Q&A for How to Use a Green Screen

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Why does a green screen work?

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Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

The bright green screen (or a bright blue screen can work too) allows the filmmaker to easily separate the human or animal actors from recorded video or film and replace the background with anything at all. It works because greens (or blues) differ so much from human skin tones or animal fur colors, making it easy to isolate all the greens/blues and superimpose the actors onto any desired background.

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Question

Is there any software I can use when using a green screen?

Community Answer

Most film/photo editing software has a chroma key feature. If you are on a tight budget, there are scripts you can download for Windows Movie Maker at no cost. If you are on a medium budget, software such as Wondershare Filmora would do. If you are recording a high end movie and have a lot of money to spend, you can invest in software such as Final Cut Pro, or Adobe Premiere Pro.

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Question

Can I use a phone camera for this?

Community Answer

You can, but keep in mind that your phone will not capture the same quality as a camcorder. Of course, if this is for a low res YouTube video then it will not make much difference.

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Question

How do I do flashbacks on iMovie?

Community Answer

First, film your flashback scene. Then, go to transitions and click the "Flash to white" option. It looks like your character is having a flashback!

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Question

Is there a green screen editing software on phones?

Community Answer

Simply, no. If you want to use the phone for editing, making movies or YouTube, you would need to buy a PC.

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Question

I have a rough cut, but when I drop the image into the clip for the green screen, it appears in front of the actors rather than behind them. How can I troubleshoot that?

Community Answer

Use the masking tools in after effects or final cut pro.

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How do I use a green screen live?

Community Answer

In order to use a green screen live, you must have OBS (Open Broadcaster Software; its free from obsproject.com) and a webcam. Once you have those, launch OBS, go under Sources, click the plus and select your camera from the list of video capture devices. You should see that the webcam is now enabled. Right-click on your capture device and go to Effects; it will show two categories: one that says Video/Audio and one that says Effects. Go under Effects, click the plus and select Chroma. Once you have your green screen behind you, you should see that your background will disappear.

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Question

Can I use a green blanket if I don't have a green screen?

Community Answer

Yes, but make sure the blanket is the same color throughout, and that there are no wrinkles.

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Question

What could be the reason that I am surrounded by a green border when I use a green screen?

Community Answer

This would indicate that the distance isn’t right. You need to adjust that in order for the border to go away.

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Question

How do I use it to make a movie?

Community Answer

You simply have to go to iMovie or Kinemaster, then press on layer, click the media and then select background. After that, just add it then click on it and press chroma key, then you should be able to settle it out.

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Is there anything besides Shotcut I can use to edit that doesn't cost money?

Community Answer

You can use OpenShot, which is similar to Shotcut.

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Question

Can I use other colors like purple?

Community Answer

Of course! As long as it's vibrant and doesn't look similar to other colours in the video clip, then you could technically use any colour you like.

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