How to change a video background

How do you change the background of a video?

First you isolate the subject on a plain background, then you place it on the new backdrop in an editing app. Keyotte handles the first part, your editor the second.

Keyotte doesn't swap in an image itself: it gives you your subject on flat green #00B140, and you choose the background, framing and effects in your edit. The upside: you can try several backgrounds on the same cut-out without paying again.

Which new background should you choose?

Pick a background in the same orientation as your video, with lighting that matches your subject. A subject lit from the left on a background lit from the right gives the game away instantly.

• A still image: office, bookshelf, brand color.
• A video: city, nature, animated screen recording.
• A plain color or gradient: clean, great for presentations.
• A slide or shared screen: for training videos.

How do you key out the green in your editor?

Apply the chroma key effect to the top clip, pick the green with the eyedropper, then raise the strength until the green disappears. The names differ between apps; the idea is the same.

Step by step: in CapCut, in Premiere Pro with Ultra Key, in DaVinci Resolve.

How do you make it look believable?

Adjust the size, position and color of the subject so it belongs in the scene. A subject that's too big, too sharp or a different color temperature gives the edit away.

A light color correction on the subject, a soft shadow or a little blur on the background is often enough.

What mistakes should you avoid?

The three most visible ones are a background whose perspective doesn't match, a subject that floats with no shadow, and a green fringe around the hair. All three can be fixed in the edit.

Put the background's horizon roughly at camera eye level, add a soft shadow if the subject touches the floor, and raise spill suppression in the keyer. If you see black instead of your background, there's nothing on the track below: see transparent video turns black.

Can you blur the background instead of replacing it?

Yes, but not inside Keyotte. You put a blurred copy of the original video underneath and the cut-out subject on top.

The method is in how to blur a video background.