30-second answer: Green screen in Edits lets you remove a solid-coloured background — usually green — and replace it with another image or video. The key is good footage, not a clever setting: light the background evenly, keep it wrinkle-free, stand a step away from it, and avoid wearing the same colour. Then apply the key in Edits, adjust it until edges look clean, and check the result in motion, because a key that looks perfect on a still frame can still flicker when you move.
On this page
- Set up a background that keys well
- Apply the green screen effect
- Fix edges, halos, and spill
- Choose and place a new background
- Make movement look believable
- Check the key before export
- Using this in a desktop workflow
A green screen is one of the most satisfying effects in video, because it turns an ordinary room into any location you can imagine. It is also one of the easiest to do badly. A wrinkled sheet, uneven light, or a shadow across the background will leave a flickering edge or a green halo that no amount of later adjustment fully fixes. The good news is that the setup is simple, and most of it costs nothing: a plain wall, a sheet hung flat, and two light sources used sensibly will beat an expensive screen used badly.
Edits is a phone app, so the keying happens on your phone, on the timeline, after you have recorded or imported your footage. This tutorial covers the recording setup first, because that is where clean keys are made, and then the in-app steps for applying and refining the effect. Keep your expectations honest: a phone-based key will not always match a studio system, but for social video it can look convincingly clean when the setup is right.
Step 1: Set up a background that keys well
Choose a background that is one solid colour, as flat and even as possible. Green is the usual choice because it is furthest from skin tones, which makes it easier for the app to separate you from the background. Hang your sheet or paper so it is smooth, with no folds, creases, or seams in the area behind you, and extend it far enough that the edges of the frame do not show the room beyond it. If the background only covers part of the frame, the key will fail at the edges, no matter how good the rest is.
Light the background separately from yourself, if you can. Even, diffuse light on the background matters more than brightness: a bright background with a dark patch in one corner keys worse than a moderately lit but even one. Stand at least a step away from the background, so your shadow does not fall on it and so light bouncing off it does not tint your edges green. Wear clothes that contrast with the background, and avoid green, or any colour close to it, anywhere on your body, including accessories and logos.
Step 2: Apply the green screen effect
Import or record your clip in Edits, then select it and open the effects or background tool, looking for the green screen, chroma key, or background removal option — the exact label varies by version. Apply the effect to the clip, and select the colour to remove, usually by tapping the background itself. The background should disappear, revealing whatever is behind the clip on the timeline, or a transparent area ready for a new background.
Start with the default strength, then adjust gradually. Increasing the key strength removes more of the background, but it also starts eating into your edges, hair, and semi-transparent details. Decreasing it leaves background residue. The right setting is usually just past the point where the background is fully gone, and no further. If your version of Edits offers separate controls for sensitivity, edge softness, or spill, leave them at their defaults for the first pass, and only adjust them after you have seen the key in motion.
Step 3: Fix edges, halos, and spill
Edges are where green screen work succeeds or fails. Play the clip and look closely at hair, glasses, and the outline of your shoulders. A thin green fringe — called spill — comes from light bouncing off the background onto you, and it is best reduced by standing further from the background next time, or by a spill-reduction control if Edits offers one. A hard, jagged edge usually means the key is too strong; soften it slightly, or reduce the strength until the edge looks natural again.
If the background flickers in and out around your outline, the footage is the problem, not the setting: uneven lighting or a wrinkled background makes the key unstable from frame to frame. You can sometimes improve it by slightly increasing softness or by choosing a different sample point for the key colour, but a flickering key rarely becomes perfect in editing. In that case, re-recording with better lighting is faster than fighting the key, and it produces a better result. Check the key at full speed, not just on a paused frame, because flicker only shows in motion.
Step 4: Choose and place a new background
Place your new background on the timeline underneath the keyed clip, so it shows through where the green was removed. Choose a background that matches the lighting and perspective of your shot: a bright, sunny scene behind a dimly lit subject looks wrong, even if the key itself is perfect. Scale and position the background so it fills the frame, and avoid a background with fine detail directly behind your head, where it will compete for attention.
