canon Lee

I need info about using green screen for my picture day for youth sports clubs....

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Too generic as a question.

A chroma key works better with well lit subject (does not matter what) and clear, defined edges so forget hair, fuzz...

When using the chroma key you must also pay attention to details that matches the key. Many folks on TV paid the price for that.

Edit: If I recall correctly there is a UHH user who represents a company that promotes products using a green chroma key. I cannot remember who it is/was.

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

What post processing program do you use? Check the help files for your program for that specific action and also check out Youtube for tutorials.

Personally I use Photoshop Elements 2019 and there is a great description of how to do it in Scott Kelby's "The Photoshop Elements 15 Book for Digital Photographers" published in 2017. I do not use green screen often but have found Kelby's book and instructions very detailed and appropriate with excellent results. There have been updates to PSE but I believe the process would not have changed significantly.

canon Lee

hi Ron... I need to know what program to use for Chroma Key... Do I need to have a blue as well as a green screen or does the program adjust for uniforms that have both green and red in them? generally, and I will check out how to use the program, but how long does it take to make the edit... ?

Craigdca Loc: California

I’d like to know more about this also and have done some research. When the day comes to try it I will select the right background color (either black, white, chroma blue or chroma green depending on the subject’s colors especially in the hair), light the background evenly, and keep the subject far enough in front to avoid picking up any color casting. I hope this summary based solely on research gives you a good start.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Almost any digital program will be able to select a chroma key. What none of them do is distinguish issues when some colours selected are also in the subject so fine-tuning will always be in order.

The said, you must lit the background uniformly and make sure your subject is well separated from the background using lighting too.

It is not easy as it sounds and experimenting is always the key.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Please note that a black background may turn greenish if you do not pay attention... It is best in this case to use an opening leading to an empty cavity with no light in so that there is zero reflection.

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

Lee and Craig, blue or green backgrounds are most commonly used and either can be appropriate depending on the colors in the subject. Back or white can be much more difficult to separate from the a person's clothing or hair. Hair is the most difficult part of the process

As Ron said, uniform lighting of the background is important to minchromaarating the subject and background and help reduce casting from the background. Also for programs, as Ron stated, almost any one will have options for the procedure, it would probably be considered "compositing" or removing an object from one photo and placing it into another.

I worked for a school photography company a few years back and we used a green screen for background during photgraphy to offer a wider range of replaceable backgrounds for the final product. More recently I have done a few shoots using the green screen and a similar lighting setup. There are chroma green / blue background sets available via ebay or Amazon for reasonable prices.

To reiterate, check online for tutorials on compositing and chroma green / blue screen photography.

1DProphet

In our knockout work everything is done on middle gray, luminosity masks are used for final masking, no worries about inside/outside, or what color anything is, eliminates your bleed/wash contamination along with that what on earth went wrong in this image statement.

SteveHmeyer Loc: Cincinnati OH USA

I have been using chroma keying in studio, on location and with the pandemic from home starting with the process in the early 1980’s.

In the early days of color-keying we used a blue screen - it throws back less light than today’s green and is less likely to cause a color fringe around the subject. However blue is very common in clothing so green-screening became popular in TV. You may want to consider a blue-screen.

The good news is that modern digital technology is very forgiving and if your lightning is well adjusted you will get a good result.

I have done live shots chroma-keying off a small ridge of grass in bright daylight with excellent results because of digital technology.

Your biggest problems will be:
1. Shadows of your subject will cause your key to tear - even, adequate lighting on the key screen behind the subject will washout shadows and prevent this.
2. Bright fringing around your subject in high contrast situations - slight lowering of key screen lights help minimize this and choosing background-subject colors that lower contrast help.
3. Flat appearance of your subject - use several lights from off axis directions to create a 3D look
4. White balance on a card that fills the camera frame but be prepared to remove excess green in post if your subject is not enough brighter than the key screen

xposure

Do not have the subject to close to the background or the green will bounce light back on the subject and create green high lights.