Cheap Green Screen : BFX : Quick Tip

[vidfellow]

yeah. thats bullshit. the reason greenscreens are so expensive is because they're made out of 100% muslin fabric that doesn't reflect light, and gets lit up very evenly. A tablecloth would make the shittiest greenscreen you can get. For a greenscreen on a budget, go to a fabric retailer and ask for the brightest green fabric they have. Depending on the size, the cost varies. Muslin fabric is the way to go.

[ZTV7000films]

oh yeah have good lighting remeber that too



[ZTV7000films]

use a green poncho for the siut and could mabye use some green felt that u can see out off but barely

[naturalmusic333]

so will someone answer this question, what software do i use to do things with the green screen

[GabrielRECON]

1 way to make a green screen suit, get a white bathing suit and put them in green dyed water, there you go.

[deltaleader37]

I did that and it totally works

[ImTheDaveman]

Not to forget - you can use el-cheapo bargain priced green bedsheets! Anything from twin size to queen size if ya wanna go whole hog!

[Dinoman217]

What software do you use?

[your82]

@Dinoman217 He uses adobe premier cs5

[900strike]

A green screen takes away the expense of going to your place but not if its nerd stuff

[eduardoferrification]

that explained alot!!!

[mrttou]

Thanks for the tip. b☺d

[NilsKills]

I got AWESOMe 1$ green gift wrap from target! its great!

[mg0930mg]

@MrKoolDude67 You have brain cells? I could hardly tell by the way you're typing.

[neofriends]

@MrKoolDude67 Okay, I'll rephrase that: *Almost* no one likes run on sentences.

[neofriends]

@MrKoolDude67 You know, no one likes run on sentences.

[1upfilmkrew]

@MrKoolDude67 and you can take the paint off the wall right? wrong. Cloth is removable. That's why

[gijoe911ify]

nice tip mannow how do i use agreen screen

[racenuke]

Sweet thanks! I bought it and it worked pretty well for my test... Only problem was it was thin... so I had to double lap it.

[HayDoKitten]

Don't do it!!!! There very small and reflective you will get spill like crazy... Lighting is also a biatch

[nukeboy14]

why are bigass overalls covered in green so freakin expensive?

[JordanRidley2009]

woah that is soooooooo mutch better than the 10 minuet ones!

[jackson21m]

GREEN SCREEN SUIT PLEASE!!! They are very expensive and I have no Idea how to edit and use it, let alone MAKE it. It would be extremely helpful.

[TubeMunken]

yeah a green screeen suit would be awezome cuz they arnt cheap

[CodeRedCardinal]

yeah plzz make a green screen suit and show an example of how you can use it

[Fx3Productions]

yeah, a green screen suit would be really nice!

[dkbiketrialchannel]

cool

[soapandwafflesrule]

lol i want to try this....can some one tell me how to "install" a green screen?

[Darkjedistudios]

Can you make a green screen suit that is wearable? I found some for sale online but they are ridiculously expensive!

[DCTfilm]

[robably but you might need someome who is good a sewing.

[toezatron]

yea show us how to make a green screen suit

[filmmaster19]

@Darkjedistudios go on ebay and there ae green cat suits for like 9 bucks

[BakuraSR45]

@Darkjedistudios you can get that same cloth and make a suit out of it

[Vocaloid898]

@Darkjedistudios you just need do get white gloves, socks, a long sleve shirt and a skii mask and dye them a bright green

[Chirimorin1]

@Darkjedistudios If you can make clothes yourself, I'm sure you could use these tablecloths to make them also (though they would be of lower quality then commercially available probably)

[comedyguy09]

@Darkjedistudios how creepy, right when i read the comment an advertisement for a green screen suit came up....

[DCTfilm]

they actually work to. i bought two of them and they work excellently

[JnAStudios]

*facepalm* I wish I had seen this sooner....

[marcussatu]

same here... oh well my greenscreen came with my software so i dont gotta worry about this now but still... lol

[captain0ldy0da]

on windows movie maker I have tried to find a green screen for it, I can only find the code for a bluescreen, can anyone show me how to get a GREENscreen onto Windows Movie Maker or get me the transition code? thanks!

