Some questions about shooting "green screen" videos.

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

My question is could I use a high quality webcam to shoot the video since I already have one of those?

Sure. Obviously, you may want to improve quality in the future, but if you're already happy with what you have, then use it.

I'm playing with chroma key for the first time, too. One thing you want to do is to get the green screen material out of the packaging as soon as you get it. Creases are not your friend.

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by David Beroff

Sure. Obviously, you may want to improve quality in the future, but if you're already happy with what you have, then use it.

I'm playing with chroma key for the first time, too. One thing you want to do is to get the green screen material out of the packaging as soon as you get it. Creases are not your friend.

Great! Thanks for your input.

Yes, I have read that to get the best result you will need to have a wrinkle free backdrop and also lighting is extremely important. I know that I will need to avoid casting shadows onto the backdrop as much as possible.

I also recently purchased a couple of huge packages of both still photos and motion video backgrounds so I can shoot my video from "anywhere" I want.

What are you going to be using for editing? Will you use Camtasia as well?

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David Beroff

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

What are you going to be using for editing? Will you use Camtasia as well?

I didn't mention Sony (Vegas) Movie Studio 'cuz you said you didn't like it. I'm fine with it, personally, and continue to learn a little bit each month. (e.g., I just learned about how to build sound envelopes correctly; so much easier than what I had been doing!) I actually have an extra copy of version 6 for sale if you want; it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles, but it does the job just fine. Plus, I think they may still be running a deal where you can upgrade from 6 to 13 pretty cheaply.

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by David Beroff

I didn't mention Sony (Vegas) Movie Studio 'cuz you said you didn't like it. I'm fine with it, personally, and continue to learn a little bit each month. (e.g., I just learned about how to build sound envelopes correctly; so much easier than what I had been doing!) I actually have an extra copy of version 6 for sale if you want; it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles, but it does the job just fine. Plus, I think they may still be running a deal where you can upgrade from 6 to 13 pretty cheaply.

I appreciate that, but my neighbor has it and I've messed around with his and I'm not a big fan. Camtasia just looks so much more user friendly and seems to have everything I need.

I'm also leaning toward Camtasia because I have a great idea for a product and I don't want to shoot the videos on CamStudio. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with CamStudio. In fact I've got it set to where it makes some pretty high quality videos, but Camtasia seems to be the one that the "pros" use and like I said it looks very easy to make green screen videos with it.

Of course I imagine Sony Vegas has a lot more advanced features that may come in handy as I get more comfortable making videos, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I would just love to hear from someone who is already using Camtasia to make green screen videos so I can get their opinion on whether or not it works well.

Also, if anyone has any other suggestions, please feel free to let me know.

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koolphoto 8 years ago

Here is a Techsmith tutorial about green screen:

https://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-c...ove-color.html

I think lighting is more critical than choice of camera, when it comes to green screen videos. You must have flat even lighting on the background, and you need to make sure you don't cast any shadows on the background.
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Action Man

8 years ago

I underestimated gamers, and how they do it, it is a massive industry and they make millions streaming games with picture in picture etc. Camtasia Studio I have, but it is still 32 bit, and anyway, I wont go into that. Have a look into OBS (Open Broadcasting Software). Search YouTube for "obs green screen setup" OBS is open source, it looks basic when you download it, but its power is incredible and used by millions of gamers, but you can use it to capture your screen, do tutorials, and many other purposes.It can also utilise the ultra settings possible in your PC.

I use a Logitech C920 Webcam for picture in picture. It has HD quality, and as good as anything. But a good DSLR or Camcorder helps for full screen stand-up viewing. It is the lighting on the actual green screen that is so important as others have said, just search YouTube, plenty of advice.

See this one https://youtu.be/6lSZr1BInl0

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by Action Man

I underestimated gamers, and how they do it, it is a massive industry and they make millions streaming games with picture in picture etc. Camtasia Studio I have, but it is still 32 bit, and anyway, I wont go into that. Have a look into OBS (Open Broadcasting Software). Search YouTube for "obs green screen setup" OBS is open source, it looks basic when you download it, but its power is incredible and used by millions of gamers, but you can use it to capture your screen, do tutorials, and many other purposes.It can also utilise the ultra settings possible in your PC.

I use a Logitech C920 Webcam for picture in picture. It has HD quality, and as good as anything. But a good DSLR or Camcorder helps for full screen stand-up viewing. It is the lighting on the actual green screen that is so important as others have said, just search YouTube, plenty of advice.

See this one https://youtu.be/6lSZr1BInl0

Yup that's the exact same webcam as I have! Best one I've ever had and pretty inexpensive. I think I got mine on sale on Best Buy for around $90 including tax. It should work fine for my purposes.

I'm curious about this OBS software that you mentioned. Will I be able to edit my videos with that and remove the green part of the video and replace it with my background of choice?

The reason I'm leaning toward Camtasia is because I have watched a bunch of their videos and the one where they show you how to edit green screen is extremely simple. Also, it would be great to be able to start recording my screen capture tutorial videos with it. Like I said I have nothing against CamStudio but I think videos done with Camtasia are much more professional in both sound and appearance.

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Action Man

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

Yup that's the exact same webcam as I have! Best one I've ever had and pretty inexpensive. I think I got mine on sale on Best Buy for around $90 including tax. It should work fine for my purposes.

I'm curious about this OBS software that you mentioned. Will I be able to edit my videos with that and remove the green part of the video and replace it with my background of choice?

The reason I'm leaning toward Camtasia is because I have watched a bunch of their videos and the one where they show you how to edit green screen is extremely simple. Also, it would be great to be able to start recording my screen capture tutorial videos with it. Like I said I have nothing against CamStudio but I think videos done with Camtasia are much more professional in both sound and appearance.

I do use Camtasia, I like its many editing features.I find it has issues rendering large files, 32bit programs can only utilise 4GB of Ram, so it depends if you have massive files. I prefer to render a large file first in OBS or something else, and then import it to Camtasia if I need more tutorial related mods and cons included.

Edit: I should add OBS renders in real time, the file is there as soon as you finish recording.

OBS is not a Video Editor, it just records. You can set the chroma key to whatever your background colour is I believe, see the OBS YouTube tutorials.if you get the time.

Often it boils down to what works for us, and what we are happy with..

best wishes

Jim

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by Action Man

I do use Camtasia, I like its many editing features.I find it has issues rendering large files, 32bit programs can only utilise 4GB of Ram, so it depends if you have massive files. I prefer to render a large file first in OBS or something else, and then import it to Camtasia if I need more tutorial related mods and cons included.

Edit: I should add OBS renders in real time, the file is there as soon as you finish recording.

OBS is not a Video Editor, it just records. You can set the chroma key to whatever your background colour is I believe, see the OBS YouTube tutorials.if you get the time.

Often it boils down to what works for us, and what we are happy with..

best wishes

Jim

I was thinking about what you said regarding rendering large files. One of the reasons I was going to get Camtasia is because I was hoping that the screen capture video file size would not be as big as CamStudio. Some of my videos that are more than 10 minutes in length can run 400-500 MB right off CamStudio. That's not really a big deal if I am just putting them on a membership or download page for people to watch but if I want to make the videos downloadable also then it poses a problem. Nobody wants to download one video that is 500 MB.

I was using MediaCoder to convert large AVI files into much smaller MP4 videos and that was working well. I was losing a bit of quality but it was hardly noticeable. That made it much easier to upload to YouTube and also to offer downloads because I could turn a 500 MB AVI video into a 25-30 MB MP4 video. It's also free which is a plus.

I was just on YouTube and watching some videos about green screen and came across what looks to be some really cool editing software that would be perfect for what I need. It's called Filmora. It's inexpensive as well as it looks like I can get a one year license for around $30.

Has anyone heard of or used Filmora and how were the results?

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aseltz

8 years ago

I've done a fair amount of green/blue screen work over the years and have a few suggestions.

Whenever people ask me advice about doing green screen work I always start by asking what their objectives are. Do you want people to actually believe you are in the various locations you place in the background, or will you be satisfied with people knowing it's a fake shot? Are you shooting challenging footage like wispy blonde hair, translucent clothes, or (to a lesser degree) glasses?

If you are trying to be very convincing and/or shoot challenging subjects, you will need better tools to get the job done. If you don't mind people knowing your footage is green screened (like your local TV weather person), you can get away with cutting corners.

When it comes to choosing a camera, there are three critical factors. First, the quality of the lens, second is the quality of the image sensor, and third is the file format the video is saved in. All DSLR cameras and most sub $1000 cameras record using a format that heavily compresses the color portion of the video signal, which results in a loss of color information. All cellphone cameras heavily compress video footage to store the files on their relatively small internal storage. Higher end cameras, that preserve the color information, generate huge files.

One way to improve your results with a lower-end camera is to use one of the newer 4k resolution cameras. Sony makes a small 4k Handycam camera that sells for about $900. Shooting at a higher frame size, and then scaling it down after compositing, helps to hide the compression artifacts.

Once you've decided on the camera you plan to use, the next important thing is to get a decent green screen and light it well. I use a muslin screen and stretch it out on my wall using push pins. You can also use clamps to clamp the screen to stands and pull it tighter,which will smooth out wrinkles. Once the screen is hanging, mist it with clean water in a spray bottle and let it dry. This will help release wrinkles from the fabric.

I have never seen a green screen lighting kit advertised that includes enough lights to light the talent and screen. You usually get 2 or 3 lights, which will work for the talent. But, you need at least 2 large soft light sources to evenly light your screen. The more even the lighting is on your screen, the easier it is to key out the background later. I like using banks of fluorescent lights. Here is a great video showing you how to make inexpensive bank lights:

DIY Bank Lights - Basic Filmmaker Ep 114 - YouTube

If you do a good job lighting your screen, match the light on your subject to the lighting in the shot you are placing in the background, and record footage at the highest quality settings with the best camera you can afford, the software side of things is much easier to manage. You need better software and more time to overcome problems with bad footage.

Set aside some time to experiment and get your process setup. It takes time to work out the details.

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

I've done a fair amount of green/blue screen work over the years and have a few suggestions.

Whenever people ask me advice about doing green screen work I always start by asking what their objectives are. Do you want people to actually believe you are in the various locations you place in the background, or will you be satisfied with people knowing it's a fake shot? Are you shooting challenging footage like wispy blonde hair, translucent clothes, or (to a lesser degree) glasses?

If you are trying to be very convincing and/or shoot challenging subjects, you will need better tools to get the job done. If you don't mind people knowing your footage is green screened (like your local TV weather person), you can get away with cutting corners.

When it comes to choosing a camera, there are three critical factors. First, the quality of the lens, second is the quality of the image sensor, and third is the file format the video is saved in. All DSLR cameras and most sub $1000 cameras record using a format that heavily compresses the color portion of the video signal, which results in a loss of color information. All cellphone cameras heavily compress video footage to store the files on their relatively small internal storage. Higher end cameras, that preserve the color information, generate huge files.

One way to improve your results with a lower-end camera is to use one of the newer 4k resolution cameras. Sony makes a small 4k Handycam camera that sells for about $900. Shooting at a higher frame size, and then scaling it down after compositing, helps to hide the compression artifacts.

