Donuts Ad: Chroma Keying (Green Screen Removal) in Premiere Pro

Topics covered in this Premiere Pro tutorial:

Chroma Keying, Using the Ultra Key, Animating Transform Properties

Exercise Preview

Exercise Overview

In this exercise you’ll remove a green screen background.

Previewing the Final Video

1. Let’s see a preview of what you’ll be making.

2. On the Desktop, navigate to Class Files > Premiere Pro Intermediate > Donuts Ad - Chroma Keying > Preview Movie and double–click Donut Ad - Main.mp4.

3. Notice the cup animates in and spins over a video background.

4. Replay the video if you need to and close the video when done.

Getting Started

1. If you have a project open in Premiere, choose File > Close All Projects.

2. Choose File > Open Project or hit Cmd–O (Mac) or Ctrl–O (Windows).

3. Navigate to Desktop > Class Files > Premiere Pro Intermediate > Donuts Ad - Chroma Keying.

4. Double–click on Donuts Ad - Started.prproj to open it.

   NOTE: If you see a dialog about Converting Project (from a prior version) refer to Fixing Version Compatibility Issues section in Exercise 1A. If the Link Media dialog opens refer to Locating Missing Media in Exercise 1A.

5. Go to File > Save As and:

   • Name the file Your Name - Donuts Ad
   • Save it to Desktop > Class Files > Premiere Pro Intermediate > Donuts Ad - Chroma Keying

Chroma Keying a Video

Chroma keying is a technique used to remove a color from a video and replace it with transparent area. Usually the color used in keying is either Green or Blue but technically any sold color would work. In this section you will use an opacity mask and the Ultra key effect to remove a green screen.

1. Choose Window > Workspaces > Editing.
2. Choose Window > Workspaces > Reset to Saved Layout.

3. In the Project panel, click on the arrow next to the 01 - Video bin to expand it.

4. Drag Cup Spin - Greenscreen.mp4 to the beginning of Video 3 track in the Timeline.

5. On the Timeline, click on the Cup Spin - Greenscreen clip to select it.
6. Click on the Effect Controls panel (at the top left, next to the Source panel’s tab).
7. Expand Opacity using its arrow.
8. Under Opacity, click the Create 4-point polygon mask button

9. In the Program panel, drag the mask’s corner points to crop out most of the green around the cup, as shown below:

   

10. Scrub the Playhead (move it backwards and forwards) to make sure the mask isn’t cutting off any part of the cup, and adjust the mask if it does.
11. Open the Effects panel (Window > Effects).
12. In the Effects panel’s search field, type ultra

13. Drag the Ultra Key effects onto the Cup Spin - Greenscreen clip in the Timeline.

14. In the Effect Controls panel, scroll down to Ultra Key.

15. To the right of Key Color click on the Eye Dropper .

    Mac Users: The first time you use this tool, you may be asked to give Premiere permission to record your screen. Doing so required opening System Settings and will require Premiere to be restarted. So before doing that, save your file! You’ll only have to do this process of giving it permission one time.

    Once you relaunch Premiere, reopen the Donuts Ad file and reselect the clip on Video 3.

16. With the eye dropper active, hold down Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) and click on the green screen’s light area on the right of the cup.

    NOTE: Holding Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) gives you a larger eyedropper, which is the average calculation of the color.

17. In the Effect Controls panel, under Ultra Key change the Setting menu from Default to Aggressive.

    This increases the range of green areas removed.

18. Switch the Output menu from Composite to Alpha Channel which shows:

    • Opaque areas as white.
    • Transparent areas as black.
    • Semi–transparent areas as gray.

19. Click on the arrow for Matte Generation to expand that section.

20. Under Matte Generation, change Shadow to 30.

    Depending on the exact color you clicked on, you may need to make additional adjustments. You can also use the eye dropper to sample another shade of green (don’t forget to hold Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) when you click).

21. Change the Output menu back to Composite.

22. Preview the Timeline to see the key you have created.

Animating Transform Properties

As part of the animation in this project, we are going to move the keyed cup across the screen. While this can be done with the Motion Effect, we have more options (such as applying motion blur) if we use the Transform effect.

1. In the Timeline, Ctrl–click (Mac) or Right–click (Windows) on the Cup Spin - Greenscreen clip and choose Nest.
2. Name it Cup Spin - Keyed and click OK.
3. Open the Effects panel (Window > Effects).
4. In the Effects panel’s search field, type transform
5. Drag the Transform effect onto the Cup Spin - Keyed nested sequence in the Timeline.
6. In the Effect Controls panel, if Motion is open, close that section so you don’t get confused.
7. In the Effect Controls panel, within the Transform effect, hover over the Position property’s first value (x-position).
8. Drag to the left to change the position value and notice the cup moves to the left. Keep dragging unto the cup is offscreen (around -400).
9. Move the Playhead at the beginning of the Timeline.

10. In the Effect Controls panel, next to Position click on the Toggle Animation stopwatch to enable animation and create the first keyframe.

11. Move the playhead to 3;00

12. In the Effect Controls panel, change the Position property’s first value to 1400

13. In the mini–timeline of the Effect Controls panel, Ctrl–click (Mac) or Right–click (Windows) on the first keyframe and choose Temporal Interpolation > Ease Out.

14. Ctrl–click (Mac) or Right–click (Windows) on the second keyframe and choose Temporal Interpolation > Ease In.

15. Change the Shutter Angle to 360 to add a bit of motion blur to the animation.

16. Preview the Timeline to see the animation you have created.

17. Choose File > Save or hit Cmd–S (Mac) or Ctrl–S (Windows).

    Keep the project open because you’ll use it in the next exercise.