Chromakey/Green-Blue Screen Question

[D'Snowth]

I've been wondering about something for the longest time regarding chromakey effects and blue screen/green screen work...

I know that blue screen, green screen, and sometimes even black screen is a good way to superimpose a character in a completely different atmosphere, and also good for full-bodied shots of characters to isolate the character without seeing the puppeteers at work as well.

But the one thing that has been puzzling me - suppose you have a character that both blue and green in its color palette? Black as well for eye pupils and such. What can be accomplished then?

 

[CoOKiE]

I use Green Screen for my puppetry.

The thing about this can be rough. And a pain. But if you get yourself a good program (i use pinnacle studio ver. 11) you can play around witht he shadowing and the strength of the chromakey.

Chromakey screens can be used with any color. But when used for people, its strongly suggested to use PURE blue or PURE green. Not light blue or dark green... the reason it has to be pure this or that, is they're the furthest colors from skin color. So, when using a poor program, you dont have to worry about playing around with the settings so much.

But for puppets, i'm sure you can get away with other colors.

 

[D'Snowth]

Well that's good to know, and that makes sense when you mention for people using pure blue or green since its the farthest from natural skin tones, lol.

 

[Blink]

When I am designing or building a puppet, I think about its intended use.

If a puppet will be used on a green screen, then I make sure there is no green in the design or build. Likewise with a blue screen.

 

[Toasty]

It is possible to use other colors (just about any color, really) for chromakey work. Blue and green are best for flesh tones, as previously mentioned. But if your puppet contains blue and green (and black) then choose a color that is very different and then use a good editing program to create the mattes. Some colors (like green) will work better when using consumer level video cameras due to their chips having lower noise levels and more actual data in the green channel. Colors other than blue or green should be experimented with to see how they react to the camera's sensor.

The MOST important thing in creating clean chromakey mattes, though, is to make sure your character and background are properly lit. Bad lighting will result in bad keys, no matter what color they are. Proper lighting, very accurate camera exposure and proper distance between puppet and background are all needed for best quality.

There's lots of info about lighting for chromakey work and other important tips on the internet. Google is your friend

 

[TheCreatureWork]

It is possible to use other colors (just about any color, really) for chromakey work. Blue and green are best for flesh tones, as previously mentioned. But if your puppet contains blue and green (and black) then choose a color that is very different and then use a good editing program to create the mattes. Some colors (like green) will work better when using consumer level video cameras due to their chips having lower noise levels and more actual data in the green channel. Colors other than blue or green should be experimented with to see how they react to the camera's sensor.

The MOST important thing in creating clean chromakey mattes, though, is to make sure your character and background are properly lit. Bad lighting will result in bad keys, no matter what color they are. Proper lighting, very accurate camera exposure and proper distance between puppet and background are all needed for best quality.

There's lots of info about lighting for chromakey work and other important tips on the internet. Google is your friend

Lighting is Key! I agree!

 

[CoOKiE]

DEF! And you can view vidoes online on how to light a set the right way. I've messed up badly in the past and it shows... but hides as well