[Matt Dodds]

You file looks great. I love how it looks more clear and I did show my co-worker and she thought it looked great as well. I never would have thought to do it that way. Our teacher showed a movie trailer that used 100% rotoscoping, but they never showed us about it. If it is just a mask with a moving keyframe, then I think I should be able to do that. Is there a tutorial regarding soft rim mattes and inner and outer feather masks?

Is there a better rendering file to use for transferring and exporting?

Most of the tutorials I have seen show the Keylight and the cleaning the spill in the keylight and that is it. Our teacher kind of did that as well. Not many tutorials show the levels it takes to do green screen work, like your comp. The tutorial I showed in the first post is the one I used and it helped for the most part, but the masking the hair line and matting other things like you post is something I would have never done, since I am not used to using AE.

Since I am a one man person, I was the only one there recording, but I will be having the person farther away from the screen and the camera. I will have to zoom in some, but I will have them farther away from the screen and camera. I only had one light on the person and 2 on the green screen, so I will need to get more lighting. The way I came in to do the clapboard, there was not light, but I understand about me taking up the light completely, since I was in the way. My camera doesn’t pick up that much light, so I know that I soaked up all the light.

I don’t want noise, but I am stuck with it, since my camera doesn’t pick up as much light as I wish it did. I am assuming it’s my lens, but I just don’t get enough. When it comes to my set up, it’ll be able the same. It is a video bio for the vets, for clients and referring vets. I want it clean and bright and those are my issues. If I can get a better camera body, more lighting, and set up the vet farther away from the green screen and farther away from the camera, I think I would be able to chroma key it better, but as a one-man team, that is the only one that knows about video, it’s difficult to get ideas and help, that is why I came onto here, after researching a lot.

I do want to thank you Steve for all your help. You have taught me some important things, that I never knew in the first place. I look forward to doing these techniques and tips, as I think I will be able to get a better/cleaner key out, if I follow them. My next goal is to get some more/better lighting. I am wanting to get some LED lights, that way I am able to shine it out more.

If I have any questions or need help, I won’t be afraid to ask you, as you have been really nice and super helpful!

[Matt Dodds]

I am using ISO 400, since I know that I normally get lots of grain! I try not to go any higher!

[Matt Dodds]

I have a Manfrotto MT055XPRO3. It was locked off and it was not moving. Once I started recording and used the clapboard to sync sound, I left it allow until I was done recording!

[Matt Dodds]

So what I did was I uploaded it straight to AE from my SD card. It is 8 bit footage, so I submitted it as a Quicktime animation. I didn’t zip it, as I can upload the clip straight to dropbox. Here is the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/660rpfhuu1sz6eh/greenscreenfootage.mov?dl=0

I just wanted to make sure it had no compression. Thanks!

[Matt Dodds]

Hey Steve, my work flow is SD card, to file folder, to AE. I don’t go to Premiere first, since I don’t need it in Premiere, until after I get it done in AE. Would moving it to a file folder be an issue as well? If you want, I can put it on my dropbox or google drive and share the link, that way you have it uncompressed. I only put it in Premiere, to sample a bit of my footage, since my file is over the upload file size on here!

I need to figure out what bit rate my camera does, but I looked at all the menus and nothing was showing me the bit rate. I don’t wanna go for Magic Lantern, since I don’t wanna break warranty!

I can’t get your file to work with my AE, since I have CS6 and cant work with AE CC 2018. If you can send me a CS6 format, that would help better!

I will look into all the keyers you mentioned. I am assuming they all cost. I had to buy Neat Video noise/grain reduction for my school projects, so maybe that might be something worth while!

I am not sure how to rotoscope, so I will research that. I just need to make sure I just have enough light and distance, so that way whatever technique I am able to use, it will make it way easier for me!

[Matt Dodds]

I will comment on everything else when I get off of work, but since this forum can’t take over 100mb file size files, I had to shrink my footage to be able to be uploaded here. I took the footage into premiere and chopped the footage to 6 secs. When it comes to my work flow, I brought the footage from my SD card to a file folder then I uploaded it to AE. So the compression might be happening in the file folder or uploading it to AE. I didn’t put it in Premiere first, only to get it ready for upload on here. If you guys want, I can put it in my Dropbox, from my SD card, and share the link with you guys? That way, no compression from Premiere is happeneing.

[Matt Dodds]

Hey Steve,

Sorry I misread your info, I didn’t see the .090. Dang… that is low. Again, I am not sure what I need to do to change that!

[Matt Dodds]

Hey Mark,

I did post my MediaInfo on the footage off my SD card and the bit/frame rate is showing at .925 and not at the .578 of my exported footage from Premiere. I am not sure really how to change the bit/frame rate at the settings. I did look at all the menus, but nothing is showing about that!

