Understanding "Green Screening"
Chroma Keying (more commonly called "Green Screening" is a fairly simple process wherein you instruct a program to take out a particular color (frequently green) and filling the hole in your image with any photo, video, or background color you choose. This tutorial will walk you through two different ways you can add green screen footage to your projects.
Part 1: Shooting Against a Green Screen
A green screen is set up for use in the Center Studio. We have three fluorescent lights set up to light the screen. If the lights have been moved, just look for the spike tape on the floor to light up the lights properly. When lighting a green screen, it is important to keep the green screen relatively smooth and wrinkle free and to make sure you are evenly lighting the whole surface. Uneven lighting can be fixed, but it requires a lot more post production work on your part. Luckily, our Center Studio green screen is pre-lit, so you shouldn't have to do too much tinkering here.
Ideally, you have two different sets of lights going: one set to light your green screen and a second to light your talent. {NOTE: These lights DO NOT have match color temperature. In fact, some people prefer to use two different temperature lights.] As the Center Studio grows, we hope to be able to offer you several lighting options.
Some additional tips for shooting:
Ideally, you have two different sets of lights going: one set to light your green screen and a second to light your talent. {NOTE: These lights DO NOT have match color temperature. In fact, some people prefer to use two different temperature lights.] As the Center Studio grows, we hope to be able to offer you several lighting options.
Some additional tips for shooting:
- Have your talent stand a few feet in front of the green screen. You do not want them right up against the screen. Ideally, you want your talent six feet away from the screen, but you should be able to get away with 3-4 feet.
- Place your camera six feet from your talent. Again, this is more of best practice than a hard and fast rule.
- DO NOT WEAR GREEN! Also avoid greenish-blues and anything with vibrant patterns. Black is an excellent choice.
- Make sure the range of motion from your talent stays within the boundaries of the green screen. Can you fix it in post? Yes... but it's a lot of work.
Part 2: Live Keying with OBS
If you want to create a simple green screen video on the fly, you can do so easily in the Center Studio. The first step is to download OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) and install this program on your computer.
Step A: Install Software
Go to www.obsproject.com and download the Windows version onto your laptop. The installation process is quick and easy.
Step B: Setting Up Your First Composite
Follow the steps below to set up your first green screen composite. You can point a camera at the green screen if you are in the Center Studio, or you can just use a green sheet of paper, like I am doing. Follow along each step and click on the number in the slide show to the left to see a corresponding image.
|
|