When working with keying or rotoscoping, one common issue is that the edges of your subject might appear too dark or too bright when merged onto a new background. This can make the subject stand out unnaturally, ruining the final composite.
The solution? Edge Extension—a powerful technique that helps blend your subject seamlessly into the new environment while preserving important details.
In this tutorial, I walk you through how to apply Edge Extension in DaVinci Fusion using a combination of ErodeDilate, Clean Plate, and Dissolve Nodes.
Why Do Keyed Edges Look Bad?
After keying or rotoscoping, the edges of your subject might not match the new background due to:
Color spill – The keying process removes the original background but leaves an unwanted outline.
Edge contamination – Dark or bright halos appear around the subject.
Using Edge Extension, we can extend the pixels of the subject outward, blending them naturally without destroying fine details like hair.
Pro Tip: Denoising Before Edge Extension
For the best results, denoise your footage before applying edge extension. I personally use Neat Video, but you can also use DaVinci Resolve’s built-in Denoiser.
This ensures that the extended edges remain smooth and natural-looking. You can always add the noise back at the end of the composite for a more seamless integration.
Watch the Full Tutorial
Want to see this process in action? Check out my full tutorial on YouTube where I demonstrate each step in detail!
If you found this helpful, make sure to subscribe to my channel for more Fusion tutorials, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want to collaborate!
Happy compositing!