Once you've decided on the camera you plan to use, the next important thing is to get a decent green screen and light it well. I use a muslin screen and stretch it out on my wall using push pins. You can also use clamps to clamp the screen to stands and pull it tighter,which will smooth out wrinkles. Once the screen is hanging, mist it with clean water in a spray bottle and let it dry. This will help release wrinkles from the fabric.

I have never seen a green screen lighting kit advertised that includes enough lights to light the talent and screen. You usually get 2 or 3 lights, which will work for the talent. But, you need at least 2 large soft light sources to evenly light your screen. The more even the lighting is on your screen, the easier it is to key out the background later. I like using banks of fluorescent lights. Here is a great video showing you how to make inexpensive bank lights:

DIY Bank Lights - Basic Filmmaker Ep 114 - YouTube

If you do a good job lighting your screen, match the light on your subject to the lighting in the shot you are placing in the background, and record footage at the highest quality settings with the best camera you can afford, the software side of things is much easier to manage. You need better software and more time to overcome problems with bad footage.

Set aside some time to experiment and get your process setup. It takes time to work out the details.

Andrew

Thanks so much for all of the great suggestions!

I have almost got my setup completed, but I did what you could call a "budget" setup, and I'm getting pretty good results so far. I need to get some better editing software, but for now I am using a completely free option that gets the job done.

I was thinking I should have documented my process in case anyone else wants to be able to make halfway decent green screen videos for less than $200-$300.

Anyway, here is my setup:

Logitech c920 HD Pro webcam ($75 from Best Buy)

10 X 12 muslin green screen backdrop with wall clamp assembly ($25 from eBay)

AudioTechnica 3350 lavalier microphone with smartphone adapter ($25 from eBay)

3 - 150W Incandescent Clamp Light ($9 each from Home Depot - total $27)

Targus 42" 8-Section Tripod ($15 from Target)

Tripod smartphone adapter for shooting with smartphone ($5 from eBay)

Software:

Windows Movie Maker 6.0 (Windows Live Movie Maker will not work for this) with Rehan FX chroma key add on (the add on costs $15).

So, as you can see, I have managed to put together a little green screen studio for approximately $200.

The thing is, however, that the videos are not too bad and are OK for my current purposes, but eventually I am going to want to graduate to the next level and get some really good editing software. I was leaning toward Camtasia since I also do quite a few screen capture videos, but the more I learn about editing green screen videos the more I want a more powerful software for that purpose.

I have heard a lot of people praising both Sony Vegas and also Adobe After Effects for editing their green screen.

I guess it's like anything, the better quality equipment you have the better videos you can make. Currently I am satisfied with the movies I'm able to make, but of course anyone can tell that I am not really in the location.

I am working on an idea to do an IM news related show, and I found an absolutely gorgeous newsroom green screen set for $80 that I will probably invest in once I get a better camera, lighting, and editing software. It looks like you are sitting at a news desk and it has the news room background and you can also add images or videos into a screen behind the news desk like they do on actual news programs. One step at a time, though. I'm right where I need to be for right now.

Thanks so much to all that have helped out!

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

...Anyway, here is my setup:

Logitech c920 HD Pro webcam ($75 from Best Buy)

10 X 12 muslin green screen backdrop with wall clamp assembly ($25 from eBay)

AudioTechnica 3350 lavalier microphone with smartphone adapter ($25 from eBay)

3 - 150W Incandescent Clamp Light ($9 each from Home Depot - total $27)

Targus 42" 8-Section Tripod ($15 from Target)

Tripod smartphone adapter for shooting with smartphone ($5 from eBay)

Software:

Windows Movie Maker 6.0 (Windows Live Movie Maker will not work for this) with Rehan FX chroma key add on (the add on costs $15).

So, as you can see, I have managed to put together a little green screen studio for approximately $200.

The thing is, however, that the videos are not too bad and are OK for my current purposes, but eventually I am going to want to graduate to the next level and get some really good editing software. I was leaning toward Camtasia since I also do quite a few screen capture videos, but the more I learn about editing green screen videos the more I want a more powerful software for that purpose.

I have heard a lot of people praising both Sony Vegas and also Adobe After Effects for editing their green screen.

I guess it's like anything, the better quality equipment you have the better videos you can make. Currently I am satisfied with the movies I'm able to make, but of course anyone can tell that I am not really in the location.

I am working on an idea to do an IM news related show, and I found an absolutely gorgeous newsroom green screen set for $80 that I will probably invest in once I get a better camera, lighting, and editing software. It looks like you are sitting at a news desk and it has the news room background and you can also add images or videos into a screen behind the news desk like they do on actual news programs. One step at a time, though. I'm right where I need to be for right now...

With the current setup you have, your main challenge is lighting the screen and yourself. Both cameras you have heavily compress the video footage they record. The compression is 'lossy' (meaning some data is discarded in the process.) Color data is the main thing lost and that makes color-based keying more challenging. Making sure your screen is evenly lit is one of the best ways to improve your results.

I highly recommend an app (Android and iOS) called "Green Screener" from Hollywood Camera Work, LLC. It performs one function - it makes it easier to see hot spots on your screen. You run the app, aim your device's camera at the green screen, and it displays a highly posterized black and white image of the screen that makes uneven lighting obvious. Then, you can adjust the lights to even everything out. Much easier and cheaper than using scopes to analyze your lighting. Don't trust your eyes, because it's hard to see the subtle differences in lighting intensity, but they can have a huge impact later when you are trying to key out the background.

You definitely need to add a couple more lights to your setup. The DIY bank lights in the video I linked to earlier would be a great option for lighting the screen. Then, you can use the clamp lights for lighting yourself. Just make sure the color temperature for all of your lights match.

I've heard lots of people praise the chromakey tools in Vegas. I use the Adobe software suite for video production and prefer using the Keylight tool in After Effects for my keying. The chromakeyer in Premiere is pretty good, but I get a lot more control over my keys in After Effects. There is a steep learning curve involved, but I can layer mattes together to deal with trouble spots, and add a little light wrap to blend the foreground and background together and 'sell' the effect.

The setup you have would work very well for a virtual studio-based show. Add a couple lights and you should see a significant improvement in your results.

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

With the current setup you have, your main challenge is lighting the screen and yourself. Both cameras you have heavily compress the video footage they record. The compression is 'lossy' (meaning some data is discarded in the process.) Color data is the main thing lost and that makes color-based keying more challenging. Making sure your screen is evenly lit is one of the best ways to improve your results.

I highly recommend an app (Android and iOS) called "Green Screener" from Hollywood Camera Work, LLC. It performs one function - it makes it easier to see hot spots on your screen. You run the app, aim your device's camera at the green screen, and it displays a highly posterized black and white image of the screen that makes uneven lighting obvious. Then, you can adjust the lights to even everything out. Much easier and cheaper than using scopes to analyze your lighting. Don't trust your eyes, because it's hard to see the subtle differences in lighting intensity, but they can have a huge impact later when you are trying to key out the background.

You definitely need to add a couple more lights to your setup. The DIY bank lights in the video I linked to earlier would be a great option for lighting the screen. Then, you can use the clamp lights for lighting yourself. Just make sure the color temperature for all of your lights match.

I've heard lots of people praise the chromakey tools in Vegas. I use the Adobe software suite for video production and prefer using the Keylight tool in After Effects for my keying. The chromakeyer in Premiere is pretty good, but I get a lot more control over my keys in After Effects. There is a steep learning curve involved, but I can layer mattes together to deal with trouble spots, and add a little light wrap to blend the foreground and background together and 'sell' the effect.

The setup you have would work very well for a virtual studio-based show. Add a couple lights and you should see a significant improvement in your results.

Andrew

Thanks for the advice. I can see that you know what you are talking about.

I know that my setup right now is, well, amateurish at best. That's my process though when learning new skills. I start from the ground up and what usually ends up happening is I learn a ton along the way, mostly through trial and error and my own failures.

I can't believe how much I have already learned in just the 7-10 days since I started this project.

Right now I am having a problem getting all of the wrinkles out of my screen. I was hoping that the fabric would arrive rolled and not folded, but unfortunately that was not the case.

I read a few articles and a few people mentioned the best way was to hang the screen and then evenly mist it with cold water, allowing the water to dry. I did that and it did remove most of the heavier wrinkles, but there are some smaller creases that it did not help.

I read a few comments and people said that they used a spray wrinkle remover on their screens and that worked perfectly, but I am hesitant to use any chemicals on the screen and risk screwing up the color or otherwise damaging it. I suppose I could put a towel over the screen and then use an iron to steam the wrinkles out, but that will be time consuming labor intensive and I'm trying to avoid that if possible. However, if that's the best way I'll bite the bullet and break out the ironing kit.

Another person suggested putting it in the dryer at low heat for 15 minutes and taking it out and hanging it while it's still warm.

Do you have any advice for me?

Thanks
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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

Right now I am having a problem getting all of the wrinkles out of my screen. I was hoping that the fabric would arrive rolled and not folded, but unfortunately that was not the case.

I read a few articles and a few people mentioned the best way was to hang the screen and then evenly mist it with cold water, allowing the water to dry. I did that and it did remove most of the heavier wrinkles, but there are some smaller creases that it did not help.

I read a few comments and people said that they used a spray wrinkle remover on their screens and that worked perfectly, but I am hesitant to use any chemicals on the screen and risk screwing up the color or otherwise damaging it. I suppose I could put a towel over the screen and then use an iron to steam the wrinkles out, but that will be time consuming labor intensive and I'm trying to avoid that if possible. However, if that's the best way I'll bite the bullet and break out the ironing kit.

Another person suggested putting it in the dryer at low heat for 15 minutes and taking it out and hanging it while it's still warm.

Do you have any advice for me?

I have 2 green screens that came exactly the same way. Both are cotton muslin and were packed up folded. My solution for removing wrinkles is simple. I stretch the screen. That's how they do it in Hollywood...

In my home office studio my screen hangs on the back wall. I grabbed a handful of push pins and (starting at the top) I pushed a pin through the edge of the screen and into the drywall. Then, I moved to the opposite side and pulled the fabric taut and inserted another pin. I worked my way down the wall until the screen was stretched from top to bottom. I have enough fabric to pull out onto the floor, so I left that part loose and just rolled it up against the wall.

As you can see in this photo, the screen isn't perfectly smooth, but it's works well enough. My long term plan is to paint the entire wall green so I don't have to worry about seeing the edges of the screen in my wider shots.

If you are hanging your screen from a stand, just use spring clamps to stretch the fabric and connect it to the uprights. You don't need to pull very hard to get most of the wrinkles to smooth out.

You can mist the screen with water after it is stretched and that should help even more.

If you have access to a fabric steamer, that will give you the benefit of moisture and heat to remove wrinkles without chemicals. But, stretching the screen will take care of most of the issues.

Andrew

P.S. One more tip. Usually, there are large portions of the video frame where no foreground objects cross in front of the screen. Before you start messing with the chromakey settings, apply what's usually called a 'garbage matte' to the shot. This will effectively cut out the empty bits of the frame so you don't waste effort trying to adjust your settings to key them out. Here's a video showing the process in Vegas...

