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How Do I Use the Chroma Key in Photoshop?

Last updated on September 23, 2022 @ 10:22 pm

Chroma key is a visual effects (VFX) technique for compositing two images or video streams together based on color hues (chroma). The technique has been used heavily in many fields to remove a background from the subject of a photo or video – particularly in newscasting, filmmaking and post-production – by combining a foreground image or video with a background image or video.

There are a few things you need to do in order to use chroma key in Photoshop:

First, you need to have your foreground and background images. The background image should be of a solid color; green and blue are popular choices because they are not found naturally in human skin tones. The foreground image can be of anything; it just needs to be on a separate layer from the background image.

Next, you need to select the areas of the foreground image that you want to keep and delete the rest. This is where Photoshop’s “Magic Wand” tool comes in handy; you can use it to quickly select areas of similar color. Once you have selected the areas you want to keep, you can inverse the selection (Select > Inverse) and then delete the rest of the image.

Now you should have two images: a solid-colored background and a foreground image with only the subject matter remaining.

PRO TIP: The Chroma Key is a tool in Photoshop that allows you to remove a color from an image. However, if you are not careful, you can end up removing other colors from the image as well.

The last step is to apply the chroma key effect. There are a few different ways to do this, but the most common is to use Photoshop’s “Blend If” sliders.

To access these sliders, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels and check the “Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask” box. This will create an adjustment layer that is clipped to only affect the layer directly below it – in this case, your foreground image.

With the Levels adjustment layer selected, go to Layer > Blending Options and find the “Blend If” sliders at the bottom of the menu. Adjust these sliders until the green or blue background disappears – revealing only your subject matter.

To conclude, chroma key is a VFX technique used to composite two images or video together based on color hues. In order to use chroma key in Photoshop, you need two images – a foreground and background image.

The background image should be solid colored, while the foreground image can be of anything. You also need to select the areas of the foreground image that you want to keep and delete the rest before applying the chroma key effect by using Photoshop’s “Blend If” sliders.

Drew Clemente

Drew Clemente

Devops & Sysadmin engineer. I basically build infrastructure online.