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Better My Greenscreen material
here is what my greenscreen material looks like:
https://i49.tinypic.com/4r3thw.png
i have 2 tungsten lights lighting my greenscreen, and 3 lights lighting the character in the foreground.
my variable is, i tried setting up an extra light to light the character from behind, but it made no difference at all.
the problem is pretty obvious, it’s the green edges around the character.
any advice on lighting my greencreen properly and reduce the edges on my character?
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13 Replies
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Two backlights, one on either side, make a lot of difference. Bring you screen lighting up a notch and add some primary green to the lights so you are lighting them with a really saturated green. The R & G component of white light act to desaturate the green.
One possible aspect to look at is your camera settings. Aggressive aperture correction enhances the edges quite dramatically and that’s a nightmare to key out. I notice it a lot when using smaller cameras like EX3s or XF305’s – which is why I use big cameras like PDW800’s.
Michael Sanders
London Based DP/Editor -
What format are you shooting and how far is the subject from the green screen? Shoot the highest resolution format you can. The further from the green screen the less spill. This in addition to Michael’s advice will help.
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thanks a lot for the great insight guys.
i have a canon 7d, just got it a week ago, it’s set to the highest resolution. i guess i’ll have to google how to set aggressive aperature correction, so i can reduce it. sounds confusing but i’ll look into it. i’m shooting on the highest resolution with the camera, at 1,920 x 1,080. the picture above is zoomed in to 200%, but i get the feeling the image is way clearer and more in focus when i record it then it is when i throw it into final cut pro.
how would i add primary green to the screen? with a green sheet over the light? with 2 backlights you mean i should have 2 pointing at the screen and 2 pointing at the subject from behind?
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1st off – if its a commercial project and you have a choice dont’ shoot greenscreen with a DSLR. It can be done but it’s a whole heap of pain. The H264 codec, with the line skipping really does cause all kinds of issues.
The DSLR’s don’t have aperture correction. Maybe playing with the sharpening might help. Shoot at a pretty high F stop. F5.6 or more (i.e. F8) – you need detail not get the best key.
As for lighting: 2 lights either side (same kind, same wattage, same distance away) pointing at the background, with primary green gel. Then 2 lights (Pref. fresnels) point at the subject from behind (careful not to hit the lens to much). this will help increase separation between for and background.
Michael Sanders
London Based DP/Editor -
Some good advice from the replies. I would like to ad that the shot looks soft-focus which can really affect edges.
NewsVideo.com
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What program are you using to pull the key? After Effects does a nice job. Your lighting should be fine. Sometimes, you may get some green bounce off of your background, so using a back light might help get rid of any green on the face.
Brent Dunn
Owner / Director / Editor
DunnRight Films
DunnRight Video.com
Video Marketing Toolbox.netSony EX-1,
Canon 5D Mark II
Canon 7D
Mac Pro
with Final Cut Studio Adobe CS6 Production -
@brett i only own final cut, so that’s the only program i use for all my work.
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sorry i’m new to cameras as high-end as my canon 7D, what do you mean by soft focus?
(please note that the footage is zoomed in to 200% in final cut pro x.
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You’re not missing anything. The FCP X chroma-keyer is excellent
NT
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i only have the canon 7D, so i can’t shoot in anything else. what can i do to improve my footage with the camera i have? i just set up my green screen room and actually intend to shoot quite a bit in there.
i shoot at F6.0, i’ll try to turn it up a notch.
thanks for all the tips! i’m sure my next shoot will be more successful.
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