How To Use A Garbage Matte in Vegas Pro - YouTube

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

I have 2 green screens that came exactly the same way. Both are cotton muslin and were packed up folded. My solution for removing wrinkles is simple. I stretch the screen. That's how they do it in Hollywood...

In my home office studio my screen hangs on the back wall. I grabbed a handful of push pins and (starting at the top) I pushed a pin through the edge of the screen and into the drywall. Then, I moved to the opposite side and pulled the fabric taut and inserted another pin. I worked my way down the wall until the screen was stretched from top to bottom. I have enough fabric to pull out onto the floor, so I left that part loose and just rolled it up against the wall.

As you can see in this photo, the screen isn't perfectly smooth, but it's works well enough. My long term plan is to paint the entire wall green so I don't have to worry about seeing the edges of the screen in my wider shots.

If you are hanging your screen from a stand, just use spring clamps to stretch the fabric and connect it to the uprights. You don't need to pull very hard to get most of the wrinkles to smooth out.

You can mist the screen with water after it is stretched and that should help even more.

If you have access to a fabric steamer, that will give you the benefit of moisture and heat to remove wrinkles without chemicals. But, stretching the screen will take care of most of the issues.

Andrew

P.S. One more tip. Usually, there are large portions of the video frame where no foreground objects cross in front of the screen. Before you start messing with the chromakey settings, apply what's usually called a 'garbage matte' to the shot. This will effectively cut out the empty bits of the frame so you don't waste effort trying to adjust your settings to key them out. Here's a video showing the process in Vegas...

How To Use A Garbage Matte in Vegas Pro - YouTube

Wow! Some really helpful information there. Thanks for that. It's going to help me out a lot. I never would have thought about that "garbage matte" technique either, and it sees like that is necessary to get a really professional looking video. I definitely would not want the lights showing in my videos.

I managed to stretch out my screen just by pulling it taut and using a few push pins to hold it in place. This morning I removed the push pins and I could see a huge difference. Today I am going to pull it tight again and mist it with some water and let it dry. I expect that will make the screen smooth enough to start using.

I'm really excited that I am almost ready to shoot my first green screen video!

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Action Man

8 years ago

Wow! some great useful posts here, I have learned a lot, I think this should be sticky..

Hi again, sounds like a great set-up you have, every success with your show.

I thought I would share some further info about adobe

I recently saw a video on the main differences between Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe After Effects.

https://youtu.be/sHHEQMdJdiA

Since seeing this post I decided to get Adobe Premier Pro on the monthly plan. not the annual plan paid monthly, choosing this plan allows me to cancel at any time, although it is slightly more expensive than the annual plan paid monthly at £17 a month -- my non annual monthly plan is about £26 a month. I am liking the power and many features in the program for editing video and audio, and you get 20GB of cloud storage, and a free portfolio website thrown in.

Adobe premier pro allows you to easily edit large amounts of video and audio, and select slices to place on the same track, whereas after effects seems to be more about video compositing. Premier pro it appears is more focussed on video and audio editing.

There is loads of YouTube videos about the advanced green screen facilities in premier pro.

best regards, and do keep is posted about your show

Jim

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by Action Man

Wow! some great useful posts here, I have learned a lot, I think this should be sticky..

Hi again, sounds like a great set-up you have, every success with your show.

I thought I would share some further info about adobe

I recently saw a video on the main differences between Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe After Effects.

https://youtu.be/sHHEQMdJdiA

Since seeing this post I decided to get Adobe Premier Pro on the monthly plan. not the annual plan paid monthly, choosing this plan allows me to cancel at any time, although it is slightly more expensive than the annual plan paid monthly at £17 a month -- my non annual monthly plan is about £26 a month. I am liking the power and many features in the program for editing video and audio, and you get 20GB of cloud storage, and a free portfolio website thrown in.

Adobe premier pro allows you to easily edit large amounts of video and audio, and select slices to place on the same track, whereas after effects seems to be more about video compositing. Premier pro it appears is more focussed on video and audio editing.

There is loads of YouTube videos about the advanced green screen facilities in premier pro.

best regards, and do keep is posted about your show

Jim

I've heard that Adobe Premier Pro is incredible once you learn how to use all of the features.

I was considering getting Camtasia because they have a really easy to use green screen editing tool, but I came across a program called Movavi a couple of days ago, and it has everything I need and more, and it's only $40 for a lifetime license!

I was doing some research on video editing tools for green screen and I saw it listed in a blog post so I checked it out. They offered a free 7-day trial so I decided to install it and give it a whirl. I ended up buying the license about two hours later. It's perfect for what I want to do with my videos.

It's laid out kind of like Windows Movie Maker, but it has a lot more features. For instance, it has loads of transitions and effects that WMM does not have. In addition, it's got a great chroma key editor that is simple to use. I shot a video the other day that had a really bad shadow and this editor was able to make it so you could hardly notice it.

One thing I definitely need to invest in now is better lighting. I think I am going to grab a kit I saw on Amazon for around $100 and added to what I already have should be perfect. I'm quickly learning that with green screen there are 3 very important skills you need to get right and those are having good lighting, avoiding shadows, and having a smooth green screen.

I must say that once you actually start recording the videos this is lots of fun. I'm hoping to get good enough to be able to start selling promo videos. That is much farther down the road, however.

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

...One thing I definitely need to invest in now is better lighting. I think I am going to grab a kit I saw on Amazon for around $100 and added to what I already have should be perfect. I'm quickly learning that with green screen there are 3 very important skills you need to get right and those are having good lighting, avoiding shadows, and having a smooth green screen....

The cheap light kits can definitely get the job done, but just plan to be very gentle with them. The stands tend to be very flimsy and easy to knock over once the lights are attached. It's a good idea to add weights to the legs to prevent tipping.

The materials used to create the lights, softboxes, umbrellas, etc. are also very cheap and easy to break. Plus, they tend to be hard to assemble. Plan on putting everything together and leaving that way. The wear and tear adds up fast on this type of gear.

Make sure the color temperature of the bulbs matches the rest of your lights so you don't get any weird color casts in your shots. Most of the cheap kits use 5500K - 6500K bulbs which are balanced for daylight and will appear blue if mixed with halogen/incandescent lights which are generally 3200K.

I'm working on a lighting workshop project right now where I'm going to buy one of those kits and then show how to achieve 5 different 'looks' using only the lights in the kit.

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

The cheap light kits can definitely get the job done, but just plan to be very gentle with them. The stands tend to be very flimsy and easy to knock over once the lights are attached. It's a good idea to add weights to the legs to prevent tipping.

The materials used to create the lights, softboxes, umbrellas, etc. are also very cheap and easy to break. Plus, they tend to be hard to assemble. Plan on putting everything together and leaving that way. The wear and tear adds up fast on this type of gear.

Make sure the color temperature of the bulbs matches the rest of your lights so you don't get any weird color casts in your shots. Most of the cheap kits use 5500K - 6500K bulbs which are balanced for daylight and will appear blue if mixed with halogen/incandescent lights which are generally 3200K.

I'm working on a lighting workshop project right now where I'm going to buy one of those kits and then show how to achieve 5 different 'looks' using only the lights in the kit.

Andrew

Out of everything I have learned in the past two weeks, lighting seems to be my biggest challenge. It's definitely the hardest part of the process to master IMO. I have gotten it pretty close to where I want it but I am still throwing off a light shadow. It's hardly noticeable once I've edited the video, but I know that I can do better.

Let me know when you finish your lighting workshop. I'd definitely be interested in obtaining a copy when it's finished.

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by Action Man

Wow! some great useful posts here, I have learned a lot, I think this should be sticky..

Hi again, sounds like a great set-up you have, every success with your show.

I thought I would share some further info about adobe

I recently saw a video on the main differences between Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe After Effects.

https://youtu.be/sHHEQMdJdiA

Since seeing this post I decided to get Adobe Premier Pro on the monthly plan. not the annual plan paid monthly, choosing this plan allows me to cancel at any time, although it is slightly more expensive than the annual plan paid monthly at £17 a month -- my non annual monthly plan is about £26 a month. I am liking the power and many features in the program for editing video and audio, and you get 20GB of cloud storage, and a free portfolio website thrown in.

Adobe premier pro allows you to easily edit large amounts of video and audio, and select slices to place on the same track, whereas after effects seems to be more about video compositing. Premier pro it appears is more focused on video and audio editing.

There is loads of YouTube videos about the advanced green screen facilities in premier pro.

best regards, and do keep is posted about your show

Jim

Jim,

I've been using Adobe Premiere and After Effects (and Photoshop too) for more than a decade now and they are still my favorite applications to use. I've edited on final cut and used Apple motion along with Avid software, and others. Some of the big name products have better tools if you manage a multi-seat post production facility, but the integration in the Adobe line is awesome. You can create a motion graphic in After Effects and load the project file into Premiere as a video clip. Same with Photoshop files. Then, if you make any changes to the source file, your Premiere project picks up the changes automatically.

Premiere is for video editing and After Effects is for motion graphics. But, more and more motion graphics tools are finding their way into Premiere. If your needs are simple, you can get many motion graphics done inside Premiere these days.

For folks wanting high end editing tools on a budget, you can check out Davinci Resolve and Lightworks. Both are pro level tools that can be downloaded and used for free. They have paid options that get you collaboration tools and support services, but the core editing tools are the same in both versions. These tools both have a steep learning curve, but you get access to the some amazing, and well supported, software. Both have Chromakey tools built in.

Lightworks: The professional editor for everyone
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/pro...davinciresolve

I found it a little easier to get my head wrapped around the workflow in Lightworks. They have a good set of video tutorials available on their site. But, Davinci Resolve has some of the most amazing color correction tools on the planet and when you compare the free and paid versions the main features left out deal with 3d video, collaboration, and connection to high end industry hardware.

The bonus of using these software tools is that, if you ever decide to move to Hollywood and become a movie/TV editor, you'll have experience on tools that are used in the industry!

Andrew

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David Beroff

8 years ago

Here are the chroma key basics if you do choose Sony, (plus my earlier software offer is still open).

Easy Chromakey Green Screen with Sony Vegas Movie...

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by David Beroff

Here are the chroma key basics if you do choose Sony, (plus my earlier software offer is still open).
Easy Chromakey Green Screen with Sony Vegas Movie Studio 12 - YouTube

I think Sony Vegas is probably the direction I am going to go once I get a little better at this.

Right now I am still learning photography and video basics like lighting, depth of field, white balance, ISO, etc.

I'm actually pretty amazed at the quality of video I can get from my smart phone after simply tweaking a few settings and using proper lighting. Couple with the lavalier mic I got it's perfect for taking a video or doing a quick interview on the spot.

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sweet boy

Banned 8 years ago

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by sweet boy

Greeting
I can edit your video record in professionally using After effect, camtasia.

The whole point of the thread is to get advice from other Warriors about how I can learn how to do green screen videos myself. Many of the Warriors who posted here are obvious masters at shooting and editing green screen videos and I have learned a ton from them and are very appreciative of the time they took to help me.

