How to Remove Background in After Effects (3 Easy Methods)

Trying to get rid of a background in After Effects? Whether you're working with green screen footage or just want to isolate a subject from a busy scene, there are a few solid ways to do it.

The good news? You don’t need to be an expert. These methods are beginner-friendly and work for most types of footage.

Let’s walk through the three main ways you can remove a background in After Effects.

1. Use Keylight for Green Screen Footage

If your video was shot on a green or blue screen, this is the easiest method by far.

Here’s how:

1. Select your footage in the timeline.
2. Add Keylight effect by going to Effect > Keying > Keylight (1.2)
3. In the Effect Controls, click the eyedropper next to Screen Colour, then click on the green (or blue) background in your footage.
4. Tweak settings like Screen Gain, Clip Black, and Clip White if needed, until your subject looks clean.

That’s it! You should now have a transparent background behind your subject.

2. Use Roto Brush for Non-Green Screen Footage

No green screen? No problem. The Roto Brush tool lets you paint over your subject frame by frame so After Effects can separate it from the background.

Here’s what you do:

1. Double-click your video layer in the timeline to open it in Layer view.
2. Select the Roto Brush Tool (shortcut: Alt + W on Windows, Option + W on Mac).

1. Paint over your subject with green strokes (to include), and red strokes (to exclude).
2. Press spacebar or move forward frame by frame so AE tracks the motion.

1. Once done, freeze the roto by clicking Freeze in the right panel.
2. Go back to Composition view, you’ll see only your subject remains.

This method takes more time but works great when there’s no clean background color to key out.

3. Mask Out Static Backgrounds

If your camera is locked off and there’s not much movement, masking might be all you need.

Here’s how:

1. Select your video layer.
2. Use the Pen Tool (shortcut: G) to draw a mask around your subject.
3. In the timeline, open Mask settings and set it to Subtract if needed.
4. Feather the mask slightly for smoother edges.
5. If there’s movement, keyframe the mask path over time so it follows along.

It’s not ideal for complex motion, but for simple shots, it does the trick fast.

Wrap-Up

So yeah, removing backgrounds in After Effects doesn’t have to be complicated.

• Got green screen? Use Keylight.
• No green screen but moving subject? Try Roto Brush.
• Static shot with little movement? Masking might be enough.

Once you’ve tried each method once or twice, you’ll start getting a feel for which one fits best depending on what kind of footage you're working with.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to make a background transparent in After Effects?

To make a background transparent, use Keylight or Roto Brush to isolate your subject, then export using a format that supports alpha channels like QuickTime with RGB + Alpha selected under Output Module settings.

How do I remove background effects?

If an effect is applied directly to the background layer, select that layer and delete or disable any effects listed under Effect Controls. If it's baked into one clip, use masking or Roto Brush tools to isolate just what you want visible.

How do I remove the video background?

Use one of these methods:

• For green screen: Apply Keylight and key out the color
• For regular footage: Use Roto Brush or masking
  Then export with transparency if needed using RGB + Alpha settings

How do I remove the background from an image?

Import the image into After Effects, then use masking (Pen Tool) around your subject or apply effects like Luma Key if there's strong contrast between foreground and background. You can also pre-edit in Photoshop for cleaner results before importing into AE.