| |
Video Edit Magic
v4.47
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Using the Green Screen Technique |
| |
|
| |
|
|
| |
‘The world is but a canvas to the
imagination.’ |
|
| |
|
|
| |
This
quote reflects the fact that with
a little leap of imagination, you can go to places that never were, do things
that were never done and bring your dreams closer to reality. Unfortunately,
imagination without the right tool is limited only to remain its creator's fantasy. Whether it is the right brush while you paint, or the right software while editing videos,
you need the right tools to do the right things. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
The
Chroma Key Color
Transition in Video
Edit Magic is one such tool. Also known as the Green
or Blue Screen
technique, it can help
you create truly
startling illusions. You may
never have visited the Taj Mahal or the Pyramids of Egypt but with this
technique you can at least make it seem
that you actually did. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Basically, in this technique a subject is shot in
front of a green or blue screen.
(Any solid color will
work, but these two are
the most common.)
Video Edit Magic then
removes this color from
the video clip, and
fills in the empty space
with the picture from
another video clip, or a
still picture. A good
example is the weather
reports shown on
television. The
video is created by
combining a video with
an animation. The
video shows weatherman
standing in front of a
green screen while the
animation displays maps
and graphics. The
green background of the
video is replaced by the
animation. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Things you need |
|
| |
The beauty of this technique
is its simplicity. To achieve this effect, all you need are 2 videos or images, a green/blue
screen and Video Edit Magic. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Green/ Blue Screen |
|
| |
You can purchase a ready made screen. No matter
which color you are using, Green or Blue, care has to be taken that the screen
is uniform in color and shade. You can also make an inexpensive
screen by using a table cloth or even a wall that is evenly painted and lit.
Spend some time to remove dirt, discolorations, folds and wrinkles.
Uneven colors in the
screen will result in a
video with floating
objects and blotches. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
One cannot conclusively say that the blue color is
better than the green color or vice versa. The choice mainly depends upon the
subject (the person
or object in the
foreground video). It is important that the subject contains as little of the screen
color as possible
whether in their
clothing or as part of
an object. For
example, if the person has blue eyes, choose a green screen. Another handy hint
while deciding the color is analyzing the color scheme of the video which will
be inserted as the background. For example, if the background you are going to
insert contains images of the sea, then use a blue screen. If the background
contains an image of a park or trees, use a green screen. This way you can hide
and minimize the impact of the edges that appear due to non uniform or unevenly
lit screens. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Proper lighting
|
|
| |
Once you have decided on the color of the screen,
the next step is to shoot the subject standing in front of it. If you are
aiming for perfection, make sure that the subject has a well defined outline. There should not be small parts of the clothing
or even hair hanging
loose as you want a
sharp separation from
the background.
The camera's focus
should be on the subject
(and not the
background), to prevent
a blurry effect.
Be sure no one's
clothing matches the
background color—if
you're using a blue
screen, and a man is
wearing a blue tie, in
the final movie it will
seem that he has a hole
right through his chest! |
|
| |
|
|
| |
The lighting of your background is very important. It should be evenly lit. If it is too brightly lit, then some light will reflect
off the background producing
visible circles in the
final combined movie. Also, make sure that the subject is not
too close to the background screen. This is to avoid shadows, which disturb the
uniform color of the background. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Since getting the lighting absolutely right is
challenging, the easy thing to do is to shoot
outdoors. The Sun is a great light source, as the distribution is even. Just
make sure that no shadows fall on the screen.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Applying
Chroma Key Color
Transition |
|
| |
Now, that you have created your video with the
green/blue background, the next step is to use the
Chroma Key Color Transition in
Video Edit Magic. This
transition replaces the
green/blue background with another video or image. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Superimposing two videos: |
|
| |
| 1. |
Add the video / image with the blue background to the
Video
2 track
on the Timeline.
|
| 2. |
Add the video / image you want to superimpose to the
Video
1 track
on the Timeline. |
| 3. |
Position the
Seek
Slider
so that it coincides with the point on the two videos from which you want the
superimposition to begin. |
| 4. |
Select the
Transitions
tab
in the
Collections
window. Right-click on the
Chroma Key Color icon and select
Add
Transition to Timeline. |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Configuring
Chroma Key Color Properties:
|
|
| |
To configure the Transition properties, right-click
on the Chroma Key
Color Transition in the
Transition track of the
Timeline and select
Transition
Settings. You will see the following window: |
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
| |
|
|
| |
| 1. |
Select the color that you want to make transparent. Drag the eye dropper icon
from
Select
Color
and move it over the color you want to select. Alternately, you can also select
a primary color to be made transparent from the Primary Color array, or specify
the RGB values by entering them in the Red, Green and Blue boxes. |
| |
|
| 2. |
It is
quite
impossible
to get an
perfectly
uniform
green or
blue color
as the
background
of your videos. It will typically contain varying shades of green or
blue. To make more shades of the same color as transparent, you can increase
the
Similarity. Keep increasing the
Similarity
gradually until you get a well-defined superimposed image. |
| |
|
| 3. |
Click on
OK. |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
| |
|
|
| |
A final word |
|
| |
The
Chroma Key Color
Transition can help you bridge the
gap between reality and illusion. Not only can you superimpose videos of a
person against a backdrop, you can also use it to remove or add objects inside
a video. The overall illusions and possibilities offered are so stunning and so
vast, that once you are enchanted, you just won’t be able to get
over your romance with the Green Screen. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
This technique gives you the ability to do the
impossible, and most importantly do it with grace. Like with all creative
projects, the overall look of the video will largely depend upon your
creativity and attention to detail. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Before starting, do a bit of planning and identify
what you are trying to achieve. Then let the world be your canvas. After all,
imagination takes cues from the real world. |
|
| |
|
|