Best Green Screen Software for Beginner 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.

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4k Editing Support

Gif Support

Noise Removal

Color Tuning

Advanced Text Editor

Audio Mixer

Video Stabilization

Scene Detection

Audio Equalizer

Chroma Keying

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Steps On How To Chroma Key On Filmora

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

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

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Steps On How To Chroma Key In Openshot

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

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Steps On How To Chroma Key In iMovie

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

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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.

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Steps On How To Chroma Key In WeVideo

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.

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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.

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.

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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

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.

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.

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.