Originally Posted by sweet boy

For folks wanting high end editing tools on a budget, you can check out After effect work sample and camtasia edited sample in my portfolio.
https://goo.gl/EsXaIS
https://goo.gl/ARSOGO
I hopeful that I render for your video in your mind side ASAP.
Regards
Latif

If I wanted to buy a Fiverr Gig to edit my videos I wouldn't have started this thread. Instead I would have gone to Fiverr and hired somebody.

I appreciate that you want to promote your services, but this thread is just not the place to do that. Instead, you should post some useful information about how to edit the videos like many of the other posters have done.

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salegurus

8 years ago

Nothing really to add but great thread guys... This is what WF is all about great information provided by people who actually know what they are talking about and who are not pushing something.

What a change from the usual garbage.......

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by salegurus

Nothing really to add but great thread guys... This is what WF is all about great information provided by people who actually know what they are talking about and who are not pushing something.

What a change from the usual garbage.......

Yes I'm really glad I started this thread. I learned so much and because of some of the tips I got yesterday, I now have been able to get almost all of the wrinkles out of my green screen and it looks great!

I just broke down and bought a 2400 Watt softbox lighting kit that includes 3 lights. It will be arriving Monday afternoon. I think it's the best way to go rather than trying to mess around and make a DIY lighting system. This way I won't have to worry too much about having different kinds of lights that will produce different color temperatures.

The kit comes with 3 tripods, 3 softboxes, 12 bulbs, and carrying bag and I got it from Amazon for around $140 with shipping. I can use the clamp lights I already have if I need to add extra lighting anywhere. I was thinking I will probably use the clamp lights to light myself and use the softboxes to light my screen.

The real good news is today I actually made my first green screen video! The video didn't come out too bad. The webcam worked pretty well, although in the near future I need to invest in a better camera, maybe a camcorder. I'll also need to pick up another green screen in the near future, because for my idea I will need to put a table in the shot that I can sit at and it will have to be covered with a green screen. This is necessary to achieve the "news desk" effect that I'm going after.

I think one of the best things that came out of this project so far is that I discovered Movavi Video Suite. It does just about everything Camtasia does and more for 1/5 of the price! I was originally leaning toward Camtasia because it had a very easy to use chroma key feature and I figured it would be great for when I do my screen capture videos but Movavi comes with a really good screen recorder so that solved that problem. So far I'm quite impressed with it for just $60.

Here is the lighting kit I ordered:

OK, so here is where I am so far in terms of cost & equipment:

Logitech c920 HD webcam = $75
Movavi Video Suite 15 = $66
6 X 9 muslin green screen with 5 clamps = $18
AudioTechnica 3350 Lavalier Mic w/smartphone adapter= $25
Softbox Lighting Kit (3 lights) = $140
3 Clamp Lights w/bulbs = $38
Targus 42" adjustable tripod = $15
Targus 8" adjustable tabletop tripod = $8
Wireless selfie stick = $15
Smartphone tripod adapter = $5
Pushpins = $2
================================================

Grand total so far = $407

So, as you can see, building a green screen studio can be very pricy depending on the type of equipment and software you buy. I think that I did a pretty good job considering I have kept the cost below $500 for everything. I am positive that I will be able to pump out some pretty decent videos once I get more comfortable with the equipment. After all, practice makes perfect!

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

Yes I'm really glad I started this thread. I learned so much and because of some of the tips I got yesterday, I now have been able to get almost all of the wrinkles out of my green screen and it looks great!

I just broke down and bought a 2400 Watt softbox lighting kit that includes 3 lights. It will be arriving Monday afternoon. I think it's the best way to go rather than trying to mess around and make a DIY lighting system. This way I won't have to worry too much about having different kinds of lights that will produce different color temperatures.

The kit comes with 3 tripods, 3 softboxes, 12 bulbs, and carrying bag and I got it from Amazon for around $140 with shipping. I can use the clamp lights I already have if I need to add extra lighting anywhere. I was thinking I will probably use the clamp lights to light myself and use the softboxes to light my screen.

The real good news is today I actually made my first green screen video! The video didn't come out too bad. The webcam worked pretty well, although in the near future I need to invest in a better camera, maybe a camcorder. I'll also need to pick up another green screen in the near future, because for my idea I will need to put a table in the shot that I can sit at and it will have to be covered with a green screen. This is necessary to achieve the "news desk" effect that I'm going after.

I think one of the best things that came out of this project so far is that I discovered Movavi Video Suite. It does just about everything Camtasia does and more for 1/5 of the price! I was originally leaning toward Camtasia because it had a very easy to use chroma key feature and I figured it would be great for when I do my screen capture videos but Movavi comes with a really good screen recorder so that solved that problem. So far I'm quite impressed with it for just $60.

Here is the lighting kit I ordered:

OK, so here is where I am so far in terms of cost & equipment:

Logitech c920 HD webcam = $75
Movavi Video Suite 15 = $66
6 X 9 muslin green screen with 5 clamps = $18
AudioTechnica 3350 Lavalier Mic w/smartphone adapter= $25
Softbox Lighting Kit (3 lights) = $140
3 Clamp Lights w/bulbs = $38
Targus 42" adjustable tripod = $15
Targus 8" adjustable tabletop tripod = $8
Wireless selfie stick = $15
Smartphone tripod adapter = $5
Pushpins = $2
================================================

Grand total so far = $407

So, as you can see, building a green screen studio can be very pricy depending on the type of equipment and software you buy. I think that I did a pretty good job considering I have kept the cost below $500 for everything. I am positive that I will be able to pump out some pretty decent videos once I get more comfortable with the equipment. After all, practice makes perfect!

Congratulations on the new light kit. I'm sure you will enjoy experimenting with your lighting setups. A good set of lights is one of the best investments you can make when it comes to video gear. I bought a basic kit back in 2002 (all used gear purchased on ebay for around $1500) and I still use it regularly today. The $4500 camera I had back then is useless. The camera I bought as an upgrade is also completely outdated. And now you can get a 4K Sony camcorder for $800 and that will be obsolete in a couple years too. But the lights will keep right on producing beautiful photons that never go out of style!

As a starting point for your experiments, I recommend using 2 of your new softboxes to light your screen and use the 3rd one as your primary light for yourself. Use one of the clip lamps above and behind you as an edge/hair light (this will help separate you from the background and overpower any light bouncing off the screen.

Place the screen lights on the sides of the screen about shoulder height and facing each other. Then, slowly turn them toward the screen until the edge of the light is close to the center of the screen. The lights will be pointed toward the opposite side of the screen and they will cross in the middle and both illuminate the center of the screen. This will give a fairly even setup that you can adjust until the intensity is flat across the whole screen.

Once you get a good setup for your screen, leave those lights alone and focus your attention on the lights aimed at you.

Good luck, and have fun!

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

Congratulations on the new light kit. I'm sure you will enjoy experimenting with your lighting setups. A good set of lights is one of the best investments you can make when it comes to video gear. I bought a basic kit back in 2002 (all used gear purchased on ebay for around $1500) and I still use it regularly today. The $4500 camera I had back then is useless. The camera I bought as an upgrade is also completely outdated. And now you can get a 4K Sony camcorder for $800 and that will be obsolete in a couple years too. But the lights will keep right on producing beautiful photons that never go out of style!

As a starting point for your experiments, I recommend using 2 of your new softboxes to light your screen and use the 3rd one as your primary light for yourself. Use one of the clip lamps above and behind you as an edge/hair light (this will help separate you from the background and overpower any light bouncing off the screen.

Place the screen lights on the sides of the screen about shoulder height and facing each other. Then, slowly turn them toward the screen until the edge of the light is close to the center of the screen. The lights will be pointed toward the opposite side of the screen and they will cross in the middle and both illuminate the center of the screen. This will give a fairly even setup that you can adjust until the intensity is flat across the whole screen.

Once you get a good setup for your screen, leave those lights alone and focus your attention on the lights aimed at you.

Good luck, and have fun!

Andrew

I will definitely set my lights up like you said. I like the idea of adding of the clamp on lights above me to help to separate me from the screen. I think it will also help to show detail around my head and shoulder area which should enhance the quality of the video.

I have been looking around and picking up some motion backgrounds and other stock still images so I can have a wide selection of backgrounds to pick from for my videos.

I was also thinking about how I can make a background image with my business logo on it and how much that will help with branding. Seems like once you have a good green screen setup the video possibilities are endless! I'll certainly be posting my first video made with my new lighting kit!

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

OK so my lights came early. I got them on Saturday instead of yesterday, which was just fine with me.

I've got them all set up, and I have been messing around with different lighting techniques.

I quickly found out I need a much better camera to produce the quality of video I want, so I invested in a lower priced camcorder for now.

I ordered a camcorder from eBay but it won't be arriving until after Christmas. It's a Canon Vixia HF R600. I've heard lots of great things about this little camera and I made sure it had an external mic jack, as many camcorders in this price range do not. I ended up winning the auction for $175 with shipping included and it comes with a free 32 GB memory card. It's new in the box and I saw the same exact one last night at Best Buy for $199 plus tax and memory card was separate. I figure with the tax and memory card it would have cost me around $250 from Best Buy so I saved around $75.

Once the camera arrives I will have everything I need to shoot some real awesome green screen videos. However, a couple of more things I am thinking of investing in is a real backdrop holder and clamps for the screen and possibly a boom stand and arm to be able to shine light down from above easily. Here are some pics of my screen and lights set up so far.

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

OK so my lights came early. I got them on Saturday instead of yesterday, which was just fine with me.

I've got them all set up, and I have been messing around with different lighting techniques.

I quickly found out I need a much better camera to produce the quality of video I want, so I invested in a lower priced camcorder for now.

I ordered a camcorder from eBay but it won't be arriving until after Christmas. It's a Canon Vixia HF R600. I've heard lots of great things about this little camera and I made sure it had an external mic jack, as many camcorders in this price range do not. I ended up winning the auction for $175 with shipping included and it comes with a free 32 GB memory card. It's new in the box and I saw the same exact one last night at Best Buy for $199 plus tax and memory card was separate. I figure with the tax and memory card it would have cost me around $250 from Best Buy so I saved around $75.

Once the camera arrives I will have everything I need to shoot some real awesome green screen videos. However, a couple of more things I am thinking of investing in is a real backdrop holder and clamps for the screen and possibly a boom stand and arm to be able to shine light down from above easily. Here are some pics of my screen and lights set up so far.

Nice setup! You should be able to do some cool projects.

I wouldn't worry about getting a backdrop holder unless you plan to move your setup around. What you've done works just fine.

The boom arm will come in handy if you don't want to mount things to the ceiling. If you plan on a semi-permanent studio and don't mind making a few small holes, you can get a relatively inexpensive wall plate like the Avenger F800 or the more expensive (and versatile) Lowel Big-foot & Scissor-mount combo (I have 2 of those in my grip kit.) Once you decide where you want your lights, you can mount them to a wall or the ceiling and get the stands out of the way.

I have a Canon Vixia HF R500 and it is pretty nice, for a consumer camcorder. Learn how to switch to manual audio levels, exposure, white balance, and focus. If you leave any of those on auto, you'll spend lots of time in post trying to deal with shifting colors and focus. It's also a good idea to use a faster shutter speed to minimize motion blurring (which doesn't key out well.)

