Whether you’re a filmmaker, a content creator, or just a hobbyist, green screen technology can be extremely beneficial in getting your video to the next level.
Green screen technology is perfect for those that want to get their videos up to date with all the newest technology and special effects.
If you’re new to the industry, or you just want to try it out, investing in a green screen might not be something that you want to do just yet. Not wanting to spend the money shouldn’t mean that you don’t have the chance to try it out, though!
If you have a green sheet in your cupboard, you’re in luck – you can use it to make your very own green screen!
We’ll tell you how, as well as give you some ideas on what other things you can use as a green screen within this article.
What Are Green Screens Used For?
You can use a green screen to make the background of your video anything you want! As long as you can find a photo or video clip with what you want in it, you should be able to use a green screen to bring your scene to life.
Green screens allow you to let your vision become (almost) a reality, by digitally filtering out the color. Green screens are great, because they save on production costs, and they allow you to get really creative with how you use them.
For example, you can use a green screen to change the background within your video, so that the green material behind you appears to be an image of a forest within the video. This allows you to appear as if you’re in the forest on video, without even having to leave your house!
You could also use this technology to change how a specific object appears. This allows for loads of really cool effects – a football can quickly turn into an asteroid, or a broomstick can be made to look like a dragon.
How Do Green Screens Work?
Green screens work alongside something called chroma keying to digitally imprint an image over a specific color.
What Is Chroma Key Compositing?
Chroma keying, also known as chroma key compositing, is a technique where any chosen color is filtered out and replaced with an image or video of your choice.
Chroma key compositing is used to make the impossible seem like it can be reality. If you’ve ever seen a famous actor bop through space in a spacesuit, that was almost certainly a green screen. You can probably thank the green screen for making the majority of your favorite movies possible.
Can I Use A Green Sheet As A Green Screen?
Chroma keying is really cool, but you might not want to spend the money on a green screen that has been made for purpose just yet.
If you’re wondering whether using a green sheet as a green screen will work with chroma-keying, you’d be correct.
As long as you ensure that it isn’t stained, and it’s big enough to cover the area you need it to, you’re good to go!
Does It Have To Be Green? Can It Be Other Colors?
So, one of the first questions most people might ask is “why are green screens green?”. There are a few reasons for this.
Green is the color most often used in chroma-keying because it isn’t found in skin tones and doesn’t appear as often in clothing as other colors might. The color you use for chroma keying doesn’t matter- but it is important to consider the person, object, or scene that you are planning on filming.
If your chosen color also shows up unexpectedly on a piece of clothing or something in the foreground, the chroma keying will overlay an image onto those objects too, potentially ruining the effect.
Based on this, you could select another color. For the most part, though, the colors green and blue are recommended, to avoid any unintended chroma-keying over any objects.
Does It Have To Be Fabric?
The great thing about chroma keying is that as long as you find a fabric, wall, or material with a solid color, you can use anything! Of course, you should ensure that the material of your choice is large enough to cover the necessary space behind you.
You should also make sure that it doesn’t have any discoloration anywhere. Visible discoloration, such as dirt, tears, or staining on your green screen might make the chroma keying less effective, and may not give you the look that you wanted.
How To Hang A Green Screen
There are several ways you could choose to hang a sheet so that it can be used as a green screen – we’ve listed a few ideas below!
Tack To Wall
Tacking your sheet to the wall might be the most effective option. The first thing to keep in mind when hanging your green screen is that creating a taut surface will give you the best results.
Ensuring that the surface is taut will help prevent color variation, making your special effects as good as they can be.
By securing your sheet to the wall, you can ensure that it has a smooth surface, free of wrinkles, whilst also maximizing the size of the sheet for your green screen purposes.
When hanging, make sure to keep your sheet as taut as possible – you can do this by pulling slightly as you secure it around the edges of the sheet. If you can find someone to help you, they will make this a lot easier.
Hang From A Curtain Pole
This idea works best at night, as any light shining or changing through the window may affect how solid the color of your sheet appears.
To do this, you need to remove your curtain pole and curtains, rehang your curtain pole. When this is done, you just have to drape your green screen over the top, with the longer side facing towards you so that you can’t see the overhang.
You can adjust the sheet so that it is the length that you need, but you should make sure that there is enough overhang on the shorter side to keep the green screen in place.
If you choose to use this idea, you should make sure to look out for any wrinkling and try to keep the sheet as taut as possible. This might lessen the quality of the chroma-keying.
You should also keep in mind that accidentally pulling on the sheet may cause it to fall or get out of place, so be careful not to touch it if possible.
Hang From A Door
If you’re looking to hang your sheet and don’t want to hammer anything into your wall, one thing you might decide to do is hang your sheet over a door.
This is a great idea if you want to save money on supplies, as you don’t need anything but your sheet and a door.
All you need to do is drape the sheet over the door, keeping it as taut as possible. Make sure to leave enough overhang on the shorter side that the sheet isn’t able to easily fall off of the door.
It’s important to keep the door open whilst using the green screen. If the door is closed with the green screen on it, the fabric could get caught on the mechanisms of the door.
Final Thoughts
Chroma keying is seriously cool – and without it, many of our favorite movies wouldn’t even exist!
Hopefully, you’ve been able to find a sheet fit for your purpose, and you’re well on your way to creating the next big movie franchise.
You don’t always have to spend money to pursue your passion, and luckily, green screening is a place where you’re able to cut costs a little when necessary.
Leave a Reply