How to Make a Green Screen Video with Windows Movie Maker

Liza Brown

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Windows Movie Maker is a free and simple software program that is available for most versions of Windows. Even though it is a free and simple software, you can also make some advanced and interesting features like green screen (chromakey) with it. In this article, we are going to show you how to make a green screen video with Windows Movie Maker.

A Better Way to Make Green Screen Videos

There is a lot of work that you need to do to make a green screen video in Windows Movie Maker. Wondershare Filmora makes it easier because there are built-in green screen features, so there is no need for a plug-in for an outdated version. The program also comes with many overlays, effects, and transitions that you can use. You can also fix the colors and audio mixing in Filmora. Filmora is an all-in-one video editing program that is simple to use.

How to Make a Green Screen Video with Windows Movie Maker

Tools You will need:

Windows Movie Maker 6.0

If you have Windows 7 or 8 running, you will most likely have Version 2012 of Windows Movie Maker installed. In this case, you will need Windows Movie Maker 6.0. Since it is the older version of Windows Movie Maker, it can be hard to find.

Plugin: Shader

Shader is a plug-in for Windows Movie Maker. This plug-in adds the Chroma Key Feature, and you will need to pay to download and use it.

A Green Screen

You will need a green screen set. A budget friendly option is to use a plain piece of green fabric hung from the wall or ceiling. You can also paint a wall green if you want to create a permanent studio.

A Digital Video Camera

You can use any camera that records video and can export the video to a computer easily. Even smart phones can be used to record the video if you do not have a dedicated video camera.

Detailed Steps on Making a Green Screen Video with Windows Movie Maker

1. Film the Scenes using the Green Screen

Once you have your green screen set up, start filming all the scenes that use the green screen. You can also use items that are the same green color as the green screen for interesting effects.

2.Find the Background Shots

When you are looking for background shots, you will need to find the right sized images or video. You can upscale images and videos, but there is a chance that you will have pixilation or blurriness in the background.

3. Import the Footage and the Background in Windows Movie Maker 6.0

You just need to import the footage and the backgrounds like you would any other videos or images in Windows Movie Maker. Once imported, you can edit the video and background.

4. Select the Chroma Key from the Transitions menu

There are many options that you can pick from. You should also make sure that you select the right color of screen that you want to use because using the wrong settings will cause other areas to be Chroma Keyed.

5. Adjust the Background's Time.

If you did not do this before, you need to make the length of the background the same as the video. Then, you can drag the video on top of the background item. There is going to be a blue fader showing you how far you can drag it.

Learn more details: How to make Green Screen with Wondershare Filmora

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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