Green screens are everywhere in video production these days.
Whether you're a professional editor or just someone who loves playing around with videos, the green screen is an essential tool that lets you layer footage and create incredible visual effects.
But once the green screen has done its job, the next step is removing it effectively. This process is called chroma keying.
Since you’re reading this, you're probably wondering how to remove a green screen from a video. So, let me help you out.
Here, I'll walk you through the step-by-step process of removing green screen backgrounds using two popular video editing software options: Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Let's get started.
Removing Green Screen in Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is a go-to choice for many video editors, offering robust tools for chroma keying. Follow these steps to remove the green screen in Premiere Pro:
Step 1: Import Your Footage
First, open Adobe Premiere Pro and start a new project. Once you're in your timeline, import your footage with the green screen background by dragging and dropping the video file into the Project Panel.
Step 2: Place the Footage on the Timeline
Once your footage is imported, drag it onto the timeline. You can also import any new background you want to use at this stage and place it on a layer underneath your green screen footage.
Step 3: Find the Ultra Key Effect
Now, it’s time to apply the chroma-keying effect.
- Navigate to the Effects Panel (usually found on the right side of the workspace). If it’s not visible, you can access it through the menu by selecting Window > Effects.
- Within the Effects Panel, find the Video Effects folder and click to expand it.
- Inside this folder, locate the Keying folder, which contains different types of keying effects that help remove specific colors from a video.
- For removing green screens, the most effective tool is Ultra Key. So, this is the tool we’ll use to remove the green screen.
- Drag the Ultra Key effect onto your video clip in the timeline.
Step 4: Adjust the Ultra Key Settings
Once the Ultra Key effect is applied, go to the Effects Controls Panel (typically located in the top left). Here, you will see all the parameters associated with the Ultra Key effect. The most important setting is the Key Color.
Step 5: Select the Key Color
Click on the Key Color dropdown in the Effects Control Panel. You’ll see an eyedropper tool icon.
- Use the eyedropper tool to select the color in your footage that you want to remove.
- Click anywhere on the green screen part of your video, and the software will instantly key out that color.
- After this, you should see the green background disappear from your video.
Step 6: Fine-Tune the Keying Effect
If the green screen removal isn't perfect, you can clean up the key using the Matte Generation settings in the Effects Controls Panel.
To do this, expand the Matte Generation section, and you will find several options for refining the key:
- Shadow: Adjust the shadows to remove any leftover dark patches.
- Highlights: Brighten any residual spots that remain after keying.
- Tolerance: Increase or decrease the tolerance if there are variations in the green screen color. This is especially helpful if the lighting on your green screen is uneven.
Step 7: Check for Imperfections
Play through your footage and check if there are any unwanted shadows, reflections, or other issues that need further adjustment.
You can use the Matte Cleanup and Spill Suppression options if necessary to refine the edges or remove any green tinge that may remain around the subject.
Step 8: Add a Background or Graphic
Since your green screen is now removed, you will see a black background by default. This black indicates transparency, meaning you can now place any background or image behind your subject.
- To do this, place a new clip, image, or graphic on the Video Track 1 (below your green screen footage) on the timeline. Your keyed-out footage should be on Video Track 2.
- The subject from your original video will now appear in front of the new background.
Step 9: Preview and Export
Once you're satisfied with how the green screen effect looks, preview your video by playing it back in the Program Monitor.
If everything looks good, you're ready to export! Go to File > Export > Media and select your preferred export settings.
Removing Green Screen in DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve is another excellent choice for video editing, known for its powerful color grading ability. It’s also great for chroma keying, and the process is relatively straightforward. Here’s how you’re going to proceed:
Step 1: Import Your Footage
First things first, open DaVinci Resolve and start a new project. Import your green screen footage and drag it into the Edit Page Timeline. Like in Premiere Pro, if you have a background clip, place it on the track below your green screen footage.
Step 2: Go to the Fusion Tab
With your footage in the timeline, switch over to the Fusion Tab. Fusion is Resolve’s built-in compositing and effects tool, perfect for handling green screen removal. Then, once you're in the Fusion tab, make sure the green screen clip is selected.
Step 3: Apply the Delta Keyer
In the Fusion panel, you will see two nodes by default: MediaIn (the input node) and MediaOut (the output node).
- Go to the Effects Library (usually found on the left side), and in the search bar, type Delta Keyer. The Delta Keyer is a powerful tool for chroma keying.
- Click and drag the Delta Keyer node into the workspace. Place it between the MediaIn and MediaOut nodes, connecting them to form a chain: MediaIn -> Delta Keyer -> MediaOut.
- Ensure that the nodes are properly connected; if they are, you’ll see a clear line between them.
Step 4: Select the Green Color to Remove
With the Delta Keyer node selected, go to the Inspector Panel (usually located on the top right). Then,
- Under the Background Color option, click the gray rectangle next to Pick Screen Color.
- Now use the Pick Screen Color tool to click directly on the green background in your footage. This will select the green color that needs to be keyed out.
- Once you’ve selected the green, press OK to apply the key. You should notice the green screen disappear, leaving your subject in front of a transparent background.
Step 5: Fixing Common Issues
Often, the initial keying won’t be perfect, especially if your green screen wasn’t evenly lit. Common problems include transparency in hair or rough edges.
To fix this, you need to adjust the Matte settings. In the Delta Keyer node, go to the Matte tab to refine the key.
Step 6: Refine the Matte (Opacity and Transparency Issues)
Change the View Mode to Matte to see a black and white representation of your key.
Black areas represent the parts of the video that will be fully transparent (background). And the white areas represent the parts that will remain visible (subject).
Your goal is to ensure that the background (green screen) is completely black and the subject is completely white with no gray areas in between.
Step 7: Adjust the Matte Bar
In the Matte settings, you will see a threshold slider bar that allows you to control the tolerance and smoothness of the key.
- Adjust the left part of the bar to eliminate any gray areas in the black (background) portion.
- Adjust the right part of the bar to clean up any gray areas in the white (subject) portion, ensuring that it is solid white.
Step 8: Return to the Final View
Once the matte adjustments are complete, return to the Final Result View (switch back from Matte View).
You should now see a clean removal of the green screen with no leftover transparency or opacity issues.
Step 9: Add a Background
To add a background behind your keyed-out subject, go back to the Edit tab in DaVinci Resolve.
Drag a new clip, image, or background into the timeline and place it on the track below your green screen clip. This way, your keyed-out footage will appear on top of the new background.
Step 10: Preview and Export
After you’re satisfied with the result, play back the video to ensure that the green screen removal looks smooth and your background is properly placed.
To export the video, go to the Deliver tab and select your export settings.
Final Thoughts
Both Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve offer excellent tools for removing green screens from your videos.
And while the processes are different, both result in a polished, professional-looking final product. Hopefully, you’ll master chroma keying and bring your video projects to life with more and more practice.
