Chroma keying, also referred to as green screening, is a useful effect for creating stunning illusions--movie directors and weather channels often utilize it. With the chroma keying effect, you can create virtual backgrounds with the click of a mouse. It is a simple technique that can transform a boring interview or narrative video into a wonderful work of art. Chroma keying excludes one color in a video so you can paste a virtual background over it. Many people believe it's a difficult task, but it is actually quite simple.
Clothing
When green screening, it is important that you do not wear any clothes with the color you wish to hide. For example, if you have a green background, do not wear green. If you are using a pink background, do not wear pink. Always choose the color of your background according to what your actors are wearing. You should also make sure that none of your props are the same color as the background or the prop's colors will distort once you have added the chroma key effect.
Background Choice
To green screen, you will need an opaque background with one color. You can use a wall, a large poster board or anything else with one color on it. You should never use a multicolored background when chroma keying because your goal is to exclude the background's color so you can place a digital background over it. You will only be able to exclude one color, therefore you can only use a single colored background. You should also avoid using sheets or flowing material, as the creases in the sheets would generate shadows. This will make it more difficult to add the chroma key effect.
Vegas-chroma keyer
Chroma keying in Sony Vegas is quite simple. First you'll need to create two video tracks (One for the virtual background of your choice, and one for your footage with the green background). Place the video footage on the lower video track and place the virtual background on the first video track. Next, add the chroma key effect. Look in the video effects tab and select "Chroma Keyer." Drag the chroma keyer effect directly onto the footage on the time line. An effect editor window will pop up. Select the eyedropper and click on the green background in your video footage. Everything that was once green in the video footage should now be black. Drag your virtual background to the first track on the time line, directly above the video footage. You have now successfully green screened.
Tags: video footage, virtual background, chroma effect, Chroma keying, green background