This wikiHow teaches you how to use a green screen to edit a video background. Once the video has been recorded on a green screen, you can use Shotcut or LightWorks (both free for Windows and Mac) to change the green screen to the desired background for the image or video.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Making Green Screen Videos
Step 1. Set up a green screen
You can buy a standard green screen online, or use a lime sheet or poster paper if you have to.
The green screen must be neat and unwrinkled so that the color appears uniform throughout the sheet
Step 2. Stand at least 1 meter in front of a green screen
This way, no shadows overwrite the green screen and make editing videos easier later.
Step 3. Position the camera
It's best if the camera is far enough away to record your entire body (if possible), and not so far away that you can see the outside of the green screen.
Step 4. Record a video
Record yourself or video subject in front of a green screen. Make sure all motions or objects in the frame stay in front of the green screen because all parts outside the recorded green screen must be cut out of the final video.
Step 5. Transfer the video to the computer
When you're done recording, transfer the video to your computer so you can edit it.
- If the video is on your phone, we recommend uploading it to a cloud service like Google Drive and then downloading it from your computer.
- If the video is on an SD card, you can usually insert it into a computer (or a USB adapter/SD card plugged into the computer) to transfer the video.
Part 2 of 3: Editing Using Shotcuts
Step 1. Check the computer's bit rate
To be able to download Shotcut, you need to know whether your computer is running on a 32-bit or 64-bit system.
Skip this step if you're using a Mac computer
Step 2. Download the Shotcut
Visit the site https://www.shotcut.org/download/, then click the download link for your operating system:
- Windows – Click 64-bit Windows installer or 32-bit Windows installer, depending on the computer bit number.
- Mac – Click macOS under the "macOS" heading.
Step 3. Install the Shotcut
After the setup file has finished downloading, perform the following steps:
- Windows – Double-click the Shotcut setup file, then click Yes, after that click I agree, then Next, then Install, and finally click Close when the device installation is complete.
- Mac – Double-click the Shotcut DMG file, then click and drag the Shotcut icon to the Applications folder shortcut, and verify the software if prompted. Follow any other instructions that appear on the screen.
Step 4. Open Shotcut
open Start
(Windows) or Spotlight
(Mac), then type a shortcut and click Shotcut once or twice in search results.
Step 5. Activate the "Playlist" and "Timeline" sections
Click label Playlists at the top of the window, then click the label Timeline at the top of the window. The " Playlist " section will appear on the left side of the Shotcut window, while the " Timeline " section will appear at the bottom of the window.
Step 6. Import the green screen and background video
Click Open File in the upper left corner of the Shotcut window, select the green screen video and its background by clicking one file, then holding down Ctrl (or Command for Mac) while clicking the second file, and clicking Open in the lower right corner of the window. Your file name will appear in the Playlists section.
You can use a video or image as a green screen video background
Step 7. Create two video channels
Click ≡ in the upper left corner of the Timeline section, click Add Video Track in the pop-up menu, then repeat this process to add a second video channel.
Step 8. Put the video into the first channel
Click and drag the green screen video from the Playlist window to the top of the channel in the Timeline section, then release.
Step 9. Add a background to the second channel
Click and drag the photo's background photo to the second channel at the bottom of the Timeline section, then release.
- If you are using a background video, it must be the same length as the green screen video.
- If you're using a background image, click and drag the left and right edges to lengthen them according to the length of the video.
Step 10. Select the green screen video channel
It's located at the top of the Timeline section.
Step 11. Click the Filters label
It's at the top of the window. The " Filters " menu will appear in the Playlists section.
Step 12. Click
You'll find this button under the "Filters" menu. This will open a list of available filters in the Playlists section.
Step 13. Click the "Video" icon
This icon depicts a computer monitor which is located under the Playlists section. All available video filters will be displayed.
Step 14. Click Chromakey (Simple)
You'll find it in the middle of the Playlist window. This will open the green screen settings.
Step 15. Adjust the green screen spacing
Click and drag the "Distance" slider to the right until the green screen is replaced by an image or video on the right side of the window.