[pudidotdk]

Windows Movie Maker has a chroma key effect? Tell me all about it!

[captain0ldy0da]

I used a code that someone sent me

I am a doctor who fan and I want to make the TARDIS appear on one of my sets using a green screen, the TARDIS is blue and doesn't show up because it's a blue screen, I'm looking for a green screen code.

[mercurio0000]

The Bluescreen you have its all you need. After reading your post I found out that the term blue screen, green screen, color keying, color separation overlay refers to the same thing ; a technique called chroma key that mixes 2 images or frames together. Where did you find the blue screen on movie maker?

[fieldfire5523]

i couldnt find a small one so i got a huge one... 100ft by 40 in

[StephenUchiha10]

how much did that cost?

[fieldfire5523]

14$ or so. wasnt too bad

[StephenUchiha10]

wow. I would of expected 20 or so.

[Razback88]

AWESOME the old Indymogul school

[vernhestand]

DUDE! You guys are uber-awsome.......is that a word?

[fullmetalgirl1214]

thx dude

[thefamilyadams]

TNX THAT HELP ALOT

[piepersongg]

That is what my brother did!

Brain exploding effect! I need it badly!

[glorbb]

or you could use a green wall

[masterpiraka]

I don't get it, why would a SCREEN THAT'S GREEN cost that much money in the first place? Is it saturated in gold dust or something?

[YouSunkMyFishy]

It's magically enchanted with +4 trickery!

[magicfanatic3]

actually, it was blessed by the pope :D

[kinggambler3]

i dunno

[23sutts]

@masterpiraka green screen is a screen that u can use to project efects on if your softwear can key out green.lots of people use it to make movies.

[31buce31]

@masterpiraka in croma paint there are silver particle idk about the sheets id assume there is in the sheets

[willstrasser]

WOW I GOT ALOT OF REPLIES

[lotyboy]

I would avoid the table cloth ideas due to the fact that the semi-glossy finish makes it harder to eliminate hot spots and create even lighting on your screen. Instead for a cheap alternative turn to blue or green bedsheets. You can also find these at Walmart and Target and other retail stores for fairly cheap.

The key is getting one that isn't see through and is a normal flat color with no designs, logos or shiny threads. They're also a lot bigger which makes covering a large area easy.

[stephdeo]

no it does not

[jet1111]

where about can i get that in the uk

[ATBStudios]

i got one from a £1 shop

[humidibeam78]

$1 at WAL MART

[photray94]

Short, sweet, and to the point. Thanks :)

[wahkean]

didn't it used to be blue screen?

[ImmortalDestructor]

Blue screens are often used for weather maps and special effects. Green screens are used more in digital filmmaking because green requires less light than blue to be effective. At $3 each, you can get them both and see which you prefer.

[stephdeo]

nope

[karryhav]

awesome, thanks

[fureiousgeorgefilms]

can you use a greenscreen on johshaka?

[stephdeo]

yep

[zasosa]

you need a program i use pinnacle studio plus its great and that one has green screen function try it:D

[willstrasser]

does it cost money???

[stephdeo]

YESSS WHAT DO YOU THUNK!

[TheCreamfilled]

i have that one too do u kno if ur able to do that thing were u put to clips over eachother so u can do cloning and stuff

[zeppelinfan1989]

how do u use a green screen. rofl

[Huntrguy102]

"chroma keying" on after effects (Check out Therapix, he teaches how to use a green screen)

[richslayerbc08]

does it matter the shade of green or can you pick the shade in the editing process...never used a GS before

[mulliganmedia]

You can normally pick it in editing with an eydropper tool.

[filmguy91]

but how do you use a green screen? HELP!

[MuppetDesign]

YOu need a software which contains the 'Chroma-key' option. once you've got that, mail me for more info. (send me a message so i tell you my adress.)

[filmguy91]

thanks.....i'll get final cut express!

[MuppetDesign]

k.. you know how it works? Or do I have to explane?

