how to make a diy green screen: backgrounds and software ... · ing videos. from news reports to...

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How to Make a DIY Green Screen: Backgrounds and Software for Green Screen

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By Chelsey Grasso

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Green’s the New Black: How to Make a DIY Green Screen ...................... 3

Materials ................................................................................................................... 4

Using the Green Screen........................................................................................ 6

Free Green Screen Software .................................................................................7

The Chroma Key ......................................................................................................8

Green Screen Backgrounds ................................................................................ 10

Like the Professionals, But at Half the Cost ................................................. 11


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Green screens offer a wide range of flexibility and creativity when it comes to mak-ing videos. From news reports to epic battle scenes, having the option of producing a chroma key green screen has made special effects and camera tricks much more ac-cessible to the aspiring filmmaker. In fact, with the innovation of green screen tech-nology comes the possibility to have any subject in front of any type of background, whether it be free stock footage, a 3D animation graphic or even something else en-tirely that has been filmed by the movie-maker.

While green screen effects are certainly something that every person interested in video should come to master, the truth of the matter is that most professional green screen kits available on the market today are quite expensive, especially for someone who is just beginning to play around with the technology. For this reason, one great alternative to purchasing professional green screen equipment is to actually make a DIY green screen at home (or wherever one is filming). While this might sound daunting at first, hundreds of dollars can be saved by making video equipment in-stead of buying it, and in the case of green screens, almost anyone is capable of doing it.

Green’s the New Black: How to Make a DIY Green Screen


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When it comes to making a DIY green screen, the first place to start is with the ac-tual green screen equipment that will be needed. To get to the specifics, choosing a green screen fabric is one of the most important decisions that will directly affect the outcome of the final video. While there is a wide possibility of options when choosing what type of fabric to use, it is essential to pick out a material that is non-reflective. Indeed, this is quite key, as any light reflection recorded on a camera from the green screen fabric can cause potential “hotspots” on the recorded footage, thusly causing holes in the implemented background image.

Materials


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Additionally, color and texture are important details to consider when looking for the best green screen fabric for a DIY green screen. With color, the brighter the bet-ter. Brighter greens are better than darker greens because they make it easier for the editing software to identify the desired chroma key color and distinguish it from the subjects that are in the foreground of the fabric, especially when the subjects standing in front of the screen are darker or not lit as well. However, though brighter greens are the way to go, it is still essential that the chosen green screen fabric is relatively heavy in weight and texture, as this will help to provide consistency in color. If the material is too thin, allowing light to shine through it from behind, this can also make it difficult for the intended chroma key color to be constant, ultimately harm-ing the final video product.

(Side note: Though named for the color green, green screens actually do not need to be made from a green fabric. It is best to stay away from dark colors, as well as whites, but almost any other bright color can work in place of a bright green. One of the most commonly used replacement colors is a bright blue, which works just as well as a bright green.)

Once a proper material is chosen for the fabric, setting up the green screen equip-ment is the next task. If planning to use the green screen background repeatedly, one great investment to make is in a steamer. It may seem a bit over the top, but keep-ing your fabric wrinkle-free will make all the difference when it comes time to edit your footage. Another way to help avoid creasing in material is to place weights down on the bottom of the fabric once it is hanging. This will keep it from moving during filming, as well as keep the tension tight on the material, producing a smooth surface for shooting.

Finally, though fabric tends to be the best when it comes to traveling and film-ing flexibility, there are other options for those who find it less than convenient to work with. It is possible to make an effective DIY green screen from painting a solid surface green, including materials such as cardboard, wood or poster board. Another option, though not quite as accessible to most, is to purchase a green foam or spandex material to use for a green screen; however, when doing this, many of the same rules apply as when choosing a fabric material (bright green, non-reflective, etc.).


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When putting green screen kits or a DIY green screen into use, there are some im-portant factors that should always be noted in order to accomplish the best possible results. After all, working with green screens is not a one-step ordeal, but rather a pro-cess that involves multiple levels of work (even when working with a digital program specifically catered to the process, such as a free green screen software).

First, proper green screen lighting is essential for those who are wanting to get even results with a chroma key. The entire area of the green screen fabric should be lit even-ly, meaning that there should be no hot-spots hitting the material. The less-evenly that the fabric is lit, the less-evenly that the filler footage will show up in post-production, leading to an unprofessional final result. Additionally, subjects can be backlit to help keep them from being covered in any green screen lighting that is spilling over from the material. Also, for this reason, it is usually best for subjects to be a few feet away from the green screen instead of directly in front of it. (Ideally, subjects should be close to ten feet away from the green screen, providing the best results in post-production.)