As a general rule, it's best to avoid the slider reaching "100%"
Step 16. Preview your video
Click the " Play " triangle icon below the video window in the right window. If you can still see a lot of green screen, slide the " Distance " slider to the right. If you can't see the background clearly enough, slide the slider to the left.
Step 17. Export videos
Click File, click Export Videos…, click Export File at the bottom of the menu, and type name.mp4 in the " File name " text box (or " Name " on a Mac), and replace "name" with the name you want. Click Save when it's done to start exporting the file.
The length of the file export depends on the size and resolution of the video
Part 3 of 3: Using LightWorks
Step 1. Go to the LightWorks download page
Go to https://www.lwks.com/ in a browser, then click the button Download Now blue in the upper right corner of the page.
Step 2. Select the operating system
Click label Windows or Mac, depending on the type of computer used.
Step 3. Download LightWorks
Click Download 32-bit for Windows computers with 32-bit operating systems, or click Download 64-bit for 64-bit operating systems.
- For Mac computers, click Download DMG.
- Check your computer's bit number if you don't know if your Windows is 64 bit or 32 bit.
Step 4. Install LightWorks
When you've finished downloading the LightWorks file, follow these steps:
- Windows – Double-click the setup file, then Yes when prompted, select a language and click OK, after that click Next, check the box " I accept " and click Next, then click Next three more times, enter a random number, and click Install. Last click Next and then Finish to complete the installation.
- Mac – Open the LightWorks DMG file, and drag the Shotcut icon to the folder shortcut Applications, and verify the software if prompted. Follow all other instructions that appear on the screen.
Step 5. Open LightWorks
The method:
- Windows - Double click the red LightWorks icon on your desktop.
-
Mac – Click the LightWorks app icon in the Mac Dock, or click Spotlight
Macspotlight type in lightworks, and click result lightworks twice.
Step 6. Click Create a new project…
It's in the upper-left corner of the window.
Step 7. Prepare your project
Perform the following steps in the window that appears:
- Enter a name in the " Name " text box.
- Click the " Frame rate " drop down box.
- Click Mixed rates
- Click Create
Step 8. Click the Local Files label near the top-left corner of the window
Step 9. Select the file
Click the green screen video that you want to use, then press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking the image or video that you want to use as the background.
If you don't see the file you want to use, click the button Places and select the folder where the file is stored in the drop down menu.
Step 10. Click Import
It's in the lower-left corner of the window. This step will import the files into LightWorks.
Step 11. Click the EDIT label
It's at the top of the LightWorks window, right next to the label LOG.
Step 12. Create a second video track
Right-click on the horizontal track at the bottom of the window, then click Tracks in the drop down menu, and click Add video in the pop-out menu. You can see the "V2" category appear on the left side of the window.
Step 13. Add files in the tracks area
Click and drag the green screen video to the "V1" section of the track area and drop it there. Then, drag the image or video that will be the background in the "V2" section.
- If you are using a background video, it must be the same length as the green screen video.
- If you are using a background image, click and drag the image to the right or left according to the length of the video.
Step 14. Click the VFX label
It's at the top of the LightWorks window.
Step 15. Add green screen Chroma lock effect
Right-click the "V1" track at the bottom of the window, click Add, click category Key, and click Chromakey on the menu.
Step 16. Select the green screen
Click the eyedropper icon on the left side of the " Saturation " section, then click the green section on the green screen. This way, the program will replace the color associated with the background image or video.
Step 17. Adjust the green screen
Click and drag the slider that says "Remove spill" on the left side of the page to the right. Thus, the amount of green that appears due to color inconsistencies on the green screen can be reduced.
Step 18. Preview your video
Click the triangular " Play " button below the video on the right to see a sample of your video.
If you want to edit further, do so on the left side of the window
Step 19. Export videos
Click the label again EDIT, right click the track section, click Export, click YouTube, uncheck the box " Upload to YouTube.com ", and click Start in the lower-left corner of the drop-down menu. This will turn the project into a playable video.
