How to properly use the green screen effect in VideoPad
Using a green screen is a fun and easy way to add a different background behind your subject in a video or movie. Simply put, all you have to do is film against a solid color backdrop and then use a video editor with a chroma key feature to replace that colored background with any image or video. Knowing how to use a green screen is a great way to make your video projects look more professional. Using a green screen allows you to transport your actors to new locations and achieve the impossible. With simple video editing software like VideoPad Video Editing Software, you can quickly learn how to use the green screen and chroma key effect in your videos.
When setting up your green screen, there are a few important things to consider. If you are using fabric, you want it set up in a location where it will remain still, so that the background is not moving in your shot. The size of your green screen should be large enough that your subject has space all around them when in frame. Finally, you will want your green screen to be well lit, which we will address in the next step.
Light Your Backdrop
You want your greenscreen in a place with adequate lighting for your subjects, and where shadows won't be cast on your backdrop by them or anything around them. Shadows on your green screen make multiple shades of the background color and it becomes more difficult for the green screen effect to work properly. If you are using natural light, your subject will have to stand farther away from the background the prevent this. If you are using artificial lights, you will just need to light your background and your subject separately in order to eliminate their shadow.
Shoot Your Green Screen Video
Film your video against your green screen background as you normally would. Keeping in mind you want the green screen to fill your entire frame in order to fully replace your background. The more consistent you can make all of the different variables, the better your chroma key effect is going to work. That means your camera on a tripod, your background properly lit, your subject wearing bold colors and staying in frame, etc.
Download VideoPad Green Screen and Chroma Key Software
Click on the Add Files icon at the top of the program, or drag and drop your recorded videos directly into VideoPad to begin editing them. Your imported clips will appear in the media bin in the top left-hand corner of the program. You can double-click on a video to preview it in the preview window before editing. Videos will have a green check mark next to them to indicate they are present in your timeline.
Apply the Green Screen Effect
With your clip selected in the media bin, click on the Effects tab at the top of the program and select Video Effects to view the video effects drop down menu. Choose the Green Screen effect option under the Blending and Color Correction effects. This will add the green screen effect as a layer in effects window.
Select Your Background Color to Remove it
Click on the color square in the Green Screen effect layer to launch the Edit Colors window. Then use the eye dropper tool to grab the most prominent color in your background. If you find that there is still background left due to shadows, you can add another green screen effect layer and follow these steps again to remove that color as well.
Adjust the Color Threshold
Within the green screen effect, there are multiple options to adjust the chroma key settings. The Threshold is what determines how strict the program will be about removing colors. The lower the threshold, the fewer colors similar to your background color it will remove. Increasing your threshold allows more colors in and will help remove almost all of your background. The Feathering option will help smooth out the areas where your background colors blend with your subject. Turn the feathering up to remove the background that is often left in your actor's hair.
Replace Your Background
Now that you have used the Green Screen tool to successfully remove your background, you are ready to add a new background. Import your background video clip or image into VideoPad and then drag it down into the timeline first. Once your background clip is in the editing timeline, you can drag your green screen video into the track directly above it. You should now be able to see your green screen video with the background removed on top of the background you have just added.
Save & Share Your Green Screen Video
To export you new video, simply click on the Export tab in the top of the program and select one of the many export options. You can save your project as a video file to your computer, upload it to your preferred cloud storage space, or share it directly to YouTube from within the program.
Green Screen Tips & Tricks
Your Background Doesn't Have to be Green!
A background doesn't actually have to be green to use the green screen effect. The chroma key tool can actually remove any color. Green is just most commonly used because it doesn't match any natural hair or skin color. You don't want any part of your actor or subject removed when you use chroma key tools. So, unless your reporter is the Incredible Hulk, green is the least likely color to exist on your subject.
You Can Use the Green Screen Effect on More Than Just Backgrounds!
The green screen effect can be used to remove and replace any solid colored object in a video. This is where you will discover some really fun special effects. Try replacing the liquid in a cup with a video of ocean waves. Have your subject sit on a box that is the same color as the background and they will appear to be floating with a new background.
Don't wear clothes that match your background!
Unless you want to appear as a floating head or torso, make sure that the clothes your actor is wearing are nowhere close to the color of your green screen or chroma key background color.
