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key out

C1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words

To use a system to name or sort something, or to cut out the background colour in a video.

Literal meaning: To use a key to get something out.

Meanings

1 C1 neutral

To identify or classify a specimen or species using a dichotomous or identification key.

"The students used the field guide to key out the plant they had collected from the riverbank."

Grammar: separable
2 C1 idiomatic neutral

In video or photo editing, to remove a specific colour (usually green or blue) from footage to replace it with another image.

"She keyed out the green background and replaced it with footage of a tropical beach."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Used in biology/botany when identifying species using a dichotomous key. Also common in video production and broadcasting to describe the chroma-keying (green screen) process. Highly technical in both uses.

Commonly used with

background colour species sample green screen channel

Forms

Base
key out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
keys out
he/she/it
Past simple
keyed out
yesterday
Past participle
keyed out
have + pp
-ing form
keying out
continuous

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Synonyms

identify classify isolate remove chroma key filter out

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