The Canon camera creates a pretty heavily compressed image. My strategy for compensating is to record everything in 1080hd at the highest data rate. I composite the footage in 1080hd, and then scale down to 720hd for delivery to YouTube, etc. A lot of web footage gets watched on tiny screens and the down-scaling helps to hide some of the artifacts from compositing.

I created this video using my little home studio and the Canon Vixia HF R500. It's not a spectacular composite, but it works for the subject matter. I shoot a lot of these things late at night and sometimes forget to follow my own advice!

E1KaD AMA Intro - YouTube

The setup you have will give you very good results when you get comfortable with all the tools.

Thanks for posting the photos of your setup.

Andrew

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salegurus 8 years ago

Nice work Andrew...
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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

Nice setup! You should be able to do some cool projects.

I wouldn't worry about getting a backdrop holder unless you plan to move your setup around. What you've done works just fine.

The boom arm will come in handy if you don't want to mount things to the ceiling. If you plan on a semi-permanent studio and don't mind making a few small holes, you can get a relatively inexpensive wall plate like the Avenger F800 or the more expensive (and versatile) Lowel Big-foot & Scissor-mount combo (I have 2 of those in my grip kit.) Once you decide where you want your lights, you can mount them to a wall or the ceiling and get the stands out of the way.

I have a Canon Vixia HF R500 and it is pretty nice, for a consumer camcorder. Learn how to switch to manual audio levels, exposure, white balance, and focus. If you leave any of those on auto, you'll spend lots of time in post trying to deal with shifting colors and focus. It's also a good idea to use a faster shutter speed to minimize motion blurring (which doesn't key out well.)

The Canon camera creates a pretty heavily compressed image. My strategy for compensating is to record everything in 1080hd at the highest data rate. I composite the footage in 1080hd, and then scale down to 720hd for delivery to YouTube, etc. A lot of web footage gets watched on tiny screens and the down-scaling helps to hide some of the artifacts from compositing.

I created this video using my little home studio and the Canon Vixia HF R500. It's not a spectacular composite, but it works for the subject matter. I shoot a lot of these things late at night and sometimes forget to follow my own advice!

E1KaD AMA Intro - YouTube

The setup you have will give you very good results when you get comfortable with all the tools.

Thanks for posting the photos of your setup.

Andrew

That video you made is exactly what I'm looking to be able to do. The quality was great for the type of material being presented.

The Vixia HF R600 is basically the same exact camera as the R400 and R500. It's the just newest model. I went with the Canon over a Sony because none of the Sony cams in the $200-$250 price range have mic jacks. I've heard the built in mic produces decent audio, but I want to have the choice to enhance my audio through the use of external mics. I totally agree that it's the best way to record in 1080 and then convert the video to 720 for YouTube. The software suite I got has a converter that converts for YouTube at the click of the mouse so that will be very easy to do.

I also ordered 2 more green screens because I want to be able to stretch it out on the floor if I decide to get into some more advanced videos that require the floor underneath me be keyed out as well. I will need the third screen to cover a desk that I will be using when I get my "newsroom" background. That way it will look like I am actually sitting behind the news desk.

Now that you mention it I guess the backdrop holder is not necessary. The room that I am using for my studio is dedicated to that purpose, so I would be able to hook up overhead lights as you suggested. The boom arm is a nice piece of equipment to have, though, and for around $60 I can get a decent one from Amazon.

Damn this gets addicting once you get started! My intention was to spend about $200-$300 on this project and I am right around $700 at this point! I think it will be well worth it once I get good enough. I am hoping to get good enough to be able to make promo videos for others.

Do you think you could show me a few pics of how you have your overhead lights set up? What kind of lights would I need for this? Could I use the clamp lights that I got from Home Depot for this? Any ideas for how to rig them up overhead?

Thanks
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David Beroff

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

I will need the third screen to cover a desk that I will be using when I get my "newsroom" background. That way it will look like I am actually sitting behind the news desk.

That sounds like it may become quite the challenge. Wouldn't it be easier to fashion the desk itself, rather than trying to synchronize everything to an external image?

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

That video you made is exactly what I'm looking to be able to do. The quality was great for the type of material being presented.

The Vixia HF R600 is basically the same exact camera as the R400 and R500. It's the just newest model. I went with the Canon over a Sony because none of the Sony cams in the $200-$250 price range have mic jacks. I've heard the built in mic produces decent audio, but I want to have the choice to enhance my audio through the use of external mics. I totally agree that it's the best way to record in 1080 and then convert the video to 720 for YouTube. The software suite I got has a converter that converts for YouTube at the click of the mouse so that will be very easy to do.

I also ordered 2 more green screens because I want to be able to stretch it out on the floor if I decide to get into some more advanced videos that require the floor underneath me be keyed out as well. I will need the third screen to cover a desk that I will be using when I get my "newsroom" background. That way it will look like I am actually sitting behind the news desk.

Now that you mention it I guess the backdrop holder is not necessary. The room that I am using for my studio is dedicated to that purpose, so I would be able to hook up overhead lights as you suggested. The boom arm is a nice piece of equipment to have, though, and for around $60 I can get a decent one from Amazon.

Damn this gets addicting once you get started! My intention was to spend about $200-$300 on this project and I am right around $700 at this point! I think it will be well worth it once I get good enough. I am hoping to get good enough to be able to make promo videos for others.

Do you think you could show me a few pics of how you have your overhead lights set up? What kind of lights would I need for this? Could I use the clamp lights that I got from Home Depot for this? Any ideas for how to rig them up overhead?

I'm using a clamp light with a low wattage CFL bulb as my backlight. It is just clipped to a spare angle bracket I had that is attached to the ceiling with a drywall screw. Here's a photo. The light behind it is a 4 foot 2-bulb fluorescent shop light that lights my green screen. The gel clipped to the light is just an ND gel that cuts the intensity of the light because it is a little brighter than I want (and gelling it is faster than running to the store and getting a different bulb - if you keep such things around the house!)

One more recommendation for when you do full body shots. Turn your camera 90 degrees when you record so that you are getting 'vertical video.' This will give you extra resolution when it comes time to composite the footage. Just rotate the footage in your editing software. The more resolution, the more flexibility.

I'm planning to hire out my services doing on-camera spokesperson work as well (great minds think alike.) I'm also thinking of recruiting some local talent and offering different looks, ages, and ethnicities. Still thinking that through, but in the meantime, it's great for the projects I'm already doing.

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

I'm using a clamp light with a low wattage CFL bulb as my backlight. It is just clipped to a spare angle bracket I had that is attached to the ceiling with a drywall screw. Here's a photo. The light behind it is a 4 foot 2-bulb fluorescent shop light that lights my green screen. The gel clipped to the light is just an ND gel that cuts the intensity of the light because it is a little brighter than I want (and gelling it is faster than running to the store and getting a different bulb - if you keep such things around the house!)

One more recommendation for when you do full body shots. Turn your camera 90 degrees when you record so that you are getting 'vertical video.' This will give you extra resolution when it comes time to composite the footage. Just rotate the footage in your editing software. The more resolution, the more flexibility.

I'm planning to hire out my services doing on-camera spokesperson work as well (great minds think alike.) I'm also thinking of recruiting some local talent and offering different looks, ages, and ethnicities. Still thinking that through, but in the meantime, it's great for the projects I'm already doing.

Andrew

Thanks much for that. I think I'll go with something like that rather than buying a boom lighting kit, at least for right now. I have already sunk a little more than I wanted to into this endeavor but I'm sure the ability to create high quality green screen videos will open up a bunch of possible income streams if I can get good enough at it.

Right now I am still waiting for camera. The tracking says it will arrive on Monday. I've been messing around and shooting a few videos on my phone just to practice the lighting and camera placement, etc. I'm actually getting surprising results with my phone. The video on most smart phones is pretty good, but you have to tweak the settings. If you use all of the default settings you won't get the best quality.

One small problem I do seem to be having, though, is achieving even background lighting on my screen. The background darkens as you get away from the speaker. I tried cropping around myself when editing but when I did that there was a noticeable loss of video quality. I am also seeing a little bit of what I would describe as a kind of blurring of the image on an angle behind me. I am assuming this is because I am throwing off too much of a shadow, since where this blurring is happening. I am able to correct it to an extent using different tools on my editing software, but it's still noticeable. I need to get better at lighting.

I'm sure once I get my lighting right and start using the camcorder I will see a noticeable difference. I mean, they're actually good enough to use now, but I want to put out my best work. The better the videos look the more professional it will be.

Any advice for how to correct that shadowing?

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

...One small problem I do seem to be having, though, is achieving even background lighting on my screen. The background darkens as you get away from the speaker. I tried cropping around myself when editing but when I did that there was a noticeable loss of video quality. I am also seeing a little bit of what I would describe as a kind of blurring of the image on an angle behind me. I am assuming this is because I am throwing off too much of a shadow, since where this blurring is happening. I am able to correct it to an extent using different tools on my editing software, but it's still noticeable. I need to get better at lighting.

I'm sure once I get my lighting right and start using the camcorder I will see a noticeable difference. I mean, they're actually good enough to use now, but I want to put out my best work. The better the videos look the more professional it will be.

Any advice for how to correct that shadowing?

Earlier in this thread I mentioned an app (Android and iOS) called "Green Screener" from Hollywood Camera Work, LLC. This uses your phone or tablet camera to capture an image of your green screen and process it in a way that helps you to see shadows and hot spots on your screen. It's very hand for helping you 'see' your lighting.

The lights you are using for your screen should be behind you (closer to the screen) and angled across the screen. Set the center of the light about shoulder height. If you are using your soft boxes, this should give pretty good overall coverage and avoid any shadows from the foreground.

Use your remaining soft box as your key light, and use clamp lights for hair/back and fill lights.

Cropping, in post, shouldn't end up lowering the quality of your shot unless your software is doing some weird calculations.

I got a Logitech C920 Webcam as a Christmas present and have been experimenting with it as a capture source for green screen. Once I worked out all the settings for the camera, my initial shots composited very well. If I can find a little time in the next week or two, I will put together a short tutorial with my camera settings and a demonstration of my compositing process in Adobe Premiere.

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

Earlier in this thread I mentioned an app (Android and iOS) called "Green Screener" from Hollywood Camera Work, LLC. This uses your phone or tablet camera to capture an image of your green screen and process it in a way that helps you to see shadows and hot spots on your screen. It's very hand for helping you 'see' your lighting.

The lights you are using for your screen should be behind you (closer to the screen) and angled across the screen. Set the center of the light about shoulder height. If you are using your soft boxes, this should give pretty good overall coverage and avoid any shadows from the foreground.

Use your remaining soft box as your key light, and use clamp lights for hair/back and fill lights.

Cropping, in post, shouldn't end up lowering the quality of your shot unless your software is doing some weird calculations.

I got a Logitech C920 Webcam as a Christmas present and have been experimenting with it as a capture source for green screen. Once I worked out all the settings for the camera, my initial shots composited very well. If I can find a little time in the next week or two, I will put together a short tutorial with my camera settings and a demonstration of my compositing process in Adobe Premiere.

