Whether you want to make YouTube videos or short films, a green screen can take your project to the next level. You can achieve a professional-looking video relatively inexpensively. But after you get your green screen and film in front of it, there’s still the matter of what you’re going to put in its place. Fortunately, the best green screen background videos are readily available from sites all over the web. Some are free. Others cost a little bit of money. All of them help filmmakers make the best video possible.

COOL BACKGROUNDS FOR GREEN SCREEN

1. Footage Island

You may not have much of a budget for your next film. And between making your green background and paying for equipment, there may not be a ton left for video footage. Luckily, Footage Island is there to help out aspiring filmmakers with shoestring budgets.

Best Green Screen Background Video - Welcome to Footage Island

Welcome to Footage Island  •  Footage Island

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There’s no better price than free and Footage Island has numerous free green screen backgrounds to help make a professional-looking film.

You can make a character look like they’re sitting on a plane. Or you can utilize the throwing knife animation they have for an action set piece. They also have some more psychedelic animations if you want to get surreal with your project.

These are just the beginning of some of the cool green screen backgrounds you can find on the site. All the channel asks is that you credit “Footage Island” in your work.

GREEN SCREEN VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS

2. Videvo

Another great place to look for the free green screen video backgrounds is Videvo. You can download videos just once and then use them as many times as you want. And with over 70,000 videos to choose from, you should have an easy time finding what you need. Just go to Videvo.net to get clips like the ones below.

Videvo  •  Trailer

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The videos are free, which makes it easy to find something when you’re on a budget. You just need to bear in mind that there are two different kinds of videos on the site. Some you can use without attributing the source. Others require attribution. But a simple attribution in the credits is nothing when you look at the quality of videos on the site.

Best Green Screen Background Video - Sound Effects - Video

Sound Effects  •  Videvo

Videvo is also great for finding royalty-free sound clips. From music tracks to underscore a tense scene to sound effects to mimic police sirens, you can find the exact audio to make your video more realistic.

New green screen background ideas are uploaded every day. So continue checking back to see what else you can use in your next film.

BACKGROUNDS TO USE WITH GREEN SCREEN

3. Dissolve

Dissolve is designed for more professional projects. It’s an excellent resource for high-quality videos and photos to use in your next film. However, there is a cost associated with this site. Video clips start at $29 while photos start at $5, but depending on what you want, you may need to spend a bit more.

Best Green Screen Background Video - Front Page - Dissolve

Front Page  •  Dissolve

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We didn’t want to only include free services on this list. You may have some extra money to spend on your project, so you can afford to spend a little on a green screen background. And if you’re in that spot, then you want to turn to Dissolve.

The website has over 3,000,000 videos and photos you can select from. And with the right file sharing software, you can effortlessly share any videos you want with the other members of your team.

REALISTIC GREEN SCREEN BACKGROUNDS

4. VideoBlocks

If you constantly find yourself needing stock video footage, then you may not want to try to find each individual one on a different site. Enter VideoBlocks. You can sign up for a subscription service and download as many videos as you want.

Best Green Screen Background Video - Royalty-Free Videos - VideoBlocks

Royalty-Free Videos  •  VideoBlocks

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There are various tier systems associated with VideoBlocks. The most basic plan allows you to download 5 videos a month, each one in HD footage. It’s a great option for people who require free digital backgrounds for green screen video but don’t need them all too often. With other tiers, you get unlimited downloads of videos, music, sound effects, and more.

VideoBlocks Review and Tutorial  •  Think Media

Anyone who works for a company that often needs to make videos would do well to check out VideoBlocks. The site offers special licensing for businesses and corporations so that your customers only watch high-quality commercials, tutorials, and anything your company makes.

GREEN SCREEN BACKGROUND HD

5. XStockvideo

XStockvideo offers a very unique service. It offers general stock footage of cityscapes and landscape you can put into the background of any video.

Best Green Screen Background Video - Home Page - XStockvideo

Home Page  •  XStockvideo

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XStockvideo isn’t the fanciest service around. The website is pretty straightforward. But sometimes, that’s what you need. There are plenty of backgrounds to use with green screen when you need the subject standing in a forest, but you can’t afford to actually film in one.

The website categorizes everything, so you can find precisely what you need without spending endless hours browsing. From there, you just select the video you want and download a .MOV file.

ANIMATED GREEN SCREEN BACKGROUNDS

6. Ignite Motion

Ignite Motion offers backdrops that are truly innovative. Along with free motion backgrounds, there are also 3D animations that can make it look like your film had an impressive VFX budget.

