Surely you have asked yourself how filmmakers achieve such striking and hard-to-imagine visual effects.
Or how it is possible for people to appear on television as if they were a hologram, without actually being present on that stage.
Well, the answer to these and many other common situations in the audiovisual world is none other than the green screen.
Probably, if you are here you know what it is about. However, we will make a small introduction to make it 100% clear.
But before that, let us give you a preview of everything you are going to learn in this article. You will:
- See the advantages of using green screen videos in your productions.
- Discover the best platforms with the green screen stock videos you need (both free and paid).
- See the best video editors to create authentic visual artworks.
- Learn how to create a green screen video step by step in the best video editor.
- Find out the advantages and disadvantages of creating green screen videos with respect to using stock videos.
When we get to the end of the article you can say that you are a real expert on green screen videos.
So, how about we get down to business?
Let’s go for it!
And we’ll do it by seeing what the green screen is and what it’s for.
What Is the Green Screen and What Is It for?
The green screen or chroma key is that effect that is achieved when you change that green background for another one, like a photo, a video or an animation.
You will see it more clearly with the following example.
Imagine for a moment that you are recording a video for your YouTube channel. You’ll most likely be seen in the foreground, but everything behind you, whether it’s your room, your living room or your office wall, will also appear in the video.
You know it would be more professional to use a less ‘homely’ background, one that establishes seriousness and professionalism, but not as boring as a white wall.
It is in this type of case that the green background is used.
It basically consists of using a green (or blue) cardboard or textile behind you to record the video you want to shoot.
Then, in post-production, you can replace that green background with any other background you want.
This way, you don’t have to worry about the location where you record the video, or you don’t have to search for certain locations to create the effect you want.
For example, if your video talks about your vacation in Paris, you don’t necessarily have to shoot it with the Eiffel Tower as a background. Just use a green background and replace it with an image or video of the Eiffel Tower.
Simple, isn’t it?
To help you understand it better, you can watch the following vide
It’s become clearer, right?
Perfect!
Now, you may be wondering how you can get that chroma key effect.
The truth is that there are two ways to achieve it:
- Buying all the equipment to create your own green screen videos
- Downloading green screen videos from online platforms
At the end of the article, we will show you the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.
However, we can tell you that our preferred option is to use green screen stock videos.
Mainly because you do not have to invest a large amount of money and time in:
- Buy all the material: green canvas, canvas holders, several light bulbs, light bulb holders, several professional cameras, camera holders, etc.
- Learn how to use it and configure all the equipment.
If you have a big budget and don’t mind spending a lot of time learning how to use each tool correctly, perhaps this is something that could interest you.
But at LegisVideo we aim to offer you the best, most affordable, and easiest options for adding green screen videos to your productions.
And so, below we will show you a small list of the 3 best services to find green screen videos and royalty-free stock footage.
Top 3 Platforms for Downloading Green Screen Background Videos
There are many websites on the Internet that are dedicated to offering stock videos, and each one tries to bring its own unique touch.
However, as in every industry, there are some platforms that are considered a reference in the field of royalty-free videos.
We have tested the vast majority of these services, and have chosen 3 that stand out from the rest.
Do you want to discover them?
Then let’s get started!
Envato Elements
Owned by Envato, the giant of the digital goods sector for creative professionals, Envato Elements is by far their most complete service.
With this platform, you will have at your disposal thousands of green screen videos for your projects.
But you can also count on many other stock videos, video templates, presentation templates, music, sound effects, photos, fonts… and much more!
Everything a freelancer or agency could need in one service.
And as for the green screen videos, it will be as easy to find them as typing “green screen” in your search engine and… voila! Thousands of green screen video backgrounds to choose from.
You can filter them all by:
- The categories (stock recordings or motion graphics).
- The properties (alpha channel or linked).
- The minimum resolution (from HD to 4K).
- Frames Per Second (FPS).
- The duration (from 5 seconds to 30 minutes, in ranges of 5 seconds).
You can also preview all the videos before subscribing to their Individual Plan, which has the following advantages (among others):
- Millions of creative digital assets at your fingertips.
- You will have more than 50 million additional photos for your productions.
