How to Remove a Green Screen in Premiere Pro (Fast & Clean)
Green screen effects are everywhere from YouTube videos to commercials and even podcasts. If your footage is well-lit and clean, Premiere Pro gives you everything you need to key out a background fast, without needing After Effects or plugins.
This beginner-friendly guide walks through how to use the Ultra Key effect in Premiere Pro to remove green backgrounds and drop your subject into any scene.
When to Use Green Screen Removal
YouTubers filming in small spaces
Interview setups with virtual backgrounds
Product videos with environmental overlays
Creators using stock backgrounds
Clients who didn’t want to shoot on location
As long as your footage is sharp, separated, and evenly lit, the Ultra Key tool does a fantastic job.
How to Remove Green Screen in Premiere Pro
Load your green screen clip into the timeline.
Go to
Window > Effectsand type “Ultra Key.”Drag Ultra Key onto your green screen clip.
In the Effect Controls panel, use the eyedropper under Key Color to select your green.
The background disappears!
Just like that, your subject is isolated and ready to be placed over any image, video, or scene.
Clean Up the Key (Optional Tweaks)
Even well-lit footage can benefit from some finishing touches. In the Ultra Key settings, look for:
Matte Generation > Soften – try a value of 10 to gently blend edges
Shadow/Highlight Cleanup – if your green spill isn’t gone, play with these
Choke & Pedestal – useful for getting rid of small edge artifacts
Every green screen shot is a little different, so these settings will vary based on the source.
Bonus Tip: Use Image or Video Backgrounds
Once your subject is keyed out, just drag any image or video underneath your clip in the timeline. Want a digital set? A beach? A stock waterfall? It’s all possible with drag-and-drop placement in the Premiere Pro timeline.
If your green screen footage is clean and properly exposed, Premiere Pro's Ultra Key tool makes background removal incredibly fast and effective even for beginners. No need to jump into After Effects unless you're working with messy or poorly lit source footage.
Try this method next time you need to composite footage in a rush — it just works. View more quick Premiere Pro tutorials on YouTube!