Though video producers should have all the freedom they want when it comes to what they are filming, paying attention to a subject’s color is a smart decision. Obvi-ously, subjects should not wear green (or whatever color the green screen fabric is); but in addition to avoiding green, it is best for subjects to steer clear of whites, as the light-ness of the fabric can cause problems during the editing process when trying to replace the green screen.

Using the Green Screen


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Free green screen software is pretty easy to find online. Some of the most popular green screen freeware available for download are WAX, 123 Video Magic, and the most common, Windows Movie Maker. While there is a large variety of free software on the Internet (including green screen freeware for photos and non-moving images), these three programs seem to be not only the most accessible to web-surfers, but also the most user friendly. Each video software program provides step-by-step instructions to chroma keying green screen kits in post-production. Another great option for those who are fresh to the green screen game, is to download video editing software trials, al-lowing new video producers to better shop around before deciding to make any serious editing program purchase.

Free Green Screen Software


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The simplest way to understand how a chroma key green screen works is to think of the process as a matter of adding and removing layers from the video screen. The actual green screen background is the bottom-most layer, while anything placed in front of the green screen is a permanent, non-removable layer that will always be on top of the background (unless, of course, something in the foreground of the screen has the same color green on it, in which case it would also be replaced with the green screen background filler).

While there is green screen freeware available for download on the web, two popular programs for green screen effects are Avid (for PC users) and Final Cut Pro (for Mac us-ers). These are also the standard for the industry, making them great software to learn on as well. Both Avid and Final Cut Pro work extremely similarly in setup and execu-tion, but to briefly get into the specifics, the following are some simple guidelines for new and beginner users of green screen backgrounds:


The Chroma Key

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AvidWith Avid, the user wants to always place the filler video (what will replace the actual

green screen) on the bottom-most video track (ex. V1). On top of this track, users should place the recorded green screen footage (ex. V2). From here, users should go into the “Ef-fects” bin and look for the “Key” category. Once a specific effect is chosen (ex. Chroma Key, Spector Matte, etc.), users can click on the “Effect Mode” button to specify a key color by using the eye-dropper tool to match the color of the green screen (this is done by selecting a point in the composer video). Once these steps have been completed, the chroma key green screen is replaced by the selected video track (V1).

Final Cut ProSimilar to Avid, Final cut pro requires that users layer video tracks in the same for-

mation (i.e. “filler video” on the bottom-most track, green screen footage on the upper-most track). From here, users can select “Chroma Keyer” under the “Key” category in the Effects Menu and use the eye-dropper tool to choose the color of replacement. Us-ers can also play with both the saturation and luma levels of the chroma key, making the color of replacement more specific for the software.

When it comes to comparing products, it is difficult to name one winner above the rest. In fact, since all green screen software programs work in the same way (replacing solid green color with another video track via a chroma key), the best choice for green screen software is really something that lies in the preference of the buyer (and his or her preference in software interfaces).

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Green Screen Backgrounds

Green screen backgrounds can be filmed separately by the video producer, or they can be purchased or downloaded online. Free green screen footage can be found on a variety of websites. In fact, since green screen backgrounds exist as their own video files, any video footage can constitute itself as a potential replacement background for the green screen. Filmmakers can pull free green screen footage from sites like You-Tube, Vimeo or any other website that specializes in online video distribution or free stock footage. Though convenient, some free green screen footage found on line can be lower-quality. It’s best to investigate stock footage sites, as many sell high quality im-ages suitable for professional-looking projects.

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When it comes down to it, almost anyone can make a professional-looking green screen with as little effort as picking out a green fabric and hanging it evenly from a sturdy support (and while green screen lighting can be tricky for the novice, it will al-ways improve with practice). With the possibilities that green screen technology allows for (i.e. having your subject in front of the Grand Canyon, while you are really only filming in your basement), every aspiring filmmaker should be willing and ready to take advantage of it. Whether working with Avid, Final Cut Pro or downloading green screen freeware from the Internet, green screen effects are a fun and creative way for filmmakers to make movies like the professionals, but at half the cost.

Like the Professionals, But at Half the Cost


Chelsey Grasso is a writer, filmmaker, and photographer with a passion for the arts and all things media.

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