Best Green Screen Background Video - Popular Video Categories - Ignite MotionBest Green Screen Background Video - Popular Video Categories - Ignite MotionBest Green Screen Background Video - Popular Video Categories - Ignite Motion

Popular Video Categories  •  Ignite Motion

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Sometimes you want to mimic reality with your green screen background. Or you want to transport the audience to a new reality.

You can make it look like your actor is in a spaceship gazing at another planet. You don’t even need a green screen to use some of these animations. Also, you can incorporate them into your work as a stunning accomplishment in VFX. And it’s all free. 

When it comes to the best green screen backgrounds for music videos, you definitely want to take a look at this site, which can give you the trippy aesthetic you’ve been looking for. It’s a pretty specific niche, but when working on a sci-fi project, it’s good to have in your back pocket. 

STOCK VIDEO BACKGROUNDS FOR GREEN SCREEN

7. Green Screen Films

When you need footage for a commercial, Green Screen Films is the place to turn to. The website offers an array of stock footage options you can key into any scene you have in front of a green screen.

Best Green Screen Background Video - Categories - Green Screen FilmsBest Green Screen Background Video - Categories - Green Screen FilmsBest Green Screen Background Video - Categories - Green Screen Films

Categories  •  Green Screen Films

WHY IT MADE THE LIST:

Green Screen Films is a little different from other services. You still need background footage to key over the green of the footage. What you get involves actors emoting over the green screen itself. This proves to be a major advantage for people making commercials because you don’t need to schedule your own shoots. It’s already there for you!

Prices start at $19 if you want to make a web-quality commercial. If you want a commercial for HD broadcast, then videos go up to starting at $129 and higher.

FREE BACKDROPS FOR GREEN SCREEN

8. Hollywood Camera Work

Hollywood Camera Work offers apps and seminars for aspiring filmmakers. It even provides a slew of action scenes for you to download and play around with.

Best Green Screen Background Video - Matchmovie Test - Hollywood Camera WorkBest Green Screen Background Video - Matchmovie Test - Hollywood Camera Work

Matchmove Test  •  Hollywood Camera Work

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Similar to Green Screen Films, Hollywood Camera Work already provides you with the footage. This service provides action-packed scenes set against a green screen. You can’t use them for your own projects, but it makes for superb practice if you want to hone in on your chroma key skills.

Hollywood Camera Work offers a lot of services for film students of budding filmmakers. This is a great way to learn a new skill in a relaxed setting. You don’t have deadlines, and the final result isn’t going in an actual film. It’s a must for anyone interested in VFX editing.

FREE VIDEOS FOR GREEN SCREEN BACKGROUND

9. Motion Elements

Motion Elements has an awesome array of high-definition videos. It’s updated weekly, so there are always new backgrounds to check out.

Best Green Screen Background Video - Home Page - Motion ElementsBest Green Screen Background Video - Home Page - Motion ElementsBest Green Screen Background Video - Home Page - Motion Elements

Home Page  •  Motion Elements

WHY IT MADE THE LIST:

You can download five free backgrounds every single week. They have an unlimited option that costs a fee. But for the most part, we imagine most filmmakers will be just fine with the five standard downloads.

After Effects templates, sound effects, and music (all royalty-free) also come with the service. New, free downloads are added every week.

BACKGROUND SCENES FOR GREEN SCREEN

10. Green Screen Animals

This is another niche website. But if you find yourself needing footage of exotic animals to put into your project, it’s nice to know about.

Best Green Screen Background Video - Portfolio - Green Screen AnimalsBest Green Screen Background Video - Portfolio - Green Screen AnimalsBest Green Screen Background Video - Portfolio - Green Screen Animals

Home Page  •  Motion Elements

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When you’re making an amateur film project, you probably don’t have room in the budget to get a tiger on set. But you can make everyone think you did by using footage available from Green Screen Animals. 

Plus, the website makes it easy to find the precise animal footage you need. Whether you need a chimp, camel, or wallaby, they make it easy to find videos to put into your next project. The clips don’t come cheap. Depending on what your project is, a clip could cost thousands of dollars. But you really can’t beat the quality.

UP NEXT

Green screen lighting techniques

Even the best green screen background videos don’t look right if the lighting is off. Before you purchase or download a background, check out our blog on how to light your green screen in the first place. It comes with helpful diagrams to show you exactly what to do. With these two resources, you’ll have stellar effects that rival many major productions.

Up Next: Green screen lighting →
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  • Mike Bedard is a graduate of UCLA. He’s a screenwriter based out of Los Angeles who’s written several short films as well as sketch comedy for various theaters around LA. He’s also written articles for sites like Cracked and Ranker.

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