"The only limit is your imagination using the green screen technique for streaming video."

If you own a video camera and a PC, you can be making videos like these using:
Video in Video ~ Flash in Video ~ 3D Animation in Video and Virtual Sets!

About Green Screen for Streaming Video

What you need:
The beauty of this technique lies in its simplicity. To achieve the green screen effect, all you need are 2 videos or images, a green/blue screen, a camera and the right software.

Green- Blue Screen for streaming video.
You can purchase ready made screens. No matter which color you are using, Green or Blue, care has to be taken that the screen is absolutely 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. Do spend some time to remove dirt, discoloration, folds and wrinkles as they can have a major impact on the overall look.

The image above is of the system in the least expensive software for using Green Screen, Pinnacle Plus 10. At $79.00 you can't beat the price if you just want to add Green screen to your bag of streaming video tricks. It is short featured in some other ways though, so I wouldn't have it as my only video editing software.

Other video editing software listed in our streaming video tutorial have more features, AND 30 day trial downloads, but all come in at higher prices, from $129 to $329. Though a bit pricey, MediaStudio Pro 8 - video editing software has the most control, and is the most like studio level software, it also has a longer learning curve. You can use any color background, not just blue or green.

A good medium is Ulead Video Studio 9, which is full functioned and easy to use. All of the above are easier to use and cheaper than Adobe premier, which needs a course to learn well. I use this program almost every day.

The Chroma Key Color Effect that some video editing softwares provide is one such tool. Also known as the Green/Blue Screen technique, it can help you create truly amazing illusions. You may never have visited the Moon or the Amazon but with this technique you can at least make it seem like you did.

In this technique a subject is shot in front of a green or blue screen, which is then made transparent and replaced by a different background image or video. This gives you a combined video containing images from both clips. 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 made transparent and replaced by the animation.


We cannot really say that the blue is better than the green or vice versa. The choice mainly depends upon the subject. It is important that the subject contains as little of the screen color as possible. Whether it is the clothing or physical attributes. 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 for green screen video. Do it right, succeed. Do it wrong, Fail. That simple.
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, hair or even hair hanging loose as you want a sharp separation from the background. The focus should be on the subject, to prevent a blurry effect.

The lighting of your background is very important. It should be evenly lit. If it is too brightly, then some light will reflect off the background producing circles. 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. You may need to use a light to illuminate the backgrounds to avoid shadows.

Since getting the lighting absolutely right is challenging, the easy thing to do while working with home videos 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 Key Color Transparency
Now, that you have created your video with the green/blue background, the next step is to use the Key Color Transition in your software.

Superimposing two videos:
1. Add the video / image with the blue background to the Video track on the Timeline.

2. Add the video/image you want to superimpose to the overlay track on the Timeline.

Use the overlay tool to check the quality and make the green screen transparent.

Some software lets you make any color transparent. In which case you:

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 almost impossible to get a totaly green or blue colored screen throughout your videos. It will usually 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.

And So....
The Croma key tool will help you bridge the gap between reality and illusion.
Not only can you superimpose videos of a person against a backdrop, but you can also use it remove or add objects inside a video. The overall illusions and possibilities offered are endless.

This green screen technique gives you the ability to do the impossible, and most importantly do it with ease. Like with all creative projects, the overall look of the video will largely depend upon your creativity and attention to detail.

Before starting, do some planning and envision what you are trying to achieve. It is a 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 message closer to reality. Imagination without the right tools is limited only to your head, so finding the right editing software for the job is key, chromakey that is.....