Thanks!

[Matt Dodds]

Hey Steve,

In school, we used a Blackmagic camera in our RAW class and it worked out great, I’m just not the best when it comes to RAW footage and color correcting. I don’t have a budget when it comes to renting things and we used a 60D in school (our lower classes), so I got that one because it worked well. I was thinking about getting a 80D because I do have people in my state, that are videographers, that suggested that.

This is the info from MediaInfo about the footage from my camera:

Complete name: E:\DCIM\100CANON\MVI_1882.MOV
Format: MPEG-4
Format profile: QuickTime
Codec ID: qt 2007.09 (qt /CAEP)
File size: 364 MiB
Duration: 1 min 4 s
Overall bit rate: 47.5 Mb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2018-03-14 13:50:56
Tagged date : UTC 2018-03-14 13:50:56

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Baseline@L5
Format settings : 1 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : No
Format settings, RefFrames : 1 frame
Format settings, GOP : M=1, N=12
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 1 min 4 s
Bit rate : 46.0 Mb/s
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Original height : 1 088 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Original display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.925
Stream size : 352 MiB (97%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2018-03-14 13:50:56
Tagged date : UTC 2018-03-14 13:50:56
Color range : Full
Color primaries : BT.709
Transfer characteristics : BT.709

I exported the 6 sec clip from Premiere in H.264/DSLR, so that is one reason why it might not be working on your end. It looks like my codec that it is using is AVC, which might be less compression?

The thing is I use all of my own equipment, so I don’t rent or borrow anything. I do need to look at the footage zoomed in on my camera, as it always adds grain and it’s not flattering.

For the screen, I thought about that, but it is difficult to get them and set them up everytime I shoot, so I normally thumbtack it up, which I understand isn’t the best option. I did order a blue-screen, since I did get some advice, outside of this forum, that a blue screen might be a better option, but everything you talked about, it probably wont work with my camera and it’s settings.

Where can I get green gelled lights and do you have a good lighting kit? I bought a photography lighting kit with fluorescent light bulbs, so that is my only thing I have. It just sucks that my camera and lens doesn’t pick up enough light to do much with it. The next time I record my next veterinarian, I will have them farther away from the green screen, I just know that I will not able to to use the footage I have too much, since the deed is done. I am just happy I recorded the footage without the green screen!

Since I am an one-man team, I am not able to do everything like that by myself, especially with no budget, besides what comes out of my pocket. I liked the dayglow lime green color. Again, I got this green muslin from a photography kit, so it was what came with it. I will try to find a dayglow lime green color muslin for my next shoots.

Again, I am limited on what I can do at the place I work, so I will have to try to find a 20by or 20x.

Lighting has been one of my biggest weaknesses. I want to get some LED lights that I can change from Tungsten to Daylight, as I think that would fit the feel of my work, but I just don’t have the best lighting set up. I did try to light the green screen more, since I knew that would be my biggest issue, but it looks like I need way more lights than I have!

We were taught that H.264 was something that was really great, and it is, but not for what I am doing! We even used a 60D and H.264 format and pulled a good key (one of the only times we used green screen work). It can be done, but it’s very rare and I understand what you are saying.

What kind of capture card are you thinking/using?

I took a digital effects class in college and it was fun, but something that I never wanted to do full time/as my career, but green screen work sounded fun, but after this experience, I know I have way more to learn about stuff like this and it’s nice. Like stated above, I am an one-man team, so I am the director, producer, editor, renderer, and poster, so I do it all. I do get some guidance from my supervisor, as to what I should be recording, but nobody knows about film/video/recording, so that is why I came to this blog. I did research this topic before I came here and learned some stuff, but nothing compared to my dilemma, so I do appreciate your help and with your words of encouragement and guidance, I will try to work it out. My next plans of action is to figure out what codecs I can record in, on my 60D, the distance from the background and the screen/frame, getting a new lime green screen, and maybe getting a better camera body, since that might be some of my issue there (due to not picking up enough light).

[Matt Dodds]

[Mark]“I can’t really as I’m “archaically” still using CS6.

Here’s tiny utility though you might want to check out. It installs as a windows Explorer Right Mouse Click menu item when you’ve any sort of media file selected. It’ll give you a LOT of info on the files make-up such as codec, frame rate, bit rate, etc. Very worthwhile having to diagnose with.”

I completely understand. While I was in school, we AE CS6 for my Digital Effects class, but after that class, they changed it to that current years CC, so I just used CS6 due to funds! For video editing, we used Avid Media Composer, so I have been on a different level on everything or a little behind when it comes to programs!

I just downloaded it and I will use it for now on. We never really learned codecs, we more focused on camera angles, editing, and ISO/F-stop/Shutter Speed!