Transparent video turning black? The 5 causes
The background was meant to be transparent, and it's black. It's almost always one of these five causes. For each: how to spot it and how to fix it.
Cause 1: does your video format keep transparency?
H.264 MP4, the most common format, has no transparency channel (alpha channel). If your transparent video is an H.264 MP4, the transparency was lost and replaced with black.
Formats that keep transparency include ProRes 4444 (.mov), VP9 WebM with alpha and PNG image sequences.
Cause 2: did you export with the alpha channel?
Even with the right format, transparency has to be switched on at export. Many apps make you pick a flavor that includes alpha (ProRes 4444 rather than ProRes 422, say) and turn on alpha export.
If the setting is RGB with no alpha, the app flattens the picture onto black.
Cause 3: does your app or player handle transparency?
Many video players and some mobile apps ignore the alpha channel and show black instead. The file isn't necessarily broken; the display just can't do it.
To check, put the clip in an editing app above another image: if the background disappears, the file is fine.
Cause 4: was the video converted on the way?
Sending a video through a messaging app, uploading it to certain services or shrinking it often re-encodes it to H.264 MP4, with no transparency. The file you received isn't the one you exported.
Send the original as is (download link, cable, shared folder) rather than through a messaging app.
Cause 5: is there anything under your clip?
Transparency shows whatever is underneath. If nothing sits below your clip on the timeline, the app shows its default background, often black.
Put the cut-out clip on the top track and your background or scene on the track below.
How do you avoid the problem altogether?
Work with a video on flat green, then apply the green screen (chroma key) effect in your editor. A green screen MP4 opens everywhere and loses nothing when you move it around.
That's what Keyotte does: it exports your subject on flat green #00B140, as an MP4 up to 1080p, with the sound. You choose the background in your editor, for example in CapCut. For the theory, read the alpha channel explained.
Export price : €1.99
Remove my video backgroundFrequently asked questions
Why is my background-free video black in CapCut?
Usually the file is an H.264 MP4 that can't keep transparency, or there's nothing under the clip on the timeline. With a green screen video, use CapCut's chroma key tool.
Can an MP4 be transparent?
Not in H.264, the most common MP4 codec. To keep transparency you need a format like ProRes 4444 or WebM with alpha.
Does Keyotte export transparent video?
No, Keyotte exports on flat green #00B140 as an MP4, which plays everywhere. You get transparency in your editor with the green screen effect.
Why is there a dark outline around my subject?
Often it's a premultiplied vs straight alpha mismatch between the app that exported and the one reading the video. Change that setting in the clip properties if your app offers it.