What is meant by green screen editing software?
A green screen is a large solid green material that goes behind a subject being filmed. When a person films a video in front of a green screen, they put it in a green screen editing software with chroma key. Using chroma key, a single color (usually green) is removed from the video recording.
Therefore, when chroma key is activated, the green gets removed and ANY background gets inserted. It can be a still shot or a video.
You cannot wear green against a green screen. If you wore a green shirt, for example, it would be invisible and you would see the background you inserted instead of your shirt. (See the Green Screen Skiers video below.)
The majority of the time a green-screen or blue screen is used because those are the colors that there are the least of in a human’s skin tone.
Green screen using ScreenFlow
The video below shows how to use ScreenFlow to create very special green screen, audio and video effects.
A simple example of using green screening editing software
In this tutorial you will learn how to use some green screen editing software to change the background behind an image in your video. For instance, the man in this picture made a video of himself with a built-in camera.
He did not like the background that would have been behind him. As you can see from the black ScreenFlow menu, there is a table with a hat on it, a curtain and the bright sun shining through part of the curtain. That definitely is a distraction.
When you open up the video properties panel in ScreenFlow, you will find some excellent green screen editing software. Using it, the man in this picture was able to change the distracting background to one with some neat office shelves in it. Now the viewer can concentrate on the message. Here is how you would do that.
Set up your green screen. (See example below.)
Make a ScreenFlow recording of yourself in front of the green screen.
Open up the video properties panel.
Near the bottom, click the plus sign on the video filters line.
Select “Chroma key”.
Click on the color box and select a green color from the “Refine Key” panel.
Click “Add Video Action”.
8. The background playing on your green screen must be in a timeline BELOW the video of yourself.
Open up the ScreenFlow video that has the background you would like. Copy the background timeline into your clipboard.
Go into the ScreenFlow video with the green screen.
Click Edit > Paste.
Make sure your background timeline is below the foreground timeline.
Check your work and save it with a descriptive name.
Make your own green screen studio for under $5
Open ScreenFlow. Click on File > New Recording.
That will open up the black menu box you see above.
Open ScreenFlow. Check the box to record the video from the built-in iSight menu.
Click on the red dot on the bottom of the black menu.
After a few seconds, click the Camera icon followed by “Stop Record”.
Wait a few seconds and your ScreenFlow timeline, etc. will open up.
Look at the black menu. You can see the area that your computer’s camera will see. Get your tape measure and measure it. Take those measurements to a dollar store and buy enough green bristol board to cover the area.
Using clear tape and scissors, tape your bristol board in the camera’s viewing area.
Now you’re ready to record.
Exercise — skiers on green shirt
Here is your chance to practice what you just learned. At the same time you will learn about some green screen effects that you definitely do not want.
Take a ScreenFlow video of yourself wearing a green shirt. Make another video copying action sport clips from YouTube videos. Have the action sports playing on your shirt.
Note that your shirt is not perfectly smooth and the light reflects differently in different places. Therefore, some parts will not show up green. The sport clips will not show up on those parts.
The YouTube video below will give you an idea of what this exercise is asking for.
Green screen editing software used in the Great Gatsby
For an excellent illustration of how blue and green screens were used in the movie The Great Gatsby, watch the video below. To enlarge the video, click the full screen icon.
A history of green screen editing software
The YouTube video below shows you the evolution of green screen technology from the George Melies’s 1898 black matte to the present day digital green screen editing software.