- You will have a large collection of courses and tutorials.
- With its commercial license, you will be covered for any copyright claim.
- Possibility of cancellation at any time.
And after all, you may be wondering how much this marvelous creative tool costs.
Well, the truth is that it’s not the hundreds or thousands of euros you would have to spend to buy the green backdrop, the cameras, and the rest of the equipment to create your own videos.
In fact, the Envato Elements subscription is quite far from those amounts.
For only $14.50 per month, you will have the best creative tool at your disposal.
That is if you decide to opt for a single annual payment. If you prefer to pay month-to-month, it would amount to $29 per month, an amount that remains tremendously affordable for any professional content creator.
Do you want to achieve the best results with the best creative service?
Then don’t think twice.
Artgrid
Artgrid is Artlist’s service focused on non-conformist content creators.
Despite being one of the latest services with green screen studio backgrounds and stock videos, it has managed to make a name for itself among the best ones in record time.
Entering its platform, discovering all the material it has, and enjoying that functional and minimalist design will surprise you quite a bit, especially if you take into account that this service was created in 2019.
But there is one feature that has charmed all its customers and that makes it much easier for creatives who, like you, are looking for the ultimate platform with stock videos.
It’s about this:
Incredible, isn’t it?
Surely you can understand now why Artgrid is among our three favorites, can’t you?
Besides, the platform offers you 3 different plans so you can find exactly what you are looking for.
Below you will find a comparative table between them, with their respective prices and their most important advantages.
Subscription name | ARTGRID JUNIOR HD | ARTGRID CREATOR 4K | ARTGRID PRO RAW/LOG |
Price | $24.92 per month | $39.92 per month | $49.92 per month |
Features | |||
HD Clips | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
H.264 format | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Graded material | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Artgrid Universal License | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Unlimited downloads | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
1-year subscription plan | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
4K Clips | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
ProRes / DNxHR | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
RAW / LOG Clips | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
8K Clips | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
I’m sure there has been one that has caught your eye and is perfect for your needs.
We understand that, and so do we.
And you may be doing the math to see how much you will have to pay per month for this piece of creative service.
Well, wait a minute!
Because you don’t know something that’ll get your numbers screwed up.
Pay attention.
Artgrid is giving away two months free to its new clients as a reward for their trust in the platform.
In other words, you will pay 12 months, yes, but you will enjoy the service for 14 months!
Isn’t that great?
In that case, I recommend that you choose the plan that suits you best as soon as possible and sign up as soon as possible (don’t let them eliminate the promotion).
PlaceIt
Do you remember Envato Elements and what we told you about it being part of the giant Envato?
Well, PlaceIt is another of Envato’s premium services.
In this case, it does not offer millions of creative elements such as music, photos and many other things.
Instead, it focuses on providing hundreds of video templates designed by independent professionals.
In fact, they define themselves as “a powerful online tool that creates high-quality brand and marketing assets”.
And, as you know, video is one of the most powerful marketing assets you can use.
To find your green screen templates, simply search for “green screen” and you’ll come up with some interesting options.
However, you will be able to find:
- Mockups
- Logos
- Designs
- Videos
- Material for the Gaming sector
But the advantages of PlaceIt do not end there.
And that is because you will also have at your disposal:
- A mockup generator
- A design tool
- A logo Creator
- A video editor
And all in one subscription!
Not bad, right?
Well, the price is even better.
Because having the whole PlaceIt catalog at your disposal, with its creative tools included and with unlimited downloads for only $14.95 per month, is not good… it’s much better than good!
Want to discover all that PlaceIt can do for you?
Then click the button and start enjoying it right now.
These are the three platforms that we consider the best.
But if you prefer to have more variety of services to choose from, you can’t miss our article with the list of stock video sites. You’ll love it!
5 Free Alternatives to Download Green Screen Videos
At LegisVideo we are aware that there are many people who are looking to take their first steps in the world of audiovisual production.
We also know that not everyone has a budget that allows them to access the above platforms, despite having the best value for money in the sector.
If you find yourself in this situation and prefer to opt for free green screen videos, below you will find a list of 5 of the best websites with free stock videos.
