Green Screen Setup - Sample Shots

MDalby

Adam asked me about my green screen in another thread. I have just started green screen and I thought I would share a few things I have learned.

I bought a Westcott Chroma Key Green Screen that I really like. It is a fleece type material. It doesn't wrinkle as easily and it doesn't get glare like a sheet. I recommend it over the cheap eBay options. It costs more but from what I can see form being on another shoot, I think it is worth it.

My background is 20x12 I think. I really wasn't going to have the lower half of the body in the posters so i didn't care about the lower half in the shots. I had the players stand about 7-8' away from the background. I used 4 strobes. 2 speedlights with a shoot through umbrella for hte background and I used 2 White Lightnings in softboxes to light up the players. I didn't have another strobe to shoot from behind the player to light up the hair. This is really a key thing I think. As you will see in the shots, I still had some green mixed in the hair when I did my masking.

Just so you know, the masking was relatively easy and the masking and cleaning up took about 15 minutes.

Here is what I shot with:

70-200mm f/13
SS: 1/250
ISO 1000
Focal Distance: 160 or so

Here are some shots:

#1 (From this shot you can see that the background is pretty wrinkle free.)




#2 (Here is a shot that just shows the light stands etc.)



#3 (Here is the base shot)



#4 (Here is the cutout, you will notice there is still green in the hair. I am not the best at masking hair)



#5 (Here is the poster after I cleaned up the hair some in PhotoShop. You can see that I still have some green in there. I will have to clean it up some more. I just wanted to post in a poster so yo ucan see how it will look.)

MileHighAko

Thanks for sharing Mark. I like your poster!

Sounds like one key part of the setup is the distance between subject and green screen. In my limited experience I think I've placed my subject too close because I would get splashback of green reflecting off of clothes and skin. I might look into a larger setup like you have, and in a location with more space.

MDalby

MileHighAko wrote: »

Thanks for sharing Mark. I like your poster!

Sounds like one key part of the setup is the distance between subject and green screen. In my limited experience I think I've placed my subject too close because I would get splashback of green reflecting off of clothes and skin. I might look into a larger setup like you have, and in a location with more space.

Adam,

I wish I had the talent to make this poster. I just have a good friend that does all my creative for me and makes my templates.

MDalby

MileHighAko wrote: »

Thanks for sharing Mark. I like your poster!

Sounds like one key part of the setup is the distance between subject and green screen. In my limited experience I think I've placed my subject too close because I would get splashback of green reflecting off of clothes and skin. I might look into a larger setup like you have, and in a location with more space.

Yes, I think that is key. Also, I think you have to have a good background material that keeps the glare down. Also, the pros use a strobe on the hair to have a hairlight that isolates the hair from the green screen.

dbveto

Great tips, I was just asked about posters and calendars last night.
Here is one for you if you have CS5 Russell Brown has some videos http://www.russellbrown.com/tips_tech.html and one on masking deals with the color fringe, like your example.

Glort

I have just gone into the green screen myself and the one thing I read relentlessly when finding out about it is keeping the subject away from teh BG.

I put a marker a good 6 ft forward of the subject and have the screen lit about 1 stop under the subject and all seems good. Haven't had a problem yet even though the background i got is a wrinkly type and seems hard to light even. I use photokey 4 and it doesn't seem to bother it a bit.

MDalby

I tried a different approach on getting the green out of the hair. It worked a little better but I am still not happy. The method I used kind of bleached out the hair where the green was. It may not be as noticeable in this shot but it is there.

MDalby

Glort wrote: »

I have just gone into the green screen myself and the one thing I read relentlessly when finding out about it is keeping the subject away from teh BG.

I put a marker a good 6 ft forward of the subject and have the screen lit about 1 stop under the subject and all seems good. Haven't had a problem yet even though the background i got is a wrinkly type and seems hard to light even. I use photokey 4 and it doesn't seem to bother it a bit.

I have been using a combination of Fluid Mask and PS.

angevin1

Need to check your process. I used Keylight and got this result in under two minutes. And...And you lit this quite well it seems to me!

angevin1

http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/products/keylight/

MDalby

Tom,

I don't know what any of 6that means.

What are all of these different platforms? Keylight isn't a plugin for Adobe products? That seems kind of strange?

angevin1

MDalby wrote: »

Tom,

I don't know what any of 6that means.

What are all of these different platforms? Keylight isn't a plugin for Adobe products? That seems kind of strange?

I wasn't certain what you used. I use Adobe After Effects. the link says:

KEYLIGHT seamlessly integrates with some of the world's leading compositing and editing systems, including Autodesk Media and Entertainment Systems, Avid DS, Fusion, NUKE, Shake and Final Cut Pro. KEYLIGHT is also bundled with Adobe After Effects.

There are others here in the forum that have had good results with green screening stand alone products, try a forum search. Or maybe post over in finishing school.

Cheers,