you to create a mask based on the transparency of the layer you are using it on. Like the mask, it will use any pixel above 0% opacity and can be useful for various purposes, such as creating a vignette or isolating a certain area of the frame.

Alpha Inverted Matte

The Alpha Inverted Matte option is quite the opposite of the Alpha Matte, and around the Alpha channel, it uses negative space from the above layer and will therefore use pixels with 0% opacity as it had 100% opacity.

Luma Matte

Instead of using the Alpha channel, Luma Mattes uses the brightness level or Luma channel of the upper layer to create a mask for the bottom layer.

Luma Inverted Matte

Opposite of the Luma Matte, the Luma Inverted Matte uses dark or low luminance areas of the upper layer to create a mask for the lower layer.

Differences Between Alpha Channel and Luma Channel

When altering the opacity of a layer, it may look like the brightness settings are changed. This might confuse some users, as both Alpha and Luma channels carry the same information. However, they differ in how they are used.

Alpha channel is a type of Track Matte that stores transparency information. This information determines how opaque or transparent a layer will be when superimposed over another layer.

On the other hand, a Luma channel is a video track that stores brightness information. This information is used to determine how bright or dark an image will be and is further divided into three channels, i.e., Red, Green, and Blue (RGB). Their value ranges from 0 to 255, where 0 represents the darkest value while 255 represents the brightest value.

Video – How to use Track Mattes in Adobe After Effects - Tutorial

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve discussed what Track Matte is in After Effects and how it differs from the mask tool. We also explored where to find the Track Matter option and its four options, i.e., Alpha Matte, Alpha Inverted Matte, Luma Matte, and Luma Inverted Matte. In the end, we discussed the difference between the Alpha and Luma channels to provide a clear view of the two.

Hopefully, this guide resolves your queries, and you now have a better understanding of the Track Matte tool in After Effects.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Part 1. What Are Track Mattes In After Effects?

A Track Matte is an element used in video editing to control the opacity of a layer. Essentially, it lets you create a “hole” in a layer so that underlying layers can show through. This tool can be used with video and audio layers, which is essential for creating complex composites in After Effects.

You can use Track Mattes to generate shapes, reveal part of a layer, or keying outs. Interestingly, it remains independent of all layers in your projects, which means you can get visual effects and animations more efficiently than with the masks tool.

Moreover, Track Mattes uses Alpha or Luma channels as a layer mask to determine what parts of the layer to reveal. For instance, you can make a top layer that provides an Alpha or Luminous effect and a bottom layer consisting of the image that will be revealed or shown.

Thus, if you want to use an image to hide your video until you want to unveil it or add a picture in your text, Track Mattes will help you to shape the appearance of a layer above it.

Part 2. Differences Between A Mask And A Track Matte

In Adobe After Effects, there are two types of masking tools: Masks and Track Mattes. Both are used to hide or reveal a portion of a layer.

Here’re some key differences between a Mask and a Track Matte:

1. A mask is dependent on a specific layer, while the Track Matter is independent of any layer.
2. A mask is applied directly to a layer having an image or a video and transforms with the layers. On the other hand, Track Matte is a stationary mask applied to the composition rather than a layer.

Part 3. Finding The Track Matte Tool In After Effects

Track Matte is located by default in the Timeline Window of the After Effects interface, but if it is unavailable there for some reason, toggle the Transfer Control Pane button on the bottom-left of the timeline.

If you are still unable to find the Track Matte option, press the F1 key or do the following steps in sequence:

1. Right-click on the area above your layers and select “Columns.”
2. Scroll down and click the “Modes” option to enable it.

1. Track Matte mode, Preserve Underlying Transparency, and Blending Modes will be available now.

Under Track Matte’s drop-down menu, you can find four further options, two with Alpha and two with Luma. We’ll discuss these options in detail in the next section.

Part 4. All Four Track Matte Options In After Effects

After Effects provides four types of Track Matte options: Alpha Matte, Alpha Inverted Matte, Luma Matte, and Luma Inverted Matte, each has its own specific use case. But first, you need to understand what Alpha and Luma are:

Alpha: This Track Matte type uses the layer’s Alpha channel to determine the layer’s opacity.

Luma: This Track Matte type uses the top layer’s brightness to mask the bottom layer.

Let’s find out the functions of each option one by one:

Alpha Matte

Alpha Matte is an important option under the Track Matte menu, as it allows you to create a mask based on the transparency of the layer you are using it on. Like the mask, it will use any pixel above 0% opacity and can be useful for various purposes, such as creating a vignette or isolating a certain area of the frame.

Alpha Inverted Matte

The Alpha Inverted Matte option is quite the opposite of the Alpha Matte, and around the Alpha channel, it uses negative space from the above layer and will therefore use pixels with 0% opacity as it had 100% opacity.

Luma Matte

Instead of using the Alpha channel, Luma Mattes uses the brightness level or Luma channel of the upper layer to create a mask for the bottom layer.

Luma Inverted Matte

Opposite of the Luma Matte, the Luma Inverted Matte uses dark or low luminance areas of the upper layer to create a mask for the lower layer.

Differences Between Alpha Channel and Luma Channel

When altering the opacity of a layer, it may look like the brightness settings are changed. This might confuse some users, as both Alpha and Luma channels carry the same information. However, they differ in how they are used.

Alpha channel is a type of Track Matte that stores transparency information. This information determines how opaque or transparent a layer will be when superimposed over another layer.

On the other hand, a Luma channel is a video track that stores brightness information. This information is used to determine how bright or dark an image will be and is further divided into three channels, i.e., Red, Green, and Blue (RGB). Their value ranges from 0 to 255, where 0 represents the darkest value while 255 represents the brightest value.

Video – How to use Track Mattes in Adobe After Effects - Tutorial

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve discussed what Track Matte is in After Effects and how it differs from the mask tool. We also explored where to find the Track Matter option and its four options, i.e., Alpha Matte, Alpha Inverted Matte, Luma Matte, and Luma Inverted Matte. In the end, we discussed the difference between the Alpha and Luma channels to provide a clear view of the two.

Hopefully, this guide resolves your queries, and you now have a better understanding of the Track Matte tool in After Effects.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

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