Andrew

The C920 is definitely a very good webcam for the money. I received my Canon Vixia camcorder yesterday and spent all day today messing around with settings and shooting video clips.

I am really happy with the video quality I am getting from the camcorder. It's definitely a huge cut above webcams and smart phones, that's for sure. It was definitely worth the $180 I paid for it all day long.

I think now I am going to look for a better software. The Movavi video suite is amazing for $60, but somewhat limited when it comes to chroma key. It's pretty much equal to Camtasia in terms of settings that you have to work with. You can basically key out the background and then adjust the tolerance and border sharpness and that's about it.

I'm happy with my results for right now. I compared my videos to a lot of green screen videos I found on YouTube and I have to say mine were better than a lot of them. The biggest thing I see that keeps people down in terms of quality is their lighting. I'm beginning to understand just how important that is now.

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

...I think now I am going to look for a better software. The Movavi video suite is amazing for $60, but somewhat limited when it comes to chroma key. It's pretty much equal to Camtasia in terms of settings that you have to work with. You can basically key out the background and then adjust the tolerance and border sharpness and that's about it...

Take a look at Lightworks and Davinci Resolve. I mentioned both a little further back in this thread. Both are pro-level tools and 100% free to download and use. Their built-in tools for chroma keying are very good, and you can find a bunch of tutorials on YouTube walking you through the keying process for each system.

You will have to invest a little time learning the software, but they should improve your results. Good tools help you get better results faster.

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

Take a look at Lightworks and Davinci Resolve. I mentioned both a little further back in this thread. Both are pro-level tools and 100% free to download and use. Their built-in tools for chroma keying are very good, and you can find a bunch of tutorials on YouTube walking you through the keying process for each system.

You will have to invest a little time learning the software, but they should improve your results. Good tools help you get better results faster.

Andrew

I'll definitely check those out. I think someone else had mentioned a program called Wax, too. Have you ever heard of or used that one?

I don't mind of there is a learning curve at all. I welcome the opportunity to try and get the best quality I can out of my videos. It doesn't have to be a free software. I don't mind paying for a quality software but sometimes you can get just as good or better results from open source or free software.

The problem for me right now is that it's looking like I may have to get another PC or laptop and use that specifically for video editing and storage. My laptop right now is just about at it's limit in terms of RAM. I don't want to add anything else to it because it runs well right now but if I keep piling on it's going to slow down my laptop to a crawl.

I suppose I could go to Best Buy or something and get some more RAM and install it but my setup right now is not really the best for what I want to do. I basically have my laptop hooked up to my HDTV and I use that to do all of my blogging and general day to day business stuff. I have a tablet that I usually will carry around the house if I need Internet access while I'm in another part of the house.

Isn't it funny how you can start a project with a certain budget in mind and all of a sudden you just keep needing more and more equipment to do it right? I guess this is what separates the pros from the amateurs, though. One thing I am beginning to understand about photography and video production is that you could constantly keep upgrading your equipment and never get to the end! There's always a another level of quality you can reach if you have the right equipment.

I think at some point I will have to stop and say this is good enough for now.

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

... I think someone else had mentioned a program called Wax, too. Have you ever heard of or used that one?...

There is lots of free video software out there, along with dozens of low priced options. Personally, I avoid most tools that aren't heavily used in the professional video production community. It takes time to learn all the ins and outs of a software package (and knowing the shortcuts can really speed up your production process.) I try to invest my time on tools that will keep pace with the industry.

I've been editing video and creating motion graphics with Adobe Premiere and After Effects for more than 15 years, and I can get things done quickly using those tools. I've used Final Cut and Motion, Avid, Vegas, and others (including DaVinci Resolve and Lightworks), but find the Adobe suite works best for me. These days, I mostly try new software so I can help other people use it.

Adobe software is an ongoing expense (but updated regularly.) If that's not in your budget, Vegas is a good bet. Camtasia is a good option if you also need screen capture tools, but I, personally, wouldn't choose it as my primary video editing tool (your needs may vary.) Finally, if free is your only option, try DaVinci Resolve or Lightworks. If your computer can run them, you'll be learning tools that are designed and built by companies that are heavily invested in the professional production community - so you can be confident they'll be around for a while and updated regularly.

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

There is lots of free video software out there, along with dozens of low priced options. Personally, I avoid most tools that aren't heavily used in the professional video production community. It takes time to learn all the ins and outs of a software package (and knowing the shortcuts can really speed up your production process.) I try to invest my time on tools that will keep pace with the industry.

I've been editing video and creating motion graphics with Adobe Premiere and After Effects for more than 15 years, and I can get things done quickly using those tools. I've used Final Cut and Motion, Avid, Vegas, and others (including DaVinci Resolve and Lightworks), but find the Adobe suite works best for me. These days, I mostly try new software so I can help other people use it.

Adobe software is an ongoing expense (but updated regularly.) If that's not in your budget, Vegas is a good bet. Camtasia is a good option if you also need screen capture tools, but I, personally, wouldn't choose it as my primary video editing tool (your needs may vary.) Finally, if free is your only option, try DaVinci Resolve or Lightworks. If your computer can run them, you'll be learning tools that are designed and built by companies that are heavily invested in the professional production community - so you can be confident they'll be around for a while and updated regularly.

Andrew

Speaking of free software, I have been playing around with VSDC Free Video Editor and I have to say it's a pretty decent tool for free. I'm getting better green screen results with it than the Movavi editor. Movavi is nice and all that, but it's got limited green screen capability. In other words, you can only get it just so good and then you can go no further. Unfortunately I'm a perfectionist so I'm always trying to get the next best result.

I've heard of Lightworks. Not sure if my laptop could run it. I'd have to take a look at the requirements. As I said earlier, I'm now considering getting a machine just for my video editing. I have my laptop hooked up to my HDTV for streaming, and I am able to run most of business from it. I need to get something to run just my video from. Any suggestions for something that will do the job but not cost me an arm and a leg?

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

...I've heard of Lightworks. Not sure if my laptop could run it. I'd have to take a look at the requirements. As I said earlier, I'm now considering getting a machine just for my video editing. I have my laptop hooked up to my HDTV for streaming, and I am able to run most of business from it. I need to get something to run just my video from. Any suggestions for something that will do the job but not cost me an arm and a leg?

I have an older Quad Core Core2Duo PC (2009 vintage) with 8 gigs of RAM and it can run Lightworks just fine. DaVinci Reslove is another matter - but mostly because of my graphics card. Your graphics card will have a huge impact on system performance with some of this software (that, and lots of RAM.) They have dedicated graphics processors that many software packages hook into to accelerate performance.

You'll spend as much on the video card as the rest of the computer in many cases. Here are a few options you might look into:

GeForce GTX670 $160 (used)
ASUS GTX970 $350
NVIDIA Quadro K2200 $450
NVIDIA Quadro M6000 $4k

The cheap ones are a little older, but still offer good performance for modern editing software. The high end stuff is crazy expensive, but that's the kind of gear you need if you want to push around 4K video footage or do realtime processing for your HD composites, color correction, etc.

The VideoGuys website offers a great rundown of recommended gear at several budget levels. They also publish a DIY system list for folks who like to build out their own workstations (I've done it on several occasions, but it doesn't seem to save you as much money these days.)

System Recommendations - VideoGuys.com

Personally, I don't have an unlimited budget, so I tend to buy gear that was high end a few years ago and that people who get the latest and greatest gear are selling off at a discount. I look at the VideoGuys DIY gear lists from previous years and then search for what they were recommending back then.

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

I have an older Quad Core Core2Duo PC (2009 vintage) with 8 gigs of RAM and it can run Lightworks just fine. DaVinci Reslove is another matter - but mostly because of my graphics card. Your graphics card will have a huge impact on system performance with some of this software (that, and lots of RAM.) They have dedicated graphics processors that many software packages hook into to accelerate performance.

You'll spend as much on the video card as the rest of the computer in many cases. Here are a few options you might look into:

GeForce GTX670 $160 (used)
ASUS GTX970 $350
NVIDIA Quadro K2200 $450
NVIDIA Quadro M6000 $4k

The cheap ones are a little older, but still offer good performance for modern editing software. The high end stuff is crazy expensive, but that's the kind of gear you need if you want to push around 4K video footage or do realtime processing for your HD composites, color correction, etc.

The VideoGuys website offers a great rundown of recommended gear at several budget levels. They also publish a DIY system list for folks who like to build out their own workstations (I've done it on several occasions, but it doesn't seem to save you as much money these days.)

System Recommendations - VideoGuys.com

Personally, I don't have an unlimited budget, so I tend to buy gear that was high end a few years ago and that people who get the latest and greatest gear are selling off at a discount. I look at the VideoGuys DIY gear lists from previous years and then search for what they were recommending back then.

Andrew

Thanks again for sharing your expert knowledge. You have helped me greatly through this entire process.

I wasn't very happy with the results I was getting from the Movavi editor at first, but as it turns out the editor was doing it's job well enough, it was me who was at fault.

The issue I was having was basically the softboxes were throwing off plenty of light around the center of the shooting area, but it was dipping off on the outskirts of the screen causing a pretty bad "static" type effect all around the "talent" (if I can be called that LOL). The only way to fix it on edit was to raise the border sharpness which ended up making it pretty obvious that I was not actually at the location in the background.

The solution was pretty simple. A couple of 8.5" clamp lights from Home Depot rigged from the ceiling about 2 feet from the edge of either side of the screen. I used some simple hooks with anchors right into the plaster ceiling. This effectively lit up the outskirts of the screen perfectly all the way down to the bottom of the screen.

The last two videos I have made have been awesome (at least I think). I know I eventually need to get better editing software and a dedicated machine somewhere down the line and maybe switch over to a DSLR camera, but for right now I think I have the ability to make better videos than most and I'm happy with the results.

I try to avoid zooming while shooting and cropping while editing if possible because those functions seem to degrade the quality of the video and it's not as sharp. In most case I have enough room to move the camera further from the screen to get 3/4 body shots and closer up if I only want to shoot from say the chest area up.

It was a pretty challenging venture, but now that I have the ability to make great videos I find myself struggling with ideas for content!!!

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

...The last two video I have made I have been awesome (at least I think). I know I eventually need to get better editing software and a dedicated machine somewhere down the line and maybe switch over to a DSLR camera, but for right now I think I have the ability to make better videos than most and I'm happy with the results.

I try to avoid zooming while shooting and cropping while editing if possible because those functions seem to degrade the quality of the video and it's not as sharp. In most case I have enough room to move the camera further from the screen to get 3/4 body shots and closer up if I only want to shoot from say the chest area up.

It was a pretty challenging venture, but now that I have the ability to make great videos I find myself struggling with ideas for content!!!

I'm glad you are getting results you like with your green screen setup.

Before you invest in a new camera, I'd recommend getting your hands on some pro-grade software first. You would be amazed at how much better your results are just having better keying tools. All sub $1000 cameras suffer from heavy image compression and low color fidelity. Better sensors and lenses will give you somewhat cleaner images, but they will still suffer from the exact same color space (4:2:0) and compression issues (AVCHD/MP4 roughly 25 mbps) as the camera you already.

