How to Remove Background in DaVinci Resolve

By Glen Published February 27, 2024

In the dynamic world of video editing, the ability to remove background stands out as a quintessential skill, paving the way for creativity and storytelling that knows no bounds. Whether it's for creating seamless visual effects, compositing scenes, or simply enhancing the focus on your subject, mastering this technique can significantly elevate your video projects. Among the plethora of multimedia and video editing software available for background removal, DaVinci Resolve shines as a powerful tool, offering a robust feature set for professional-grade editing, color correction, visual effects, and audio post-production. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the steps to remove background in DaVinci Resolve, ensuring your video projects stand out with a polished, professional look.

Understanding the Basics

Before we dive into the specifics, it's essential to grasp the basics of background removal. In essence, this process involves isolating the foreground subject from the background, allowing you to replace or manipulate the background as desired. This technique is widely used in various applications, from simple vlogs to complex cinematic compositions.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Project

First things first, launch DaVinci Resolve and set up your project:

Open DaVinci Resolve and create a new project.
Import your footage by navigating to the Media page and dragging your files into the media pool.

Step 2: Moving to the Fusion Page

DaVinci Resolve's Fusion page is where the magic happens for visual effects and compositing:

Switch to the Edit page, right-click on your clip in the timeline, and select New Fusion Clip.
With the Fusion clip selected, move to the Fusion page.

Step 3: Utilizing the Delta Keyer for Background Removal

The Delta Keyer is a powerful tool in DaVinci Resolve for chroma keying:

In the Fusion page, add your clip to the flow by dragging it from the Media Pool.
Find the Delta Keyer tool in the toolbar or right-click in the node workspace, select Add Tool > Matte > Delta Keyer.
Connect your video clip to the Delta Keyer's input.

Step 4: Refining the Key

Now, let's refine the background removal:

With the Delta Keyer selected, use the eyedropper tool to select the color of the background you wish to remove.
Adjust the Threshold, Tolerance, and Softness sliders to fine-tune the key, ensuring a clean separation between your subject and the background.

Step 5: Adding a Background

Once you've removed the original background, it's time to add a new one:

Add a Background node from the toolbar.
Connect the Background node to the Delta Keyer's output.
Customize the new background's color or add another video/image layer as desired.

Step 6: Fine-Tuning with a Garbage Matte

To enhance the keying result, consider using a Garbage Matte:

Add a Polygon node from the toolbar to create a matte around your subject.
Connect the Polygon node's output to the Delta Keyer's Garbage Matte input.
Adjust the points of the Polygon to closely outline your subject.

Step 7: Final Adjustments and Rendering

With the background successfully removed and replaced, make any final adjustments:

Return to the Edit page to review your composition.
Adjust the foreground and background layers as necessary for a seamless blend.
Render your project by going to the Deliver page, choosing your desired format and settings, and hitting Render.

Conclusion

Mastering the skill to remove background in DaVinci Resolve not only enhances the quality and creativity of your video projects but also equips you with a versatile capability that's applicable across various platforms. Whether you find yourself working in DaVinci Resolve, diving into the nuances of removal background in Premiere Pro, or exploring how to remove background in Final Cut Pro, the foundational knowledge and techniques you've acquired here will serve as a valuable asset in your video editing toolkit. As you continue to refine your skills and explore the vast possibilities of video editing, remember that the ability to manipulate backgrounds can transform an ordinary project into an extraordinary storytelling piece. Embrace the challenge, and let your creativity lead the way to producing visually stunning and engaging content.