[filmguy91]

yeah! my friend has the same thing so i'll ask him to teach me.

Thanx though!

[effectsmage]

Software: Adobe/Serious Magic Ultra, CompositeLab, EffectsLab, Final Cut, After Effects, Premiere, ZS4, Wax, Vegas... but thats not all.... anyway, many options for software.

[CyberCrusoe]

My first green screen was plastic. Reflected light like a mo'fo', I couldn't key anything worth a shit. Cotton is best.

[halomanz2004]

I just got one of these and successfully keyed it without any lights except for the ones on the ceiling, with free software

[seddarcheese]

what software did u use???

i can't find any free ones.

[halomanz2004]

Zwei-Stein

Google it

[seddarcheese]

Thanks!

[Stariguy]

I just picked up two of these at a local party store for $1.98 each.  I will be selling them on Ebay for $15, NOT.

[MuppetDesign]

lol :P

[xarasage]

no party stores sell green table cloths

[rcaido]

I'm about to experiment on this green screen stuff.

Do you guys think i should just buy the green screen at tubetape or a couple of these cheap green ones at Party City? What's the cheapeast lights i can buy for this to work & how many?

Also, how long does it take to edit yourself to backgrounds & videos?

[nicolesharee]

Haha, that's funny...although, you do need a pretty elaborate light set-up in order to make it work.

[piratesonponies]

sony vegas has a good chroma key, but if you are serious about green screen and composition, get combustion. itll blow you socks off.

[Henrypostproductions]

i got 2 but it doesnt work to well

[BlueDiscProductions]

You need lights!

[XxDigitalPressxX]

you guys fuckin rock!

[ShamefulProductions]

I got a bunch of blue ones instead of green. It works in good lighting conditions.

[Vaniiiiiiia]

Awesome : D

[Vaniiiiiiia]

Whattahell is a greenscreen?

[FWNiightmare]

you know..they if you walk are in front of a green screen you can have like your computer pull out all the green and put in a pic behind you..like..you could be at the beach..or outer space..

[starskiflower]

How do you do that? Do you have to get like a special computer program?

[BlueDiscProductions]

Hahahahaha! That's a good one!

[madison9292]

THAT'S AWESOME!! I've been wanting a green screen forever! THANK YOU!!!

[RUMCYCO]

Pinnacle .. Hollywood FX platinum edit....i think

[XXJarHead13XX]

any1 know free editing programs tht i can use a green screen with?

[RUMCYCO]

Pinnacle Hollywood FX Platinum edit i think

[walnutfilmer]

does it really work with plastic? doesn't it reflect the light too much?

but the idea is great :o)

[WorldWideJanFilms]

Ok cool maybe I'll buy one of those :-)

[tjb032]

i would just spend the extra $47 bucks and get a real green screen. a 9' by 12' is only $50 bucks at Tubetape dot com. it was so worth the money. and it'll last a hell of alot longer than a table liner.

[banjobob6]

Thanx!! i was looking 4 a cheap gscreen!!

[mk9107]

WOW ke gran tip

WOW what a grat idea!

[BAromero]

Awesome idea! I was looking for bedsheets, but couldn't find the right color, and this is a better price point anyway! Thanks!!

[Darklorden]

Actually you can use any color for the screen on which you later overlay your bg, cgi or whatever.

Just make sure that the actor/object you're shooting isn't wearing the same color as your screen and you'll be fine.

[enjoystifler]

you have to have a video editing program that supports chroma keying.

Magix Movie Edit Pro is what I use, but there are tons out there.

[ManiacDS]

How can you edit the Green Screen?

[violetvelvet]

that's what I was wondering

[Kigurumi68]

FX Home effects products like compositelab works great, price ranges from $100-150 or just dl a full working demo.

[HjalpOchSupport]

but ffs can we see some result. you suck!

[againstthehumanrace]

Havent tried Vegas lol, was told to avoid it. After Effects is no good for editing, more for effects, and its only designed to do little bits at a time anyway. If Vegas has a chroma key function, see if it has a colour selector o tolerance level to play with.

