After Effects: Remove backgrounds with native Unmult effect
After Effects
Demo summary
Shows the new native Unmult effect in After Effects being used to remove black or white backgrounds from fire and ink footage while preserving color fidelity.
Step-by-step
- Select the footage layer with the matted background (black or white).
- Search for 'Unmult' in the Effects & Presets panel.
- Apply the Unmult effect to the footage.
- Set the 'Matte Color' to match your background (Black by default, or switch to White).
- Adjust the 'Black Level' if the background is not pure black.
- Fine-tune the 'Softness' slider to adjust the edges.
Options
- Disable 'Color Matting Removal' if desired.
- Enable 'Clip HDR Results' when working in high dynamic range projects.
- Use Hue/Saturation effects after Unmult to change the color of the isolated element.
Watch out for
- Standard blend modes like 'Screen' will wash out saturated colors compared to Unmult.
- Traditional keying effects like Color Key, Key Light, or Extract often fail to preserve color fidelity on these types of shots.
Tips
- Use Unmult for compositing elements like flames or ink droplets to preserve rich color detail.
- Take advantage of the fact that it is 32-bit compatible and hardware accelerated for fast rendering.
Highlights
“allows me to just apply it to my footage, and the background just magically goes away.”
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