Remove a white background in DaVinci Resolve

The short answer

DaVinci Resolve has no single button that removes white. Choose a method based on what you need. For a flat graphic, such as a dark logo on a white background, setting the clip's composite mode to Multiply makes the white areas let the layer below show through. For real transparency (an alpha channel), use a luminance-based key. You can build one with the Qualifier on the Color page and an Alpha Output, or with a luma keyer on the Fusion page. Every white key has the same limit: it removes anything bright, so white or near-white parts of the subject can disappear too. This includes highlights, white clothing, reflections and teeth. Live footage shot against a white wall is harder to key than a clean graphic because the wall is rarely lit evenly.

Method 1: Multiply composite mode for graphics

Multiply combines each pixel of the upper clip with the pixel beneath it. White leaves the lower image unchanged, so white areas seem to vanish. Darker areas darken what is underneath. This method does not create an alpha channel. It also blends the graphic's colors with the layer below, so light or pastel elements in the graphic will fade or shift. Use it for dark artwork on white, not for people or colorful footage.

• 1. Place the background clip on the lower video track and the white-background clip on the track above it.
• 2. Select the upper clip on the Edit page and open the Inspector.
• 3. In the Composite section, change Composite Mode to Multiply.
• 4. Check the result. The white should be gone and the dark artwork should sit on top of the lower layer. If light parts of the artwork have faded, switch to one of the keying methods below.

Method 2: Luminance qualifier on the Color page

This method creates genuine transparency. Brightness decides what is kept and what is removed. It is a reasonable starting point for footage with a clean, evenly bright background.

• 1. Stack the clips on the Edit page, with the white-background clip on the upper track.
• 2. Select the upper clip and open the Color page.
• 3. On a node, open the Qualifier and switch it to luminance (luma) qualification.
• 4. Sample or adjust the range so the white background is selected.
• 5. Invert the selection so that the subject, not the white, is the part that remains.
• 6. Right-click in the node graph, add an Alpha Output, and connect the node's key output to it.
• 7. Refine the edges with the Matte Finesse controls, such as clean black, clean white and blur, while viewing the highlighted matte.
• 8. Return to the Edit page and confirm that the lower layer shows where the white used to be.

Method 3: A keyer on the Fusion page

The Fusion page has node-based keyers, including a luma keyer suited to bright backgrounds. You set low and high thresholds to decide which brightness levels become transparent. Then you merge the result over a new background. Fusion takes more setup than the Color page. In return, you can combine the key with hand-drawn masks (rotoscoping) to protect white parts of the subject that the key would otherwise remove.

Which method fits your footage

Situation | Suggested method | Main caveat

Dark logo or text on white | Multiply composite mode | No alpha channel; light colors in the graphic fade

Evenly lit footage on a white backdrop | Luminance qualifier with Alpha Output | Bright areas of the subject may be removed

Subject containing white or uneven backdrop | Fusion luma keyer plus masks | More setup and manual work

Limits and common problems

• White in the subject: a luminance key cannot tell a white shirt from a white wall. Protect those areas with a mask.
• Uneven lighting: shadows and falloff turn parts of the backdrop gray, and gray can survive the key. Widen the range carefully or mask the problem areas.
• Edge fringing: a light halo can remain around the subject. Tighten the matte and use the edge refinement controls.
• Compression noise: heavily compressed footage produces a speckled matte. Mild blur or denoise on the matte can help.
• Exporting transparency: to keep the alpha channel outside Resolve, render to a format that supports alpha, such as ProRes 4444. Enable alpha export in the Deliver settings where your version offers it.

If the footage came from a webcam against a white wall

Webcam footage is often hard to key. Automatic exposure and white balance can shift during a recording, and strong compression softens edges. You can improve future recordings by lighting the wall evenly, sitting farther from it to reduce shadows, and locking exposure if your webcam software allows it. If you plan to replace backgrounds regularly, a green backdrop usually keys more cleanly, because skin and clothing are rarely that color. Keying only changes the picture. Removing the background does not change the recorded audio track, including speech captured by a webcam microphone.

What this guide could not confirm

No version-specific documentation was available for this guide, and no test results or measurements are included. Menu names and control locations can differ between Resolve versions and between the free and Studio editions, and some Resolve FX effects are limited to Studio. Check the exact labels in your installed version before following the steps.