Green screen (chroma key) is one of the most used effects in video production. Premiere Pro's Ultra Key effect handles it well enough for most projects without needing to round-trip through After Effects.
Watch the tutorial
How to Key Out Green
- Place your background clip on V1 and your green screen footage on V2 (above it)
- Select the green screen clip and apply Effect > Keying > Ultra Key
- Use the eyedropper next to Key Color and click on the green area in the Program monitor
- Change the Output dropdown to Alpha Channel to see your key quality — white = visible, black = transparent, gray = partially transparent
- Adjust Matte Generation sliders (Transparency, Highlight, Shadow) to clean up the key
- Switch Output back to Composite to see the final result
Pro tip: Use the Matte Cleanup section to Choke (shrink) the matte edge slightly. This removes green fringing around hair and fine detail. A value of 10-20 usually does the trick.
