Chromakey Help

M
Posted By
mindsplit
Oct 18, 2005
Views
428
Replies
12
Status
Closed
hey all…

work for a sports photography company and we recently decided to use blue/green screen for most of our shots to digitally add our own backgrounds…i was wondering if anyone knew of any masking plug in or program that works really well and very fast…we shoot thousands of kids for our hockey season and we need a plug in that works quickly for bulk photos…

some of the programs i have found are corel knockout, extensis mask pro 3, vertus fluid mask, and primatte chromakey…i have tried the primatte chromakey program and it works great but i just need for information in regards to some other programs…

also we were most likely going to use a blue screen but i just need to know if anyone also knows of which is better, blue or green? or any other major problems with working with chromakey?

any ideas or help would be appreciated…

regards
chris hansen
Related Tags
chromakey help

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TD
Thee_DarkOverLord
Oct 18, 2005
well and very fast

If you want very fast, you are not going to get well. The best way to do this, is by hand, not with a plugin.
C
chrisjbirchall
Oct 18, 2005
blue or green?

Green avoids the "disappearing blue jeans", but if you’re going to pick up an edge cast (and you will if you want "fast") blue is less objectionable to green.

For what it’s worth, we have ditched chromakey in the studio in favour of grey.

And as Mat says: for best results do it by hand.

Chris.
PC
Philo_Calhoun
Oct 18, 2005
Check out ultimatte’s plugin. Knockout and Maskpro are masking programs, not chromakey plugins, so they will take longer. Chromakey will generally give better results than grey backgrounds if you have the right plugin. I use AE’s Keylight or dvMatte Pro for this if the images are not too big (using a one frame movie).
TD
Thee_DarkOverLord
Oct 18, 2005
For what it’s worth, we have ditched chromakey in the studio in favour of grey.

🙂 us to.
P
Phosphor
Oct 18, 2005
Here’s a very helpful resource:

<http://www.seanet.com/Users/bradford/bluscrn.html>
NB
Norbert_Bissinger
Oct 18, 2005
All those programs are not better than using Photoshops Extractions Tools and this includes Color Range.
For Mass Production you can write an Actions which stops at the Color Range Dialoge. You click on a few spots to even out and hit OK.
The Picture is free standing gets to the clipboard opens the new background and pasts it over this Background or Past-Into if a selection is saved.

The key is even lighting. The kids 6 or better 10 feet from the background. The Background should be lit with it’s own light and a separate light should flash agains the kids from the back to further separate them from the Background.
There are two good Special Programs with Green Screen Build in they are very fast and good. One Is:
<http://www.expressdigital.com/support/edg_pr_ma.shtm>
PC
Philo_Calhoun
Oct 18, 2005
Norbert: I’d have to disagree with this one. Color range will not control for edge spill. Ultimatte’s plugin (or Keylight) is often one click. PS extraction tool (or Knockout) requires drawing in and out lines around objects and can get complicated for objects with holes. The better plugins will actually allow a simulated spill from the new background. They also allow for more sophisticated expansion or contraction or degree of softening of edges.

I agree with your comment about the importance of even lighting (and moving the subject away from the background).
P
Phosphor
Oct 18, 2005
Without doing more recent research, I thought I remembered reading that the best Chromakeying was done in conjunction with proprietary lighting that was fairly finely tuned to project a specific range of lightwaves.

Then, the system used dedicated hardware and software that, while removing the BG also compenated for the color cast upon the FG subject?

All this was done so that the subject lighting didn’t need to be flat and diffused…

erm…something like that, anyway.

🙂
NB
Norbert_Bissinger
Oct 18, 2005
Well. This is what they want to do: we shoot thousands of kids for our hockey season and we need a plug in that works quickly for bulk photos… All I guess have their helmets on. No transparency or stray hair.
Color Range sattings can be saved and recalled with the action. It can be automated as follows:
Action opens Color Range recalls saved settings Expands the selection, feathers it Cut the background, puts the extraction to the clipboard, Opens the new background, Pasts the kid and moves it into position, starts a script to include the copyright and other info if so desired and finally saves the picture using a Bar Coded card handed to the kid before posing. One swipes the card and the Alpha Numeric string is the File Number. Last step is print it can be included in the action.
If more prints are needed later the card is swept and the picture opens.

Photoshop as an Event Software. Perhaps better than the ones out there.
C
chrisjbirchall
Oct 18, 2005
and a separate light should flash agains the kids from the back to further separate them from the Background.

Hi Norbert. Long time no see.

Chris H. Norbert’s advice is good. I’d add to the above in that the backlight should be gelled with a filter that is the opposite (complimentary) of the chromakey colour to help counter any colour finging.

Chris.
M
mindsplit
Oct 19, 2005
hey guys….

thanks for the advice…i have tried working with primatte chromakey and it seems to work a lot faster than using the colour range in photoshop and much more effectively…and also the kids will have no helmets on…they are in a standard pose so their hair will be a factor in this too…i guess to get the best effect we will just have to research the web and your comments and find out what works best for us…

thanks again..

chris hansen
PC
Philo_Calhoun
Oct 19, 2005
I think you can download a demo of the Ultimatte plugin. You should compare that to the Primatte one. Both have good reputations.

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