Make the most of what you have. For your Vixia camera, try these settings (based on my camera's options):

- Cinema Standard Mode (allows for custom white balance)
- MP4 24Mbps (Maximum available bitrate)
- Custom White Balance
- Manual Exposure
- Manual Focus

Your camera's options might be a little different than mine. But you are going for full manual control (focus/exposure/white balance), highest quality recording, and least image sharpening.

I have found that, when using any of the semi-automated camera modes, the color balance, focus, and exposure can bounce around pretty dramatically as you move around in the studio. These shifts will make your keying much harder and reduce the quality of your results.

As for coming up with content to shoot, how about getting a bunch of short PLR articles and using them as scripts for 3-5 minute videos. Create a niche channel on YouTube, add a short title graphic and tail slate (with links to subscribe and view your other videos) to each content video you produce. You can also include a pitch for a free download on your website and build a list while you build a subscriber base. Link your channel to your Adsense account to pick up a little cash from ads too.

Or, pitch your services as a spokesperson.

Andrew

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aseltz

8 years ago

I started working on a course outline based on some of my comments in this thread. I was going to work up a Udemy or Skillshare course, but changed my mind and wrote a comprehensive guide (with some curated videos mixed in) and published it to my blog.

You can check it out here:

How to Setup a Home Office Green Screen Studio

I may still turn this information into a course, but I didn't want to sit on the content any longer while I waited to get the free time to record it.

Enjoy,

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

I started working on a course outline based on some of my comments in this thread. I was going to work up a Udemy or Skillshare course, but changed my mind and wrote a comprehensive guide (with some curated videos mixed in) and published it to my blog.

You can check it out here:

How to Setup a Home Office Green Screen Studio

I may still turn this information into a course, but I didn't want to sit on the content any longer while I waited to get the free time to record it.

Enjoy,

Andrew

This is great stuff!

BTW, I started this thread back in January with absolutely NO IDEA how to make green screen videos and it's because of Andrew's advice that I was able to get up and running so quickly and he also saved me a lot of money by recommending great free software and other tips & tricks he gave.

I'm now able to make professional green screen vids and I was able to get set up for around $600. Now, if you don't have that kind of money, you can do it well for maybe half of that, but I wouldn't skimp too much because the quality of your lighting and camera is very important.

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

This is great stuff!

BTW, I started this thread back in January with absolutely NO IDEA how to make green screen videos and it's because of Andrew's advice that I was able to get up and running so quickly and he also saved me a lot of money by recommending great free software and other tips & tricks he gave.

I'm now able to make professional green screen vids and I was able to get set up for around $600. Now, if you don't have that kind of money, you can do it well for maybe half of that, but I wouldn't skimp too much because the quality of your lighting and camera is very important.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm really glad to hear that your green screen videos are going well.

Andrew

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MissWrite

8 years ago

If you have a dedicated wall you can also buy "chroma key paint" and paint the wall. Works great, no wrinkles, lol. Shadows are still an issue though, lighting is still important.

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David Beroff

8 years ago

Originally Posted by MissWrite

If you have a dedicated wall you can also buy "chroma key paint" and paint the wall.

When I read this, I had a very silly thought about painting with this while filming a video. Clearly, it wouldn't be a serious video, but someone could run with this concept and have a lot of fun.

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MissWrite

8 years ago

Originally Posted by David Beroff

When I read this, I had a very silly thought about painting with this while filming a video. Clearly, it wouldn't be a serious video, but someone could run with this concept and have a lot of fun.

Maybe not so silly. LOL It would probably get a lot of hits.

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by MissWrite

If you have a dedicated wall you can also buy "chroma key paint" and paint the wall. Works great, no wrinkles, lol. Shadows are still an issue though, lighting is still important.

That's actually a great idea and through my research I did come across places that sold "chroma key green" colored paint.

My only problem there is that I rent. It would be very difficult to explain to my landlord why I painted one wall in the room with bright lime green paint lol

He probably wouldn't have a problem with me painting, but not bright green!

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MissWrite

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

That's actually a great idea and through my research I did come across places that sold "chroma key green" colored paint.

My only problem there is that I rent. It would be very difficult to explain to my landlord why I painted one wall in the room with bright lime green paint lol

He probably wouldn't have a problem with me painting, but not bright green!

If you have a spare bedroom, it'snot really that much of a problem, just promise (and do it) to repaint the room white when you leave--- NOTE: it WILL take several coats to cover the bright green.

When I was younger and rented an apartment, we painted a wall like that for a background in an apartment, it was a complex and the landlord never knew, but we painted it over when we left, never had a problem with the security deposit or anything.

In our last house, we had lots of room and we painted an entire room chroma key green (omg was that trippy to be in. It would make our heads spin at first every time we walked in, but you get used to it, lol)

When hubby got sick and we moved to a smaller house, now I have to rely on backdrops that can be taken up and down (pia, but what are you gonna do) because we don't have the room for even a wall screen. Hoping to be able to move away from the city (doctors) in the next year or two again... and have a little more room.

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by MissWrite

If you have a dedicated wall you can also buy "chroma key paint" and paint the wall. Works great, no wrinkles, lol. Shadows are still an issue though, lighting is still important.

I plan to do this in my home office studio too.

I've done a lot of research on paint options and here are some recommendations:

Disney Premium Plus Gamma Sector Green (Home Depot)
Behr Premium Plus Sparkling Apple (Lowes)
Sherwin-Williams Neon Green (2032-10)

Rosco Chroma Key Green Matte (05711)

The first 3 options are regular house paint and run about $35/gallon on average. Make sure to select a flat finish so you don't get specular reflections. The Rosco paint is a pro option that will be double to triple the cost, but it does produce a better result as this video demonstrates:

Green Screen Paint - DIY vs Professional - which...

You can decide whether the results justify the expense.

Andrew

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NetSensei

8 years ago

Hey Nicheblogger75, I have not read through what others have told you, so I am not sure what has been covered. But I do green screen on a regular basis and I have used both premium and free or open source tools to edit the green screen.

But I use a basic logicool webcam. a green fabric I got from an apparel shop and 3 flood lights I picked up at a local store.

You can be the judge as to the quality of the end product, but here is one of my videos using the above items and it can be edited in a free program called wax. But the video below was done using green screen and I used a scene from Shibuya, Jp because I live in Japan.

Who is the man behind Video Marketing Grunt? -...

As a one man show you might want to start out by using basic tools and then if you find yourself using green screen a lot, then you could consider investing in more expensive tools. Or you may find the low end green screen kit and open source editing tools are all you need.

Here at Christmas I thought you might like to save on the expenses you are considering. What ever you do, I wish the very best with it.

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by NetSensei

Hey Nicheblogger75, I have not read through what others have told you, so I am not sure what has been covered. But I do green screen on a regular basis and I have used both premium and free or open source tools to edit the green screen.

But I use a basic logicool webcam. a green fabric I got from an apparel shop and 3 flood lights I picked up at a local store.

You can be the judge as to the quality of the end product, but here is one of my videos using the above items and it can be edited in a free program called wax. But the video below was done using green screen and I used a scene from Shibuya, Jp because I live in Japan.

Who is the man behind Video Marketing Grunt? - YouTube

As a one man show you might want to start out by using basic tools and then if you find yourself using green screen a lot, then you could consider investing in more expensive tools. Or you may find the low end green screen kit and open source editing tools are all you need.

Here at Christmas I thought you might like to save on the expenses you are considering. What ever you do, I wish the very best with it.

I think you did a great job for the tools you are using! I would be happy to have my videos come out at that quality level.

I did invest in some professional tools because although my original plan would have certainly produced decent videos, I tend to be a perfectionist and am always consistently striving to hit that next level. That's just my personality. Sometimes that can be a detriment financially, believe me.

Thank you for mentioning Wax. I have watched a few videos on YouTube about that and I think although I did purchase Movavi to edit my chroma key videos, I think Wax has a bunch of features I would eventually like to integrate into my videos.

I was using a Logitech 920 web cam to record my videos as well, and it worked alright, but in my opinion it just lacks that crispness and smooth flow that you can get from a camcorder or DSLR. It's also a pain in the butt to have to keep disconnecting my laptop from my TV every time I want to shoot a video. I was actually able to shoot better videos with my smart phone and lavalier mic than I was with the web cam. I was actually quite amazed at the video and audio quality I got from my phone. Still, I wanted something better for my green screen videos.

I decided to order a Canon Vixia HF R600 camcorder from eBay, which I was just notified by the seller that it has been shipped. Unfortunately, with Christmas only two days away, I don't expect to receive the camera until the 28th or 29th.

I was going to get my green screens from the local fabric store as well, but as it turns out it's cheaper to order them from eBay. I have been getting 6 X 9 screens for $17.99 with shipping included, and at the fabric store it was going to be around $19 plus tax for the same amount of fabric.

All in all I did exceed my original budget by quite a bit, but the way I look at it is that it's an investment in my business, and if I start recording review videos and content videos that I can use to funnel traffic to my blog to capture subscribers I should start seeing a return on my investment almost right away.

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seobro

8 years ago

I use a 4K camera. Basically, it is the new Panasonic Lumix fz1000 that you can get on Ebay for $500 used and the video quality is super max. Yo, please understand that people want 4K video and 720p is old hat now. Also, you need a good quality video editing program. Yeah, one that can handle super high res 4K video and produce high quality movies. What I use is Cyber Link Power Director as it is a top notch program. Right now I have a PC that is quad core and has a boat load of memory. Sadly, it takes about one hour to render each minute of video so expect these to go over night and uploading them is a pain. Most files are mega size. That means several gigs. Get an external massive hard drive as you will soon require one. Well, it takes super high quality video to stay in this game. All the best to you. Have a happy new year.

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by seobro

I use a 4K camera. Basically, it is the new Panasonic Lumix fz1000 that you can get on Ebay for $500 used and the video quality is super max. Yo, please understand that people want 4K video and 720p is old hat now. Also, you need a good quality video editing program. Yeah, one that can handle super high res 4K video and produce high quality movies. What I use is Cyber Link Power Director as it is a top notch program. Right now I have a PC that is quad core and has a boat load of memory. Sadly, it takes about one hour to render each minute of video so expect these to go over night and uploading them is a pain. Most files are mega size. That means several gigs. Get an external massive hard drive as you will soon require one. Well, it takes super high quality video to stay in this game. All the best to you. Have a happy new year.

Thanks for your insight. Presently, though, I don't see myself having to get that kind of equipment. I'm not saying down the line I won't want to upgrade as I get better, but the equipment I have right now produces some pretty good quality videos. I'm sure that if I ever get into producing videos for others then I will have to get better equipment, but I would say that the capability I have right now is probably better than what most marketers have.

The software I have can render a 15-minute video in about 30 minutes and doesn't take a ton of memory to do, and that's just what I want for now. It's perfect for doing green screen, which are the type of videos I will making the most of.