Think about depth. A background that is slightly blurred, or that has a clear foreground and background, looks more believable than a flat, ultra-detailed image, because it mimics how a real camera sees a scene. If the background is a video, check that its movement does not distract from your message, and that it loops or lasts for the full length of your clip. A background that suddenly ends or jumps mid-sentence breaks the illusion instantly.
Step 5: Make movement look believable
Movement reveals bad keys faster than stillness does. Walk, gesture, and turn your head while checking the key, and watch for parts of you that disappear when they pass over a similar colour, or for the background showing through gaps, such as between your arm and your body. If you move quickly, motion blur can create a semi-transparent edge that the key struggles with; slowing down slightly, or using a higher frame rate if your phone offers it, can help.
Also check shadows and reflections. A real person casts a shadow and reflects light; a keyed person floating over a background without any grounding can look pasted on. You do not need a perfect shadow, but matching the general direction of light, and avoiding a background that is lit from the opposite side, goes a long way. If the mismatch is obvious, choose a simpler background, or re-record with lighting that matches the scene you intend to use.
Step 6: Check the key before export
Before exporting, watch the whole clip at full speed, on the largest screen you can, and look only at the edges and the background. Check the start and end of the clip, where key settings sometimes change, and any moment where you move quickly or pass in front of a detailed part of the background. Then export using our export settings tutorial, and check the exported file itself, because compression can soften edges and reveal spill that the preview hid.
If you find a problem after export, fix it in the project and export again, rather than accepting a flawed final file. Green screen problems are very visible to viewers, and a halo or flicker that you barely notice while editing will be obvious to someone watching for the first time. A clean key is worth one extra export; a rushed one is not.
Common green screen mistakes
The most common mistake is blaming the app for a setup problem. Wrinkles, shadows, uneven light, and wearing green are recording issues, and they cannot be fully fixed in editing. The second is over-keying: pushing the strength so high that hair disappears and edges look cut out with scissors. The third is choosing a background that fights the subject, either because it is too busy, too bright, or lit from the wrong direction.
Another mistake is checking the key only on a still frame. Keys live in motion, and a frame that looks perfect while paused can flicker, halo, or break apart as soon as you move. Finally, do not use a green screen when a plain, tidy background would serve the video better. A clean real background often looks more professional than a mediocre key, and it saves the time you would spend fixing edges.
Using this in a desktop workflow
Green screen is another skill where a larger screen helps enormously. After keying in Edits, export a draft and review it on your computer, where edge problems, spill, and flicker are much easier to see than on a phone. Note the timestamps of problem moments, then refine the key in Edits and re-export. This review loop is the practical core of a desktop-led workflow for effects work.
Planning also belongs on the desktop side. Before recording, choose your background image or video on your computer, check that it matches your lighting and framing, and keep it in the project folder with your footage. If you edit on an emulator, the keying steps are identical — you are still using the phone app — but the larger display makes edge work noticeably easier. Keep your background assets organised, so you can reuse a good one across videos.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a real green screen, or will a wall work?
A plain, evenly lit wall in a solid colour can work well. What matters is even colour and even light, not the material itself.
Why does my key flicker when I move?
Usually uneven lighting or a wrinkled background makes the key unstable frame to frame. Improve the setup and re-record if the flicker persists.
What is green spill, and how do I reduce it?
Spill is a green fringe on your edges from light bouncing off the background. Stand further from the background and use a spill control if Edits offers one.
Can I wear green on a green screen?
No. Anything close to the background colour will be keyed out along with the background, including clothing, accessories, and logos.
Why does my key look fine paused but bad in motion?
Motion blur and frame-to-frame lighting changes only show during playback. Always check the key at full speed.
Should I always use a green screen for a professional look?
No. A clean, tidy real background often looks more professional than a mediocre key, and it saves fixing time.
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