However, to use them in your professional work or monetizable projects, you should make sure of the following:
- That the videos are not copyrighted.
- Mention the author of the video in your production if required.
That said, let’s discover them!
- YouTube. Among the platforms available to get free green screen backgrounds, the most popular is YouTube. You will only have to search and download the video you need through a page that allows you to do so, such as Y2Mate, Freemake, or similar.
- Pond 5. This website is not just another page with stock videos. It is the world’s largest collection of stock footage, including green screen videos. You’ll find over 10.5 million files, some free and some paid for.
- Archive.org. It’s a non-profit organization that will allow you to download a multitude of green screen stock videos, as well as images that you can use to replace that green screen.
- Google Videos. This is another way to access a lot of free green screen background videos. Through the filters and select “video”, you can find many options, although it is true that many of them belong to YouTube.
- Detonation Films. It is a very simple website with an old fashion style that has, mainly, a great variety of explosion effects. Although it is difficult to navigate a bit through its menus, you can also find some free green screen videos.
Ok. At this point, we assume that you have the green screen videos you were looking for, whether they are free or paid.
Now, you may be wondering the following:
What Are The Best Programs for Editing the Green Screen?
The truth is that you can buy as many green screen videos as you want. But you need something else.
You need a tool that allows you to edit the green screen footage. And that tool is none other than a video editor.
But it can’t be just any video editor.
You must have the Chroma Key editing tool included. Otherwise, you won’t be able to edit all those green-screen videos you download.
Here is another issue.
There are many video editors that you can use to make your video productions.
There aren’t that many with the Chroma Key feature, but there are still plenty to choose from.
In fact, there are both free and paid options.
However, if you are going to create videos professionally, we recommend that you choose paid solutions over free ones.
Why should you do this?
Because they are the most widely used tools in the industry, used by the great professionals in the industry.
These tools will allow you to unleash your creativity to the fullest, as they offer endless possibilities, and you will also be able to export videos with the highest possible quality.
Think about it for a moment: if the industry benchmarks use these editors ahead of other free ones, it will be for a reason.
However, if you are just starting out as a content creator or are on a tight budget, don’t be disappointed.
There are also powerful free options on the market that will help you learn and improve your editing skills.
Below is a list of the best free and paid professional video editors, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.
The Best Paid Video Editing Software
- Final Cut Pro. For lovers of Apple’s ecosystem, this is possibly the best video editor available for Mac. It has a very high quality in both creative options and design, as it has an extremely intuitive interface. Of course, you’ll have to pay the $329.99 it costs.
- Adobe Premiere Pro CC. If there is a professional video editor that has been competing with the previous one for many years, it is Premiere Pro. Since its creation more than 18 years ago, it is one of the best software you can use to edit your green screen videos. It works with both Windows and Mac and has a monthly cost of $24.19 (although you can try it free for 7 days).
- Sony Vegas Pro. Along with the two previous ones, they would form the ‘big three’ of professional video editors. Initially known as Sony Vegas and dedicated to the audio edition, its renewed version brings great innovations in non-linear editing. In addition, it has a music bank without royalties, an extra contribution. Its monthly price is $16.67 euros per month and you can use it with Mac, Windows, and even Linux.
- DaVinci Resolve Studio 16. Although it is not as well known or marketed as the previous video editors, it is one of the ones that offer more features. Initially, it was software to perform digital color grading, but today it is a real all-in-one in audiovisual post-production. It has two versions: one free and one paid ($299) but both are solutions in the cloud, so you don’t have to install anything.
- AVS Vídeo Editor. And completing our podium of paid video editors, there is AVS Video Editor. This Windows-compatible editor offers a wide range of possibilities: from trimming and splitting to the Chroma Key for green-screen videos, the possibility of adding subtitles, or audio editing. For only $39 a year for its unlimited version, you will have great editing software.
The Best Free Video Editors
- Windows Movie Maker. This is the video editing program that comes by default installed on this operating system. With it, you can carry out a great deal of audiovisual work that you can share directly on your social networks, including green screen effects.
