This is how to green screen. Within this video, I explain all green screen procedures from lighting to editing. Learning how to green screen may seem difficult at first but after purchasing the appropriate equipment and practicing in your green screen location, chroma keying (“green screening”) is an easy skill to master. Consistent lighting and consistent camera placement are both of extreme importance. High-quality audio without “room echo” is also super important, for achieving a convincing green screen effect. #ChromaKey #GreenScreen
GREEN SCREEN PAINT
I recommend painting a wall with green screen paint if it’s an option. If a wall cannot be painted at your location, consider painting a rigid piece of plywood or other material that can be placed temporarily in front of a wall. If that is not an option, consider a fabric green screen as a “plan b.” I personally dislike fabric green screens because they take up additional space and sometimes the fabric slightly blows and degrades the chroma key effect.
GREEN SCREEN LIGHTING
Aside from the green screen itself, appropriate lighting is one of the most important elements required to create a convincing green screen effect. For my setup, I use two soft box lights to light the green screen itself. In front of me, I use an LED light panel with diffuser attached. Overhead (optional) I hired an electrician to install a row of LED lights in the ceiling. If your studio has a window, blackout curtains may help to eliminate inconsistent lighting.
GREEN SCREEN CAMERA & LENS
Camcorders tend to be of inferior quality. For optimal green screen results, I use this camera body and this prime lens. I occasionally use other lenses as well but to green screen on a budget, this is the single lens that I would purchase. It can be placed close to the subject if needed and that’s optimal for smaller studios where a lens with more reach would not work. Also, capturing “bokeh” while green screening is not necessary. Since this camera does not have a front-facing display, I utilize this field monitor and attached it to my camera via this camera cage.
GREEN SCREEN AUDIO
Shotgun microphones typically capture room echo. For that reason, I utilize a high-quality lavalier microphone and digital audio recorder that is easy for video talent to conceal inside their shirt and pocket. For multiple subjects, purchase multiple lavalier microphones and digital audio recorders. Be sure to purchase the adapter cable.
GREEN SCREEN VIDEO EDITING
Video editing is one of the primary reasons that I made the switch from PC to Mac. Final Cut Pro X is my green screen editing software of choice and it only runs on a Mac computer. A well-equipped iMac Pro or MacBook Pro is an excellent choice for 4K green screen video editing. If your green screen workflow does not involve 4K video, a lesser-equipped Mac computer may be an option to consider.
GREEN SCREEN AUTOMATION
To avoid touching my green screen’s lightning and avoid disrupting their optimal placement, I utilize voice controls to turn my green screen lights on and off. This is accomplished via an Amazon Echo and Belkin Wemos. This is optional but is a major convenience in my opinion.
GREEN SCREEN EQUIPMENT PLACEMENT
Every green screen studio is different. If your green screen studio space is shared or you use your green screen equipment elsewhere, you should consider marking the placement of the camera’s tripod and green screen lights with gaffer’s tape. Consistency is key for green screening and having to tweak the placement of the camera and lights prior to every green screen shoot is not optimal.
Available on Amazon.com – LimoStudio 700W Photography Softbox Light Lighting Kit Photo Equipment Soft Studio Light Softbox 24″X24″, AGG814
Available on Amazon.com – LimoStudio Photo Video Studio Lighting 500 LED Video Continuous Lighting Panel
Available on Amazon.com – (6-Pack) EcoSmart 65W Replacement (10.5W) LED BR30 Dimmable Daylight (5000K) Medium Base (E26) Energy Star Rated Reflector Lamp for Recessed Can Lights
Available on Amazon.com – Fancierstudio Chromakey Green Background Stand Backdrop Support System Kit With 6ft x 9ft Chromakey Green Muslin Backdrop By Fancierstudio H804 6x9G
Available on Amazon.com – Neewer NW74K 7 Inch Ultra HD 4K 1280×800 IPS Screen Camera Field Monitor, 16:10 or 4:3 Adjustable Display Ratio for Sony Canon Nikon Olympus Pentax Panasonic Cameras (Power And Battery not included)
Available on Amazon.com – Rode smartLav+ Lavalier Microphone for iPhone and Smartphones
Available on Amazon.com – Gaffers Tape – 2 Inch by 40 Yards in Black – Get 33% More! High End Professional Grade – Gaffer Tape is the Perfect Alternative to Duct Tape, Electrical Tape, and other Adhesives
Available on Amazon.com – Sony a7 III Full-Frame Mirrorless Interchangeable-Lens Camera Optical with 3-Inch LCD, Black (ILCE7M3/B)
Available on Amazon.com – Zeiss Batis Lens 2/25 for Sony a7
Available on Amazon.com – Manfrotto MVKBFR-LIVEUS lightweight, travel friendly Be Free Fluid Video Kit, Black
Available on Amazon.com – Sony ICDUX560BLK Stereo Digital Voice Recorder with Built-in USB
Available on Amazon.com – Rode SC3 3.5mm TRRS to TRS Adaptor
Available on Amazon.com – Wemo Mini Smart Plug, Wi-Fi Enabled, Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
Available on Amazon.com – Echo Dot (2nd Generation) – Smart speaker with Alexa – Black
Available on Amazon.com – Apple 15.4″ MacBook Pro Laptop (Retina, Touch Bar, 2.6GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) Space Gray (MR942LL/A) (2018 Model)
Available on Amazon.com – Apple iMac Pro 27″ All-in-One Desktop, Space Gray (MQ2Y2LL/A)
Available on Amazon.com – Rosco Chroma Key Matte Green Paint – Gallon
Available on Amazon.com – AmazonBasics Blackout Curtain Set – 52″ x 84″, Black
Available on Amazon.com – Kamerar D-Fuse Large LED Light Panel Softbox: 12″x12″ Opening, Foldable, Portable Diffuser, Carrying Bag, Strap Attachment, Photography, Photo Video
Available on Amazon.com – SmallRig A7RIII / A7III Cage for Sony A7RIII / A7III Camera (ILCE-7RM3 / a7R Mark III ) with Cold Shoe, Locating Pins – 2087
