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Use Transparent Background Videos in Video Editors

Layer your karaoke video over custom backgrounds in DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, and Final Cut Pro

When you export with transparent background enabled, you get a video file with the lyrics and effects but no background. This lets you layer your karaoke over any video or image you want.

What You'll Achieve

Add your karaoke lyrics over:

  • Music videos
  • Concert footage
  • Nature scenes
  • Custom animations
  • Any background you choose

Before You Start

Make sure you exported your video with Transparent Background enabled:

  1. Open your project in Youka
  2. Click Export Video
  3. Turn on Transparent Background
  4. Export creates a .mov file (ProRes 4444 format)

DaVinci Resolve

Add Your Karaoke Over a Background

  1. Start a new project or open an existing timeline
  2. Drag your background video or image to Video Track 1
  3. Drag your karaoke .mov file to Video Track 2 (above the background)
  4. Your lyrics will appear over the background

The transparent area shows the background underneath.

Why You Might See Black

If you see a black background instead of transparency:

  1. Right-click your karaoke clip on the timeline
  2. Select Clip Attributes
  3. Under Alpha, change from None to Premultiplied or Straight Alpha
  4. Click OK

The black background should disappear.

Export Your Final Video

  1. Go to the Deliver tab
  2. Choose your export settings (H.264 for web, ProRes for editing)
  3. Click Render

You now have a single video with your karaoke over your chosen background.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Layer Karaoke Over Background

  1. Create a new sequence or open your project
  2. Add your background to Video Track 1
  3. Add your karaoke .mov file to Video Track 2
  4. The transparent background shows your layer below

Fix Black Background Issue

If the background appears black:

  1. Select your karaoke clip on the timeline
  2. Open Effect Controls panel
  3. Find Opacity section
  4. Change Blend Mode to Normal (if it's not already)
  5. Look for Interpret Footage option:
    • Right-click the karaoke file in Project panel
    • Choose Modify > Interpret Footage
    • Under Alpha Channel, select Premultiplied - Matte Color
    • Click OK

Export Combined Video

  1. Go to File > Export > Media
  2. Choose format (H.264 for YouTube, ProRes for further editing)
  3. Click Export

Final Cut Pro

Composite Karaoke and Background

  1. Open your project timeline
  2. Place background clip on the primary storyline
  3. Connect your karaoke .mov file above the background (press Q to connect)
  4. Transparency is handled automatically

Final Cut Pro recognizes the alpha channel without extra steps.

If Black Appears

This is rare in Final Cut Pro, but if you see black:

  1. Select your karaoke clip
  2. Open Video Inspector
  3. Under Compositing, check that Blend Mode is Normal
  4. Ensure Opacity is at 100%

Export Your Video

  1. Select your timeline
  2. Go to File > Share > Master File
  3. Choose your settings
  4. Click Next and save

Common Questions

Why does my karaoke video look different when I play it outside an editor?

Video players might show transparent areas as black or white. This is normal. When you layer the video in an editor over a background, the transparency works correctly.

Can I use this in other video editors?

Yes. Any editor that supports ProRes 4444 with alpha channel:

  • Camtasia
  • HitFilm
  • Vegas Pro
  • Kdenlive

The steps are similar: place background on lower track, karaoke on upper track.

What if I don't need a custom background?

Turn off Transparent Background when exporting. You'll get a regular video file (.mp4) with Youka's default background.

The file size is huge. Is this normal?

Yes. ProRes files are large because they preserve quality for editing. After you finish editing, export to H.264 to reduce file size for sharing.

Next Steps

After creating your final video:

  • Upload to YouTube or social media
  • Use in presentations
  • Create music video compilations
  • Build karaoke playlists

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