How to Remove a Video Background Without a Green Screen (CapCut)

You do not need a green screen in your room to cut yourself out of a video. CapCut has a free Remove background tool that does it on your phone. In this guide I show you how to use it, and how to put the result on a solid green background so you can place yourself over anything in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or CapCut desktop.

How this works, in plain words

Normally, to cut a person out of a video, you film them in front of a green wall. Your editing app then removes everything that is green. That process is called chroma keying, or simply keying.

CapCut's Remove background tool skips the green wall. It uses AI to find the person in each frame and hides everything else. The trick in this guide is to place that cut-out person on top of a plain green image and export it. Now you have a normal green screen clip, made without a green screen, and any editor can key it.

Why not use the CapCut cut-out directly? You can, if you finish the whole edit in CapCut. The green version is useful when you want to edit in another app, reuse the clip later, or send it to an editor.

At a glance

A green screen clip without a green screen

Free
Android and iPhone
Works with any editor

01Film normallyGood light, simple background.Phone

02Remove backgroundCapCut's AI hides everything but you.CapCut

03Export on greenYour cut-out sits on a flat green image.Export

04Key in any editorPremiere, Resolve or CapCut desktop.Chroma key

What you need

CapCut, which is free on Android and iPhone.
A plain green image. Search for "green screen background" and save a solid green picture to your phone.
The video you want to cut out.

Steps

Open CapCut and start a new project with the green image.
Drag the end of the image clip so it is as long as your video.
Tap Overlay, then Add overlay, and choose your video. An overlay is simply a clip that sits on a layer above the main one.
Trim the overlay to the part you want.
Pinch to enlarge it until any black bars are gone, and line it up with the green clip on the timeline.
Select the overlay clip and tap Remove background. In some versions it is inside Cutout, then Auto removal. Wait for it to process.
Tap Export and save the video.

The CapCut path

Where everything goes

New project
Overlay
Add overlay
Remove background
Export

01Main trackThe plain green image, as long as your videoGreen image

02Overlay trackYour video, enlarged until the black bars are goneYour clip

03Overlay clipSelect it, then Remove background or CutoutRemove background

Export at the same resolution and frame rate as the original.

Now your subject sits on a solid green background. Play it back once on your phone and check the edges before you move on.

Export settings that help

Export at the same resolution and frame rate as your original video, for example 1080p at 30 fps. A lower resolution makes the edges softer and harder to key. If you have the choice, pick a higher bitrate. Compression blocks around the edges are what make a key look messy.

Key out the green in your editor

Bring the exported clip into your editor and put it on a track above your new background. Then remove the green:

Premiere Pro: drag the Ultra Key effect onto the clip, and use the eyedropper to click the green.
DaVinci Resolve: open the Color page and use the 3D Keyer, or use the Delta Keyer in Fusion. Pick the green, then invert the key if needed.
CapCut desktop: select the clip, open Remove BG or Chroma key, pick the green and adjust the strength.

Because the green is perfectly flat, the key is usually very clean. You will mostly be adjusting the edge softness, not fighting uneven lighting like you would with a real green screen.

Tips for the cleanest result

Light your subject well. A bright, evenly lit person separates far better than one in shadow.
Choose a simple background when you film. Busy rooms, posters and people walking behind you confuse the AI.
Avoid fast motion. Quick hand movements and spinning around cause flickering edges.
Wear clothes that stand out from the background. A dark shirt against a dark wall is hard to separate.
Keep the whole body or a clear head-and-shoulders shot in frame. Half-cut subjects at the frame edge often break.

Before you film

What the AI finds easy, and what it does not

Hard to cut outBusy room, low lightPosters, people walking behind you and fast hands cause flickering edges.Rough edges

Easy to cut outPlain wall, bright lightA well lit subject that stands out from a simple background.Clean edges

If the edges flicker or look rough

Some flicker around hair and fingers is normal with AI cut-outs. Try these fixes in order: film again with better light and a plainer background, slow down your movement, and in your editor, soften or shrink the edge of the key slightly. If only a few seconds are bad, cut around them.

The short version

Put a green image on the main track, add your clip as an overlay, tap Remove background, and export. Then key out the green in any editor. Good light and a simple background make the biggest difference.