Green Screening on the cheap using Windows

[SimpleSi]

I fancy doing some green screen video work with Y6 in one of my schools - Weather Report/Newsdesk type stuff.

Anyone actually done this with free/cheap software on Windows machines?

regards

Simon

[Sylv3r]

It's possible in Movie Maker supposedly. No idea what the quality will be like.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMqu2jFY-Zg"]YouTube- How to setup and use a green screen in windows movie maker[/ame]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtFYD-2NRMc"]YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.[/nomedia]

[TechSupp]

There are a couple of options but I did the following (key to success though is lighting the backdrop evenly)
For the backdrop used a green plastic tablecloth from The Range DIY store (very cheap)
Filmed it and loaded the film in to WAX (Google it and you should be able to download it, its free)
In Wax (Google for instructions how to Chromakey using WAX) load the background and film, then decide what the Chromakey colour will be)
Export the finished movie out.
Hey Presto, chromakey on the cheap (and I mean cheap but not on the quality if you get the lighting right. Done a couple using WAX and the tablecloth, reading the news etc.
I tried the movie maker methods but found they were too specific on what coulr is used or it messed up Moviemaker. With Wax you can play around with the chromakey settings to get the best balance between shadows appearing and a clear background. For Primaries which I am in as you are Si nearly good enough is usually OK for what its used for. Ever though of Live performance using netmeeting to 'broadcast' the weather to the class? Remind the teachers its something they should be covering now in the new curriculum.

[Cache]

This was shown to me by one of our pupils and I've always kept it to hand as a reference just because it was so simple and handy.

The only thing I never got round to doing was creating an automated way of doing it.

How to Chroma Key in Windows Movie Maker: 9 steps - wikiHow

[mattx]

This was shown to me by one of our pupils and I've always kept it to hand as a reference just because it was so simple and handy.

The only thing I never got round to doing was creating an automated way of doing it.

How to Chroma Key in Windows Movie Maker: 9 steps - wikiHow

It's a shame this does not work correctly - just tried it and the bluescreen effect is just one long fade...........[ unless I'm doing something wrong..... ]

[laserblazer]

I do it with Premiere Pro. Lighting is the key to doing to well, evenly lit and no shadows on the screen. Premiere has a chromakey mask built in.

[SimpleSi]

I don't know if the WMM thing actually works but its certainly too fiddly to use - I couldn't get it to work either

Will look into the WAX stuff

regards

Simon

[mattx]

I will try again with some better lighting next time - I think the green blanket I was using was not very well lit - I'll also make sure I turn OFF the auto white balance....
I'm too drunk to try again now - the red wine from the Maipo Valley I have opened up today is just too nice to allow it to go on until tomorrow.....

[SimpleSi]

I've succumbed to a nice Chilean myself

(Wife's out with her friend - I'm watching Die Hard 2 on new HD TV that she bought for me for Valentines )

Simon

[mattx]

I've succumbed to a nice Chilean myself

(Wife's out with her friend - I'm watching Die Hard 2 on new HD TV that she bought for me for Valentines )

Simon

OOOoo wish my missus would get me something like that !! I've finished the Chilean and my KFC and have finished watching Black Dynamite [ HD ] on my sumvision cyclone mkv. Tomorrow it's shopping for snacks for work next week - [ half term ], then watch the Rugby [ maybe at the pub with a few pints ], then perhaps full roast dinner followed by a few more pints and a film after the missus & kids has finished watching her crappy ice skating thing. [ I'll be upstairs getting though 2 eps of Heroes ]

[SimpleSi]

Tried Wax out - works no problem. (these instructions modified from someone elses )

Open WAX up
Add at least one video and one static picture (or 2 videos) - right click on media bins and do Add Media Files.

Drag the video with the green screen to the timeline track one.
Drag the audio of that video to track 2
Drag background picture to track 3 (or if using video as background - drag vid and aud to tracks 3/4)
Drag start/end points of picture so that occupies the same time of the video.

Now select the tab called Video Plugins. Click and drag "Chroma key" onto track 1 - your main video in the timeline (on your video - not under it ).

Click on arrow on ChromaKey and use dropper on your video to select the colour for the chromakey.
The use slider to adjust how transparent to make it.

You should start seeing results.

To make you output avi - you need to render (Little greeen arrow icon on top toolbar) - this takes time - filename/folder set by Project-Settings where you an also select compression type in Options

regards

Simon

[laserblazer]

I've succumbed to a nice Chilean myself

(Wife's out with her friend - I'm watching Die Hard 2 on new HD TV that she bought for me for Valentines )

Simon

You need to be careful. If you have too much, your face turns green and gets chromakeyed out.