[psychomelody]

I've edited entire films and commercials in After Effects :) I've even done SOUND EDITS in After Effects. It is possible.

[againstthehumanrace]

Your kidding me? Awesome! I have always found it never wants to play back in real time for me, and the effects seem to stop rendering after a few seconds (around 20/30 if i remember correctly). Goddamn I need a new computer lol!

[crazybilby]

oh i could have thoguht of that... man i hate windows moive maker the green screen is jsut a green screen! i wants a better program...

[thejuanstar]

thanks for posting. when editing, you just adjust the chroma on the top layer? i cannot wait to try this.

[NTovaar]

Was looking into this I think that it is a great idea. I noticed you mentioned that it was tricky to evenly light the BG to hide shadows, would backlighting the screen help ot hinder the process?

[againstthehumanrace]

Adobe Premier pro has a tolerance level, to help control what gets taken out, and also a handy little eye-dropper tool, so you can select ANY colour you want. I would reccomend sticking to blue or green though, as other colours end up being too close to human skin and clothes, etc.

[MonkeyOctober]

Question,Whats the BEST editing system I can get that is cheap?Cause I wont use Windows anymore.

[SIRENstudios]

i use vegas, thats pretty good software, it croma-keys and edits the screens colors, adds effects, its way better than windows movie maker. On amazon for about $80

[againstthehumanrace]

I dont know about price, but Adobe premier por shits all over everything else for stability, use-ability and features, etc. Also bundles with other Adobe software like After effects (their efects program... brilliant) Illistrator, photoshop, Encore DVD (DVD authoring) and whatever their audio program is.

[Justamit2501]

im a student who just about to buy production premium CS3, i have a little money left over besides it, about $100. what should i spend it on, i could spend it on plugins, or equipment. thanks

[againstthehumanrace]

Depends on your needs really. Not sure of the cost of plugins, but ya should easily be able to get stuff like a wide angle lense, or nicknacks like tripod and such for that price. (Assuming my conversion is correct of course, I got a good wide angle for about $160 AUS so might be a bit pricy, and my tripod was $60 AUS)

[BigBStatz]

I would suggest using the chroma-keyer function in Vegas Video , fast and easy renders in real-time. Just select it as a plug-in for the video clip in question and the use the eye dropper to select the green and boom. The background green disappears.

[poiklpu]

you need software that has some sort of a chroma keyer. Chroma keyers=take green out

[XXJarHead13XX]

and how would u use a green screen?..lik wat do u need besides the green screen itself?

[optionproductions]

final cut, premier, vegas, other random shit. also if you want to get a good effect you need correct lighting. it takes more than you think. green screening on a basic level is easy, but its hard to make it look any good.

[psychomelody]

Some plugins are only based on a limited spectrum of blue or green. Back in the early days of Final Cut Pro I used the Blue/Green Difference key. Now I use the After Effects Keylight for many effects, including keying out any color. BUT... it all depends on the other colors in the scene and the contrast. The music video I shot (see Goodnight Blue Eyes) was a luminance high-contrast key and shot in HD, which helps any key come out clean.

[xXxSevenfoldxXx]

Cool stuff, but show how it works at the end please mate

[ManiacDS]

Your guys IQ and Creativity Level is of the Charts!

[And2001PT]

I've always used bright green pieces of cardboard.

Always worked fine for me, better than cloth.

[IceT4revor]

thanks man....I've been wondering where to find a green screen but I didn't think u could substitute a cloth like that for one.....keep up the good work!

[uncooltaquitos]

lol..how do u put the actual effects and stuff into it? after filming the person infront of it

[Dogdrule]

i got a program called fxhome that looks really cool from the previews, but i havent done much with it yet. being a very amateur film maker, the program looked overwhelming but i might start experimenting again. i think its like $250 for the whole kit and kaboodle.

[indymogul]

You bring your green screen footage into your video editing program (you need a good program for this stuff: Final Cut, Adobe, Vegas, etc.) and put it on the top layer of video in your timeline. Beneath that, place your background (you can use still images or video). Then find the transparency option for the green screen video in your Effects panel (usually called Chroma or Keying...or Chroma Keying).

