Green Screens

Green Screen Buying Guide 2026

Whether it's professional feature films, commercials and corporate videos, live streams or business video conferences: green screens are used regularly whenever a camera is rolling. Used sensibly and with proper planning, they let you insert any background you like into your digital footage, no matter where you shoot or work. This saves time and money on shoots and gives you a professional appearance in video conferences and calls. As a supplier of high-quality green screens specifically for content creators as well as for the office and home office, in this guide we explain how this technology works and what you should consider when choosing and using a green screen. For any further questions about green screens, our qualified customer advisers will be happy to help.

What are green screens and how do they work?

A green screen is a flat, uniformly green backdrop in the form of a fabric or screen (e.g. made of polyester fabric) of a certain size, used among other things for filming. Green screens are used in professional film productions, but also on television – for example to show the weather map during the forecast. However, green screens are so easy to handle and so flexible that they can also be used without any problems for smaller film projects, such as those published on YouTube or social media.

There are also useful applications for green screens beyond this. In fact, practically any company can benefit from this technology. Combined with suitable software, green screens can be used in video conferences and calls, or in webinars and other presentations. Here, a neutral, tidy background – perhaps even featuring your own company logo – helps you come across professionally. In the home office, this also prevents others from seeing into your private living space. Green screens are also helpful for photographers who want to insert different backgrounds into their pictures with little effort. Below, we explain how this technology works:

• During the shoot or video conference, the actors, presenters etc. perform at a certain distance in front of the (illuminated) green screen.
• After filming and during post-production, the green background is cut out on the computer in a suitable video editing program and the people on screen are isolated. This step is called "chroma keying" – a colour-based image cut-out. With suitable software, you can carry out this step automatically and in real time during video conferences.
• Different image or video material can then be inserted as the background in the editing program.

If the technical work is done cleanly, you create a perfect illusion for your viewers: for example, you can put your actors on a tropical beach, in a big city or at the edge of a remote canyon without ever leaving the studio. Best of all: you can change the background flexibly in post-production, experiment with different material and don't have to commit from the start. Inserting graphics into tutorials and instructional videos, for example, is no problem either. There are hardly any limits to your creativity and possibilities. This approach leads to considerable cost savings and makes filming simpler and more efficient overall.

So why is the green screen uniformly green? Because green is usually the colour least present in the picture when people are in front of the camera. Green appears neither in skin tones nor in hair colour, and green clothing is generally worn far less often than clothing in other colours. This is why green screens have now overtaken blue screens (which have their own advantages and disadvantages) – blue is a rather common clothing colour.

Don't forget: when the colour green is "keyed out", i.e. removed from an image, this doesn't just apply to the background/green screen but to every other green as well. That's why it's important that there are no green garments or similar items in front of a green screen during recording, as this can cause problems in post-production. A blue screen makes sense, however, if green objects or plants do need to appear in front of the camera. You'll find a number of useful tips for using a green screen further below. If you have any questions, you can also take advantage of our proven expert advice.

What's important when choosing a green screen?

In principle, we recommend investing in quality when buying a green screen so that your investment pays off later. Besides high-quality fabric, a professional green screen should lie perfectly flat, i.e. be even and smooth without creases, and it should be possible to tension it as tightly as possible. A homogeneous, i.e. uniform, shade of green is also important for a coherent overall result when chroma keying. The products in our range meet these special requirements for green screens.

Also make sure that your preferred green screen has the right width and height for your purposes, so that one or more people can perform in front of it both sitting and standing. In our shop, you'll find green screens in a range of sizes to match.

There are various ways of setting up a green screen – choose a product that best suits your requirements: some models have an extendable telescopic pole that can be flexibly adjusted to your preferred height. Integrated scissor mechanisms also allow quick, time-saving set-up. The models just described have the fundamental advantage of very easy assembly and dismantling – usually just a few simple steps. In addition to these portable green screens, there are also models that require more installation effort, are permanently installed (e.g. on the wall or ceiling) and can be extended and retracted motorised at the touch of a button.

Depending on your intended use, it may make sense to choose a model that is as easy as possible to set up, take down and transport, e.g. thanks to a practical carrying handle or castors on the case. That way, you can use your green screen both in the office and in the home office without the process turning into unnecessary stress.

In our view, it is advisable to buy a green screen with a suitable case, because a green screen should always be stored so that it cannot be damaged. Damage often can't be "ironed out" in post-production and spoils the end result. For this purpose, Beamer-Discount offers high-quality green screens that can be stowed back in their floor or ceiling case (e.g. made of robust sheet steel) after use. We'll be happy to advise you on choosing the right green screen for all your requirements.

Tips: what should you bear in mind when using a green screen?

Green screens are valuable tools – not only for filming, but also in the office and home office. To make sure you enjoy your green screen, your investment pays off and your results are (quite literally) worth looking at later, there are a few basic things to bear in mind. Here are some valuable tips for using your green screen:

• Before using it for the first time, familiarise yourself with the enclosed operating instructions, particularly the (safety) notes on assembly, set-up/installation, care and safe use.
• People in front of the green screen, whether in a film or a video conference, should not wear green clothing, glasses etc., as these will also be removed during chroma keying.
• Always treat your green screen with care, including during storage: tears, creases, stains etc. must be avoided at all costs, as they affect the end result. The green screen should also be tensioned as smoothly as possible.
• Do not use your green screen on uneven or unstable surfaces. In general, set it up so that it cannot fall over and injure anyone (e.g. don't place it in walkways).
• When shooting films and videos, use separate lighting with several light sources for the green screen and for the people in front of it. This is probably the most difficult and time-consuming part of using a green screen. The internet offers plenty of tips and detailed tutorials on perfect lighting.

Conclusion

A green screen is a worthwhile investment with a whole range of benefits: shoots, e.g. for social media, can be carried out more simply and cost-effectively, so you no longer have to film outdoors or on location. Instead, you move a number of work steps into post-production, where they can be done comfortably on the computer. Companies and businesses aiming for professionalism in video conferences, webinars or presentations can also benefit from green screens – and so can you.

Interested in buying a high-quality green screen but still have questions about suitability and choice? Then take advantage of our qualified expert advice. Together, we'll find the right green screen solution for your offices or your studio: