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I want to create an educational introductory video, where the tutor stands and explain a subject, and the background is an illustration of that subject. This is done using a technique called Chroma Key, where a blue or green curtain is placed in the video background, and replaced with another image or video at post-production.

Is there a free tool that can help me merge my videos using Chroma key?

Clarification: I prefer open-source solutions which work well under Ubuntu.

Reference: This question deals with Chroma key, but it's about real-time video (which I don't need) and the answers suggest proprietary software.

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5 Answers

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Another option is kdenlive. Again, this is restricted to Linux and Mac.

Here is a tutorial for using Chromakey.

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If you require an open source video editor, you could try Open Shot Video Editor for Linux. They are, as far as I know, working on a Windows version.

Here is a quick video tutorial in applying chromakey.

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Lightworks, which works for Windows, is another alternative that supports Chromakey.

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What about imovie on the Mac, which is free, or movie maker on windows, which is also free. Both will handle chroma key.

Here is tutorial for movie maker and here is a tutorial for imovie (you will need imovie 9).

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Nice one! I'll check the movie maker soon. However, I prefer open source software. – Adam Matan Jul 4 '11 at 12:41
@Adam Matan, there are several open source options, but most are restricted to Linux. What OS are you using? – slotishtype Jul 5 '11 at 8:23
I added some alternatives as single answers. If you refine your answer to specify open source and OS, the answers can be used to identify the best solution. – slotishtype Jul 5 '11 at 8:30
I generally use Ubuntu. – Adam Matan Jul 5 '11 at 9:22
Movie maker and iMovie? Two pieces of software that don't run well in Linux... – MaxMackie Jul 5 '11 at 12:00
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I like Cinelerra-cv (and the fortk Cinecutie). Both are available for Ubuntu. Both come with Chromakey plugins. There are several tutorial videos available on YouTube to show how it works, along with several web pages. (Searching on something like Google will find them.)

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