I know several marketers who are using nothing but their smart phone and a lavalier mic and making some good money from YouTube, so I don't believe that you have to have super high quality equipment to be successful with video marketing. I certainly believe it helps greatly to have top of the line equipment, but as a beginner I can't see making a large investment like that when I don't yet know if it's even something I will really enjoy doing. I started out with a budget of $500 and I have already gone over that by $300, so I need to start developing my skills sop I can turn that investment into a profit!

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by seobro

I use a 4K camera. Basically, it is the new Panasonic Lumix fz1000 that you can get on Ebay for $500 used and the video quality is super max. Yo, please understand that people want 4K video and 720p is old hat now. Also, you need a good quality video editing program. Yeah, one that can handle super high res 4K video and produce high quality movies. What I use is Cyber Link Power Director as it is a top notch program. Right now I have a PC that is quad core and has a boat load of memory. Sadly, it takes about one hour to render each minute of video so expect these to go over night and uploading them is a pain. Most files are mega size. That means several gigs. Get an external massive hard drive as you will soon require one. Well, it takes super high quality video to stay in this game. All the best to you. Have a happy new year.

The electronics industry is heavily pushing 4k right now on both the consumer and producer ends of things, but it's going to be a few years before it becomes mainstream (they are already pushing for 6K production cameras - the arms race never ends.) The data rate difference between 1080 HD and 4k is massive and requires terabytes of storage and very fast computers with lots of RAM to process video with any level of efficiency. On the low end of compressed 4k footage you use 45 gigs per hour of footage and 4k raw video runs upwards of 1500 gigs per hour. Just transferring the footage from your memory cards to the computer can take hours when capturing that much data.

In spite of the negatives I just listed, using a 4K camera for green screen work is still a viable option. Sony makes a 4K camcorder (FDRAX33) that retails for about $900 that records to a heavily compressed XAVC S3 file format. Even though the codec throws away an enormous amount of color data, the overall results when delivering 1080 HD videos is better than using a DSLR or high end 1080 HD camera. The file formats used by both reduce the color information, but 'oversampling' the image resolution and down-converting in post results in a cleaner key from the 4K footage.

I recommend a video camera over DSLR. The controls on a purpose-built video camera are better arranged for access to the controls you need. A DSLR is oriented for still photography. If I had $1000 to spend on a camera right now, I'd own the 4K Sony.

The bottom line, though, is whether the extra money, time, and effort will improve your overall results. If people are watching your videos on their phone screen through YouTube, 4K is overkill. You can always spend more money on gear, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should.

Andrew

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Regional Warrior

8 years ago

NB

Here is a great tool for the arsenal great for Green screen

https://www.reallusion.com/popvideo/

Also let me know if you want to go into the realm of Green Screen PTX heaps of fun

you can have video back ground on Power Point like this promo of the old product

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YscjjwUYzwM

( sorry no sound )

Jason

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by Regional Warrior

NB

Here is a great tool for the arsenal great for Green screen

https://www.reallusion.com/popvideo/

Jason,

I wasn't impressed by the PopVideo demo (the edges on the keys they were pulling were not very clean - with lots of blurring to hide the lack of detail), but I checked out some of the other software on the reallusion site and found some really cool stuff. CrazyTalk looks like a really fun tool to play with and their iClone software looks pretty amazing too.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't heard of this company before.

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

Jason,

I wasn't impressed by the PopVideo demo (the edges on the keys they were pulling were not very clean - with lots of blurring to hide the lack of detail), but I checked out some of the other software on the reallusion site and found some really cool stuff. CrazyTalk looks like a really fun tool to play with and their iClone software looks pretty amazing too.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't heard of this company before.

Andrew

I liked the software in general but I have to agree with you, the edges were not very good. I think maybe the operator was exaggerating the settings a bit just to show off the features. Then again I'm a newb so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about!

One thing I didn't care for too much was the fact that you will still have to export your finished chroma key video to another editor to make the finished product, unless you plan to just upload the finished chroma key video as is. I can't imagine people would not want to do some cutting, add transitions & titles, add audio, etc. Still a decent software though.

I really liked the other software they had available, too. I think I may just pick up the popVideo software. I think it would be good to have in my "arsenal," so to speak.

I have been getting better and better with both VSDC and Movavi. The Movavi software is very limited in terms of chroma key settings, only offering tolerance and border sharpening adjustment. It will do the job but only if you have proper lighting and get very good footage. I think VSDC is pretty awesome for open source software. I've been watching some tutorial videos on it and it can do a lot of the same things some premium software can do.

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by nicheblogger75

I liked the software in general but I have to agree with you, the edges were not very good. I think maybe the operator was exaggerating the settings a bit just to show off the features. Then again I'm a newb so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about!

One thing I didn't care for too much was the fact that you will still have to export your finished chroma key video to another editor to make the finished product, unless you plan to just upload the finished chroma key video as is. I can't imagine people would not want to do some cutting, add transitions & titles, add audio, etc. Still a decent software though.

I really liked the other software they had available, too. I think I may just pick up the popVideo software. I think it would be good to have in my "arsenal," so to speak.

I have been getting better and better with both VSDC and Movavi. The Movavi software is very limited in terms of chroma key settings, only offering tolerance and border sharpening adjustment. It will do the job but only if you have proper lighting and get very good footage. I think VSDC is pretty awesome for open source software. I've been watching some tutorial videos on it and it can do a lot of the same things some premium software can do.

Try the tools in Adobe Premiere (UltraKey) or After Effects (KeyLight) before you chase after other options. It is astonishing how much control you have over your keys with tools like these. I think Vegas has similar tools, but I don't have first hand experience with them to compare.

Andrew

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nicheblogger75

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

Try the tools in Adobe Premiere (UltraKey) or After Effects (KeyLight) before you chase after other options. It is astonishing how much control you have over your keys with tools like these. I think Vegas has similar tools, but I don't have first hand experience with them to compare.

Andrew

I definitely plan to upgrade my software. However, that is going to require another PC and the cost of the software itself. The videos I am making now are coming out pretty nice so before I spend any more money I want to try and get some more experience and maybe make a little money back. I know I need to get into one of the software apps you mentioned sooner or later. though.

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Regional Warrior

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

Jason,

I wasn't impressed by the PopVideo demo (the edges on the keys they were pulling were not very clean - with lots of blurring to hide the lack of detail), but I checked out some of the other software on the reallusion site and found some really cool stuff. CrazyTalk looks like a really fun tool to play with and their iClone software looks pretty amazing too.

Thanks for the link. I hadn't heard of this company before.

Andrew

The video I have in the post was not that is Power Point the link for Popvideo I just quickly grabbed for NB to look at and to what else was out there in the market , I used to have a great bit of kit for my green screen but Adobe bought them out and close it down

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by Regional Warrior

The video I have in the post was not that is Power Point the link for Popvideo I just quickly grabbed for NB to look at and to what else was out there in the market , I used to have a great bit of kit for my green screen but Adobe bought them out and close it down

Sounds like you had the Serious Magic tools.

I used to have a copy of Ultra 2, Visual Communicator, and DV Rack back before the Adobe buyout. They were pretty cool tools. The Ultra Key software was rolled into Premiere Pro and is still a really decent keying tool. I just finished a project before Christmas that was done with Ultra Key inside Premiere.

If you have the files for the software, Adobe has a free Serious Magic activation tool on their website that will let you install the software and get it running.

Andrew

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Regional Warrior

8 years ago

Originally Posted by aseltz

Sounds like you had the Serious Magic tools.

I used to have a copy of Ultra 2, Visual Communicator, and DV Rack back before the Adobe buyout. They were pretty cool tools. The Ultra Key software was rolled into Premiere Pro and is still a really decent keying tool. I just finished a project before Christmas that was done with Ultra Key inside Premiere.

If you have the files for the software, Adobe has a free Serious Magic activation tool on their website that will let you install the software and get it running.

Andrew

That is very sweet they have the activation on the site after how long 6 yrs

Cheers Jason

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Action Man

8 years ago

Hi again, just a quick share.

I work in a small room, and do screen capture software teaching videos, so I have to sit down.

I purchased a green screen from Amazon the DynaSun collapsible blue/green one. But I found it can be murder trying to focus my web camera to have a complete green backdrop without sitting in weird positions. In my case I would need a much bigger green backdrop. I found out recently that this is not a problem with Adobe Premier Pro, as long as you can cover the immediate parts around your body and the movement action with green, Adobe Pro has a crop and keying function using a "pen", which allows users to mask out any non-green parts.

No doubt other programs can do the same, but this was a great help to me..

This video gives an example:

https://youtu.be/es82THtbpD8

Note from video author: "This will only work with Premier Pro version 2014.2 or later. If you're using an older version, substitute the crop tool with the 8 point garbage mask. Basically, the same effect."

regards

Jim

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aseltz

8 years ago

Originally Posted by Action Man

Hi again, just a quick share.

I work in a small room, and do screen capture software teaching videos, so I have to sit down.

I purchased a green screen from Amazon the DynaSun collapsible blue/green one. But I found it can be murder trying to focus my web camera to have a complete green backdrop without sitting in weird positions. In my case I would need a much bigger green backdrop. I found out recently that this is not a problem with Adobe Premier Pro, as long as you can cover the immediate parts around your body with green, Adobe Pro has a crop and keying function using a "pen", which allows users to mask out any non-green parts.

No doubt other programs can do the same, but this was a great help to me..

This video gives an example:

https://youtu.be/es82THtbpD8

regards

Jim

Jim,

Using garbage mattes is a great technique even if your screen does fill the entire frame. Any areas of the frame where your foreground subject does not cross over the background can be quickly masked off.

Very often, the corners of your screen will be darker then the rest. This can be caused by the lighting or the camera lens. Instead of tweaking your chromakey settings to include more shades of green (and reducing the detail in the edges around your subject) you can just mask them off.

Adobe Premiere used to had a separate 'garbage matte' filter you could apply to a video clip. But, in recent versions of the software they removed it. Lots of older chromakey tutorials online reference it, but it does not exist anymore. Instead, you now have tools to draw masks inside each filter. This change was a bit frustrating, at first, for folks used to the old tools. What you have to do now is apply a mask to the opacity settings for each clip to mask out the garbage areas.

Masks are massively useful when dealing with poorly lit green screen shots. You can break the shot into pieces and deal with the problems in each section separately.

I used to have a collapsible screen in my kit. The biggest problem I had was getting the darn thing back in the bag when I was done! I read the instructions and watched tutorial videos and it still took me an hour to work it out the first time I used it (I'm glad I wasn't in front of a client at the time!)

Andrew

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Marvin Adam

8 years ago

#1
Rather use your smartphone for shooting than a Webcam, unless your webcam is HD and consequently offering a very high resolution. Smartphones nowadays can shoot solid 1080, sometimes 4K even, so rather use your phone.
Check the highest settings before you record, usually smartphones are not setup for shooting HD if you don't manually change it yourself. Apart from that advice, I think almost any tool works better than webcams, but like said, if that's a solid HD webcam it can work.

#2
A good software FOR FREE which works for Windows and Mac is Davinci Resolve Light.
You can do everything there, from cutting your videos to creating text, to grading and exporting for your final upload.

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Some questions about shooting "green screen" videos.

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