[indymogul]

And adjust the levels until it looks like all the green is gone and your subject in front of the green screen is standing in front of your new background!

[starkid65]

When you say Adobe , do you mean "Adobe after effects" ?

[ChavezG36C]

yeah adobe after effects is Adobe's film editing software

[jessek]

no, After Effects is their effects compositing software, Premiere Pro is their editor.

[ownig3pk3r]

how do we "use a green screen"?...and why green ?

[Etheras]

The "green screen" is used as a background when you film some objects. When the video is done, you can easily remove the uniform colour and replace it with something else in special video software.

[Jonesingforjill]

Google it. Green Screens are used to impose yourself onto another clip. Ie. You film yourself infront of the green screen acting liek your flying. Then you film a skyline. There are programs that will mix the two to look like you are flyng over the skyline. Hope that helps.

[indymogul]

What those guys said :D

Basically if you can isolate a color in a shot, you can remove it and replace it with anything. If humans had blue skin, we'd all be using red screens.

[Dogdrule]

well, i have seen blue screens before, but only on the high professional level. and to use it, just place the actor in front of it, doing whatever they're gonna do (fly, fight a dragon, etc) then experiment with lighting and film. Then film your backround (open sky, etc) and use a special effects program like fxhome to blend the 2.

[uncooltaquitos]

oh well me and my friends dont really have a 200 doller budget but thanks anyway. anyone else Know how to put efffects and stuff on green screens?

[psychomelody]

Actually, just as long as you're actor isn't wearing the color used any medium tone color is fine. I've used orange and purple before, but those were special effects shots and shooting in Hi Def helps as well.

[amiressy]

I too have always used poster board. This shit would work way better i bet. Thanx

[Garsideffxi]

lol, its so obvious. Thats what makes this vid awesome.

[KILLERSVACATION]

I have a cheaper way to green screen, go to a store near you that sells bed sheets. Bed sheets cover a huge area, They on average will cost nearly 200. not a prob if you have a credit card. once you have used the green or blue bed sheet for your project take it back to the store and tell them the material irritates your skin in bed and return it for a full refund. (lol hence the term "free renting.") WARNING : be confirm the stores return policy before you attempt... :)

[nvleo4what]

well not really cuz gas prices went up and youll be wasting more time that way

[indymogul]

Hahah ... that's not the most honest thing you can do, but I must admit it's pretty brilliant.

(DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!)

[sma1968]

we had a party with one of those and video taped it... later, we couldn't see the table in the video, just the plates and food. weird...

[KILLERSVACATION]

im not hating, I think your videos are entertaining. But about the table cloth... Just call me a visionary, but I already know it probly wouldnt work that well if you use plastic like you are saying due to plastics reflective properties you would probly get a white blotch reflection due to the amount of lighting needed for a green screen and this would not work.

[openmindedproduction]

actually, I've seen a few shorts online where people have used this method as a green screen, so it does work, but I think poster board or a large green cloth is better and still very inexpensive as well.

[indymogul]

We've used these table cloths before - it's not the perfect solution, you've just got to light it properly. Things won't always key out as well as they would in a professional setup, but it's certainly passable, especially if your video will be encoded for the net ... smaller resolution and bitrate can be very forgiving.

[Tony18Rox]

Thats pretty smart man thanks

[indymogul]

Thanks Tony18Rox, I have my moments, and thanks for commenting!

[DBXP]

Cool! I was trying to make one out of poster board, but it's practically impossible to find around where I live!

[indymogul]

A lot of times poster board isn't big enough either, and you have to find green tape to stick them all together. I've also tried green pieces of paper on the wall and it's not fantastic. The table cloths are big and very green. (who would seriously eat on something that ugly anyway?)

[DBXP]

Well I got 4 deals of it, and just some clear tape, and it seems to work, but only for upper body effects. I may pay a visit to my local Party City.

[DBXP]

Eric...I had to eat on one of those table cloths today...it was simply horrid...I feel so wrong...