- Wondershare Filmora. Of the free tools for editing video, and with permission of Windows Movie Maker, this software could be considered as one of the most complete and simple to use. Valid for both Mac and Windows. The only drawback of its free version is that it will export your watermarked videos, although if you prefer, they have a premium version for $19.95.
- iMovie. This is the editor that comes by default in the devices of the bitten apple. When you buy your Mac, iPhone, or iPad you will find this great and intuitive video editing software installed. You could say that iMovie is the ‘little brother’ of Final Cut Pro, less powerful but with great features.
- Lightworks. In any list with the best free professional video editors, Lightworks could not be missing. Despite being a free option and offering a very simple interface, it is a very powerful tool. In fact, it has been the video editor chosen for editing films such as Pulp Fiction or The Wolf of Wall Street, among others. If you are short of the free version, it has a premium option as well.
- Blender. And to close our collection with professional free video editors, we can’t leave out Blender. It is an open-source tool – anyone can make improvements to its programming code – which is simple and compatible with any operating system. It will allow you, among other things, to edit your green screen videos, 3D modeling, or create video games, among other things.
Now you have several options to know which tool you will use to edit your green screen videos.
Ok, let’s do a recap.
- You know what Chroma Key is and what it is for.
- You have downloaded your green screen videos.
You have a professional video editor to do your audiovisual work.
The next thing you need to know now is how to make green screen videos using that editor.
And to show you the steps to follow, we will use an example based on the Sony Vegas Pro software.
Take a look at it!
How To Make a Green Screen Video in Sony Vegas Pro (Step by Step)
The next lines are focused on showing you the way to make a video using the Sony Vegas Pro Chroma Key.
Therefore, it is essential that you already have green screen videos. Otherwise, you can not carry out with guarantees.
Do you already have your videos for the green screen effect?
Great!
Then continue reading.
But first, we have to tell you something: don’t worry if you don’t have Sony Vegas Pro. If your video editor has the Chroma Key option, the steps will be pretty similar.
That said, let’s see how it’s done!
1. First, import the green screen videos on track 1 of the timeline.
2. Then, import the pictures or videos that you want to replace the green screen and put them on track 2.
3. Adjust the duration of both tracks to fit the time as shown below.
4. Open the window with the video effects (FX) and choose the one called “VEGAS Chroma Keyer”. Click on “Add” and then click on “Ok”.
5. To make the green color transparent, you should go to the color option and in the color picker choose green (if possible, the shade closest to green used in the green screen video).
This way, the green color of track 1 will result in the video or the image of track 2 when both coincide.
6. For the effect to be totally professional, you will have to retouch the settings of the thresholds and fades.
7. Finally, preview the work to make sure it has turned out as you expected, and if so, save the project or export it.
However, to help you understand it 100%, take a look at the following video tutorial on how to create a green screen video with Vegas Pro.
Here are the concrete steps to learn how to make green screen videos in Sony Vegas Pro.
And, as we told you at the beginning, it is true that these steps may change depending on which green screen video editor you use.
However, the process is usually not very different between different editors, so you can use the steps just shown as a reference.
Create Your Own Videos with a Chroma Key Set or Use Green Screen Stock Videos?
Remember when we mentioned at the beginning of the article that we would later show you the pros and cons of creating your own green screen video and using stock videos?
Well, the time has come!
As it turns out, this is one of the big dilemmas that often have professional content creators divided.
Many of them prefer to have their own chroma key and make their own green screen videos.
However, many more are choosing to use stock green screen videos instead of creating them themselves.
Here there are different advantages and disadvantages of using one method or another.
Below you can see two comparative charts with the pros and cons of each method.
Creating Green Screen Videos: Advantages and Disadvantages
PROS  |
|
| CONTRAS 👎 |
|
Using Stock Videos for Chroma Key: Advantages and Disadvantages
| PROS |
|
| CONTRAS 👎 |
|
And after the above analysis, what is our recommendation?
For us there is no doubt: if we want to use the green screen video effect, stock videos are our safe bet.
Why?
Because they allow each professional to do what they do best, achieving a much more professional result.
But, if that were the case, you wouldn’t be here looking for green screen videos, would you?
