Motion & effects
Chroma key
What is Chroma key?
Chroma key is a compositing technique that removes a specific color, typically green or blue, from a video clip and replaces it with a different image or footage. The term describes the underlying process, while 'green screen' refers to the physical backdrop used to execute it.
When you'd use it
- 1When you want to replace the background behind a subject with branded visuals or product footage.
- 2When a physical shooting location looks unprofessional or generic and you have a clean green or blue backdrop available.
- 3When you need a presenter to appear in front of animated motion graphics or a product demo screen.
- 4When you are combining separately shot footage into a single composite frame.
Example
A creator films weekly tips in front of a green screen backdrop lit by two softboxes placed at 45 degrees to the cloth, keeping the subject two meters forward. In post, the key pulls cleanly with no fringing and requires only minor spill suppression, allowing a new branded background to be swapped in for each episode.
Use cases
- 1Placing a founder against a branded background during a product announcement clip.
- 2Compositing a presenter over a scrolling feed of social posts for a tutorial video.
- 3Swapping a plain office wall for lifestyle B-roll during a talking-head segment.
FAQ
What's the difference between chroma key and green screen?
Green screen is the physical colored backdrop. Chroma key is the post-production technique that removes that color. The two terms describe different parts of the same process and are often used interchangeably, but chroma key is the accurate term for the compositing step.
Make on-brand short-form video from the footage you already have.