How To Remove Black Background In Adobe After Effects

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Adobe After Effects is a robust software utilized for animation, special effects, and motion graphics. A common problem encountered by users is the elimination of black backgrounds from their videos or animations. This blog post will instruct you on how to effortlessly remove black backgrounds in Adobe After Effects using three various techniques.

Method 1: Using the Luma Key Tool

One of the most popular ways to remove a black background from your footage is to use the Luma Key tool. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Import your footage into After Effects and drag it into a new composition.

Step 2: Go to the “Effects & Presets” panel and type ‘Luma Key’ in the search box.

Step 3: Drag the Luma Key effect to your footage.

Step 4: In the effects control, change the key type to ‘Key Out Darker’ and adjust the threshold until the black background is removed.

// Replace the '***' with appropriate values
footage.effect.addProperty("Luma Key");
footage.effect("Luma Key")("Key Type").setValue("***");
footage.effect("Luma Key")("Threshold").setValue("***");

Method 2: Using the Blend Mode

Another way to remove a black background is to use the blend mode method. Here’s how:

Step 1: Import your footage into After Effects and drag it into a new composition.

Step 2: Right-click on the layer and select ‘Blending Options’.

Step 3: Under the ‘Advanced Blending’ section, change the blend mode to ‘Screen’.

Note: This method works best with footage that has high contrast between the background and the foreground.

Method 3: Using the Unmult Effect

The final method we’ll discuss is using the Unmult Effect from Red Giant’s free suite of plugins. Here’s how to use it:

Step 1: Download and install the Red Giant’s free suite of plugins.

Step 2: Import your footage into After Effects and drag it into a new composition.

Step 3: In the effects control, apply the ‘Unmult’ effect to your footage.

// Add the 'Unmult' effect
footage.effect.addProperty("Unmult");

And there you have it. These are some of the most effective methods to remove black backgrounds from your footage in Adobe After Effects. By mastering these, you can greatly increase the quality and flexibility of your animations and video projects.