In that case, surely your strengths are in creating, post-producing, and editing audio-visual productions.
And if so, wouldn’t you find it a waste of time to also create the chroma key videos?
Wouldn’t it be better (and more profitable) to exploit your skills as a content creator and get green screen videos shot by real professionals?
Well, here’s the answer as to why we recommend stock videos over creating them on your own.
Conclusion
A green screen is a tool that seems essential to manage in these times.
It is one of the most used techniques in any audiovisual production: television, cinema, YouTube vlogs, gaming streams, online courses, professional videos… and many others!
As an audiovisual producer or agency, the green screen allows you to unleash your creativity to unsuspected levels, whatever work you have in mind.
As they used to say, the sky is the limit!
You know you need three things to make the process happen:
- A professional video editor with the Chroma Key option.
- Some knowledge about how to use that software.
- And, of course, the green screen videos.
Now, you’ve seen the pros and cons of creating those green screen videos on your own.
Buying all the expensive equipment will give you a lot of freedom of action, true, but in exchange for making a great investment of money and your most precious asset: time.
At LegisVideo we value time above anything else, and that is why we are 100% committed to stock green screen videos.
For us, using this type of video is a ‘Win-Win’ situation:
- On one hand, you support independent professionals who are experts in creating this type of video, so you take advantage of all their experience and time dedicated to learning and creating the content.
- On the other hand, you save: both the thousands of hours needed to be a professional green screen video creator, and thousands of dollars spent on tools and training.
However, getting green screen videos can be done in various ways and on various online platforms.
Luckily, if you’ve made it this far, you now know the best ones: Envato Elements, Artgrid and PlaceIt.
All of them put in your hands extensive catalogs with hundreds of green screen videos with the highest quality, plus other features that make them unique from others.
So if you want to get professional chroma key effects and achieve the best results, choose the platform that best suits your needs and download the green screen videos you need.
Do you have any unanswered questions?
Here is a collection of the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the green screen.
FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions about Green Screen Videos
This technique was developed in the 1930s. And it was the company RKO Pictures who first used the blue backgrounds to create original transition effects, such as a windshield wiper that, when wiping, erased a previous scene.
In the following decade, the use of this effect expanded to the cinema, although there were certain limitations that, today, are unimaginable. One of them is that both the cameras and the actors had to be fixed without moving for this technique to take effect.
Later, in the 1980s, computers with enough technology to control this visual effect with guarantees already existed. However, it had nothing to do with how it can be managed today.
In fact, nowadays it is possible to get green screen stock videos, as well as other stock videos and images without recording them, and with a few clicks, we will have a professional chroma key effect.
Let’s say that, nowadays, it is used in practically any audiovisual production.
A clear example is the movies, especially the fantastic ones, where the characters walk through fantasy worlds without practically noticing the difference between reality and fiction.
In television, there are many transmissions of news, sports, or other topics that use this technique on a regular basis.
And even YouTubers and audiovisual content creators use green screen stock videos to achieve quality videos for their vlog.
In video-editing programs, there is often an option to take a specific color and exchange it for transparency, another color, or another background such as a photo or video.
That green or blue color of the chroma key is what is known as “chromatic key”, that is, the color we use as a reference to replace it with what we want.
Technically, chromatics can be used with any color. However, this technology is often used to add different visual backgrounds behind people.
And it has been shown that the colors that look least like human skin are green and blue.
In this way, we ensure that the person is not replaced by that background image or video, that is, that no part of the person is visually “cut”.
In addition, by using the colors green or blue as a visual background and using the correct lighting, we will achieve greater clarity when replacing that background with the image or video we want to add.
The green screen is most commonly used in any environment where digital (non-analog) cameras are used.
This type of camera is more sensitive to green, so less skill will be needed to light up space and edit the video in post-production.
On the other hand, the blue background is more recommended for cameras used in movies. It seems that the film negative can be limited to the blue channel of the three channels (RGB, stands for Red, Green, Blue; Red, Green, and Blue).
This allows for a clearer background, which can be copied to another negative to achieve the final effect.
In addition, other colors such as magenta or red have also been used to use the chroma key effect to make objects disappear in movies and TV series.