Green screen removal, also known as “chroma keying,” is one of the foundational skills of professional video editing that any visual effects artist will need to master. 

It involves using a piece of footage that includes an area of solid green (sometimes blue) that will need to be removed from the image and replaced with another visual element. 

As far as visual effects techniques go, it’s one of the oldest and, thanks to the advancement of modern editing technology, also one of the easiest for beginners to learn and quickly master. 

In this guide, we’ll take you through a step-by-step tutorial on removing a green screen video background in DaVinci Resolve. 

Can you use DaVinci Resolve for chroma keying?

Absolutely! One great thing about DaVinci Resolve is that it's an advanced video editor and it includes chroma keying tools that allow you to quickly and seamlessly remove pretty much any green screen. 

It also allows you to chroma key with colors other than green, which is helpful for scenes where performers or elements in the set are already green, and you don’t want to risk removing an actor's costume along with the green screen background by keying-out green. 

How to remove a green screen in DaVinci Resolve

Follow these simple steps to remove a green screen in DaVinci Resolve using the Qualifier tool: 

Step 1: Create a new project in Resolve or open an existing one.

Step 2: Import your footage.

You’ll need to import your footage containing the green screen, as well as whatever elements you want to replace the greenscreen with, such as a digital background or other elements.

Step 3: Drag and drop your green screen footage to the timeline.

Step 4: Switch your workspace to the color correction window by selecting “Color” at the bottom of your workspace.

Step 5: Open the Qualifier settings window by clicking on the eye-dropper icon.

Step 6: Select the Qualifier tool by clicking on the first eye-dropper icon under the Selection Range in Qualifier settings.

Step 7: Bring the Qualifier tool to the green screen in your footage, then click to select the color of your green screen.

Step 8: Click “Highlight” to view the green area that is now transparent as gray.

You will likely now see that your green screen is still green while the rest of your image has gone grey. Don’t worry; we’re about to fix that in the next step. 

Step 9: Select “Invert Selection” under Selection Range.

This will make it so that your green screen is transparent while the rest of your image is visible. 

Okay, now that we’ve removed our green screen, let’s figure out how to replace it with another video clip.

‍