A blue screen video is footage shot in front of a blue backdrop, so that the backdrop can be removed afterwards. Taking the blue out is called a blue screen chroma key: every pixel close to the backdrop's blue is replaced. This page lets you remove a blue screen from a video in your browser, and it starts with blue chosen as the colour to remove.
People film on blue instead of green when the subject is wearing green or standing among plants. One thing to know first: the blue is replaced with a solid colour you choose, not a picture or another video. Your video is never uploaded. Below you will find how to match the exact blue of your backdrop, how to tune the edges, and how to keep blue clothes or eyes from vanishing with the background.
Key out a blue screen video, step by step
- Drop your video onto the tool above. You can add several files at once.
- Look at Backdrop colour. The blue swatch is already selected. Check the preview: if blue patches remain, use Pick from video, then click the backdrop.
- Move Range until the backdrop disappears, and use Edge softness to smooth the outline of your subject.
- Choose a colour under New background, then press Remove background. Save each result, or download them all as a zip.
Press and hold Hold to compare at any time to see the original footage, then release to return to the keyed version. The preview uses the same maths as the saved file.
Match the blue of your backdrop
The blue swatch is a pure, fully saturated blue. A real cloth or painted wall is rarely that vivid. It is usually duller, lighter or darker, and it changes across the frame as the light falls on it. A blue screen chroma key is only as clean as the match between the key colour and that real blue.
That is why Pick from video matters more here than on a green backdrop. Press the button, which then reads Click the preview, and click a typical part of the blue in the stage. The tool takes the colour of that pixel as the new key. If you want to pick a different spot, press the button again and click once more.
Several clips shot in front of the same blue cloth can be keyed together. Drop them all in, set the key colour and sliders on one of them, and the same settings are applied to every file. This saves time on a batch of interviews or product shots filmed in one session.
Where to click
- Choose a patch of backdrop that looks average, not the shiniest or the darkest part.
- Avoid clicking near the subject, where blue light may spill onto skin or hair.
- Scrub through the clip first. Pick on a frame where the backdrop is evenly lit.
Using Range with a picked colour
Once the key colour matches your backdrop, Range can stay modest. The tool measures how far each pixel is from the key, so a well-matched key needs less reach. Start near the middle, then raise it a little to clear stubborn patches in the corners.
Blue screen or green screen: which to use
A blue screen chroma key and a green one work the same way in this tool. You only change the colour that is removed. The best choice depends on what is in front of the backdrop, and the rule is simple: the backdrop colour should not appear in your subject.
| Your subject | Better backdrop | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Plants, green clothes, green products | Blue | Green items would be removed along with a green backdrop |
| Blue jeans, blue shirts, blue eyes in close-ups | Green | Blue items would be removed along with a blue backdrop |
| Mixed colours | Whichever is not in the scene | Test with Hold to compare before you commit |
Blue has one more advantage in some rooms. If the space already has green walls, foliage or a green floor reflecting onto your subject, a blue cloth keeps those colours out of the key. The reverse is true in a room full of blue light, such as a pool or a screen-lit studio, where green may be the safer choice.
Filmed on a green backdrop instead? Use the main green screen page, which starts with green chosen. The sliders behave the same on both.
Clean up edges and avoid losing your subject
| What you see | Try this |
|---|---|
| Blue patches remain in the background | Raise Range, or pick the colour of the leftover patch |
| Blue clothes, eyes or objects turn see-through | Lower Range, and make sure the key is picked from the backdrop only |
| Cut-out, jagged outline | Raise Edge softness a little |
| A thin blue line around the subject | Raise Range slightly or re-pick the backdrop colour |
Nothing in the tool removes blue light that has bounced onto your subject, so lighting matters. Keep the subject away from the cloth if you can, and light the backdrop evenly and separately. Shadows and folds make the blue vary, and varied blue needs a looser Range.
Work through the settings in the same order every time. First match the key colour with Pick from video. Then set Range so the backdrop clears. Last, add Edge softness. Changing them in that order stops one slider from hiding a problem that another slider should solve.
Check more than one moment. A frame where your subject stands still can look perfect while a frame with fast movement shows ragged edges. Play the clip on the stage, pause on the busiest frame and judge the edge there. If the busiest frame looks right, the rest will too.
What replaces the blue, and what to do next
This blue screen remover puts a solid colour in place of the backdrop, and you choose it under New background. The result is saved as an MP4, which cannot hold a transparent background, so it cannot be a see-through layer. The tool does not place a second video or a picture behind the subject.
A plain colour works well for talking-head clips, product shots and social posts, and for that you do not need a full blue screen video editor. From here you can add text to video for a title, crop video to a tighter frame, or resize video to a social size.
The tool is free, needs no account and adds no watermark, and video tools are not counted in the free daily limit, which applies to document conversions only. It works in current Chrome, Edge and Firefox. See the privacy page or all video tools.
Most videos have no size limit. Some files, such as certain AVI or WMV videos, take longer, and those can be up to 2 GB.
Key out your blue backdrop
With a matched key colour, a sensible Range and a little Edge softness, a blue screen chroma key comes out cleanly. Hold to compare shows how you are doing.
Drop your video into the tool at the top of this page and press Remove background to remove the blue screen from your video in your browser.
