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Green screen technology is the basis of the effects seen in everything from the latest
Hollywood blockbusters to the weather forecast. The idea is simple. If you shoot a
video with a single coloured backdrop (blue or green is often used) Pinnacle Studio
allows you to make that colour transparent - replacing it with any other video clip,
graphic or still image.
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With green screen, it's simple to superimpose anything or anyone into any shot.
You can transport yourself to the moon, appear in your favourite film, or make
a presentation along with all the relevant facts and figures...
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| You can use any single colour, flat object as a screen, but Pinnacle Studio
Ultimate is unique in the video editing world as the only editing package
to come with a free green screen. |
For larger shots, pin together a couple of sheets. |
In Studio
Once you capture your green screen footage and load your background shots into
Pinnacle studio, creating a green screen effect is easy.
- Set Pinnacle Studio to Timeline mode by selecting Timeline from the View menu.
- Drag your green screen footage into the Overlay track (the 2nd track from the top
on the timeline and drag your background footage to the video track directly on top so
that the two clips run side by side.
- Double click on the green screen footage and select the bottom icon on the left of the
window which appears to open the effects panel. Now choose Chroma Keyer from the Studio
Plus RTFX list and click OK
- The effect controls appear and you can use the eyedropper tool to select the background
colour. You can then adjust the colour tolerance and softness until you get the best look for your shot
Tip: If your backdrop doesn't go to the edges of your frame, add a picture-in-picture effect and use
the cropping sliders to remove the unwanted edges of the screen.
Controls: The Chroma key controls can be a little daunting if you've never used then before, but you
should go through them pretty much in the order they appear. Start by selecting the colour with the
eyedropper. Then move the colour tolerance up until most of your background vanishes. Next, use the
saturation minimum control to tidy up the key - so that everything in the background is removed. Use
the softness control to adjust the strength of the background image (bringing it down just a little
preserves the shadows on your backdrop if you want them). The transparency slider fades out your
foreground image and the Spill Suppression control acts on the edges of your objects, removing any
green fringes or hues that can appear on complicated edges or semi-transparent objects.
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Greenscreen top 3 tips: |
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Try your best to make sure the screen is flat and as evenly lit as possible. That way, the
software will have an easy job recognising which parts of the shot you want to keep and
which you want to replace.
Don't wear anything green. Any clothes, or indeed anything in the shot which is the same
colour as the backdrop will vanish along with it. If you really need to have a green object
in shot, use a blue or yellow cloth - as long as it's a bold colour, it will still work.
Don't move the camera. If the camera moves either in the shot you're superimposing or
the shot you're superimposing into, it will be very obvious and the effect will be
ruined. Put your camcorder on a tripod and don't adjust it while filming.
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