Special Effects and Basic VFX
Learn how to apply impressive visual effects using accessible AI tools.
✨ AI VFX: A New Era
Visual effects (VFX) that once required entire teams, expensive software, and weeks of work can now be created by one person in minutes using AI. In 2026, independent creators have access to capabilities that rivaled Hollywood studios just a few years ago.
What changed in VFX with AI
- • Background removal: From 30 minutes manually to 3 seconds automatically
- • Rotoscoping: AI automatically separates elements frame by frame
- • Color grading: Complex color adjustments with a text prompt
- • Scene generation: Create entire scenes that don't exist
AI VFX Tools in 2026
| Tool | Specialty | Level | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| CapCut | Background removal, basic effects | Beginner | Free |
| Runway Gen-4.5 | VFX generation, video inpainting | Intermediate | Starting at $15/month |
| Pika | Creative effects, transformations | Beginner | Freemium |
| Wonder Dynamics | 3D characters in real scenes | Advanced | Starting at $17/month |
| Kaiber | Artistic video transformation | Beginner | Starting at $10/month |
🟢 Background Removal (AI Green Screen)
Background removal is the most commonly used effect in video production. With AI, you no longer need a physical green screen—the artificial intelligence identifies and removes the background automatically.
Background removal in CapCut
- Import the video into the timeline
- Select the clip and go to Tools > Remove Background
- Choose the mode: Auto (AI detects the person) or Chroma Key (green screen)
- Adjust the sensitivity if needed
- Add a new background: image, video, or solid color
Tips for better results
- • Record with good, even lighting (fewer shadows = better cutout)
- • Avoid clothing colors that are too similar to the background
- • For curly/coily hair, slightly increase the sensitivity
- • If possible, use a plain background (even without a green screen)
🖼️ Setting Replacement
After removing the background, you can replace it with any setting. Combine it with AI-generated images to create impossible settings.
Usage examples
Product video
Film the product on a simple table, remove the background, and add a sophisticated scene generated by Midjourney.
Corporate presentation
Record at home and replace the background with a modern office or slides from your presentation.
Educational content
Place yourself in settings related to the topic: space, underwater, laboratory.
Virtual Travel
Use photos of tourist destinations as backgrounds to create travel content without leaving home.
Powerful combination: Midjourney + CapCut
Generate a scene in Midjourney with the prompt: "modern minimalist
studio background, soft lighting, 16:9 --ar 16:9 --v 7". Use this image as a background in CapCut
after removing the background from your video. Professional results in 5 minutes.
🎯 Basic Motion Tracking
Motion tracking lets you attach text, images, or effects to a moving object in the video. AI analyzes the movement frame by frame and keeps the element fixed at the correct point.
Common uses of motion tracking
- Price based on product: Pin a price tag that follows the product as it moves
- Directional arrow: An arrow pointing to a specific detail in motion
- Censorship/Blur: Blur that follows a face or license plate
- Floating text: Name/title that follows a person walking
Motion tracking in CapCut
- Add the element (text, image, sticker) over the video on the timeline
- Select the element and click Track Movement
- In the preview, position the tracking point on the desired object
- Click Start Tracking
- AI analyzes the movement and links the element to the object
- Adjust the position and scale if needed
🎬 VFX with Runway Gen-4.5
Runway is the most advanced AI VFX tool available in 2026. Gen-4.5 lets you create cinematic visual effects from text prompts or reference images.
VFX Features in Runway
| Feature | Description | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Video Inpainting | Removes or replaces objects in video | Remove logos and unwanted objects |
| Expand Video | Expands the edges of the video with AI | Convert vertical to horizontal |
| Text-to-VFX | Generates effects from a description | Explosions, particles, atmosphere |
| Style Transfer | Transforms the video's visual style | Anime, painting, and cyberpunk effects |
| Motion Brush | Animate specific parts of an image | Make hair move and clouds pass by |
🎭 Creative Effects with Pika
Pika specializes in creative effects and fun transformations. Ideal for social media content that needs to grab attention quickly.
Popular Pika effects
Dramatically crushes objects
Melts objects like chocolate
Inflates objects like a balloon
Turns everything into cake
Cinematic explosions
Freezes with an ice effect
🎨 AI Color Grading
Color grading (color correction and styling) is what turns an amateur video into a professional one. With AI, you can apply complex cinematic looks with one click or a text prompt.
Color grading in CapCut
- Select the clip on the timeline
- Go to Settings > Color
- Use AI Color for automatic color correction
- Explore the LUTs (Look-Up Tables) presets
- Manually adjust: brightness, contrast, saturation, temperature
- For consistency, copy the settings and paste them into all clips
Popular color grading styles
| Style | Features | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
| Cinematic | Warm tones, blue shadows, high contrast | Stories, trailers |
| Clean/Bright | Vivid colors, high brightness, low contrast | Products, lifestyle |
| Moody/Dark | Dark tones, desaturated, strong shadows | Fashion, drama |
| Vintage/Film | Yellowish tones, grain, lifted blacks | Nostalgia, vlogs |
🛠️ Hands-On Project: VFX in a Product Video
We'll apply everything we've learned in a hands-on project: creating a product video with professional visual effects.
Step-by-step project guide
- Record the product: Film an object on a table with good lighting (you can use a phone)
- Remove the background: Use CapCut to remove the background automatically
- Generate a scene: Create a premium background in Midjourney or FLUX
- Replace the setting: Set the generated scene as the background in CapCut
- Add motion tracking: Pin a price or product name label that follows the object
- Apply color grading: Use the Clean/Bright style to make the product stand out
- Add a Pika effect: Create a short version with a creative effect for TikTok (optional)
- Finalize: Add text, transitions, and background music
Expected result
A 15-30 second video showing a product in a premium setting, with animated text, professional colors, and at least one AI effect. This type of video is exactly what brands pay hundreds (or thousands) of reais to produce.
✅ Lesson Checklist
- I removed a video's background using AI in CapCut
- I replaced the setting with an AI-generated image
- I applied motion tracking to at least one element
- I’m familiar with Runway Gen-4.5’s VFX features
- I tried at least one creative effect from Pika
- I applied color grading to my video
- I completed the hands-on project (product video with VFX)