MicrostockGroup
Microstock Footage Forum => Video Equipment / Sofware / Technique => Topic started by: KevinM on September 13, 2017, 15:24
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How do folks here process their green screen video footage for stock clips?
I recently shot some green screen clips on a pretty clean, even green screen. Now editing in FCP X to create stock clips, and can't decide if I should leave the shots "as is" or if I should key them to remove subtle variations in the background on full body shots, and then add a new green background. Either way, the buyer will have to key the footage. If I do a key while processing and add back a green background, it makes for a uniform background that I think adds a subtle appeal for buyers. The downside though is that I'm simply using the "Keyer" effect in FCP X and I don't know if this will make it harder for buyers when they key it a second time themselves. Maybe it's best I leave the footage "as is" and let buyers key it for the very first time when they purchase?
I'm not great at keying footage myself, so not sure of what process will ultimately be best for buyers. Appreciate hearing from people with experience in this!
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Well, ideally you would key the footage and replace it with a single perfect green. This would be the same as including an alpha channel pretty much. Or you could just include an alpha channel. :)
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Thanks for the reply. I had the same thought. But when I key it in FCP X and test it by placing it over a plain black background, I'm clearly seeing outlines on the person - not green outlines but more whiteish (if I use a white background instead of black, everything looks perfect). Maybe I'm just not good enough at keying to do this method? Or is FCP X a crap program for keying?
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A solid green background is going to be much more appealing. The concern when buying a non-keyed clip is whether I'd be able to do a decent key on the footage, and whether the footage is of a high enough quality to be forgiving when keying... as keying can introduce noise and grain that was barely visible in the original footage.
But with a solid green background, people know it's going to be very simple to get rid of that, so I think it would have a noticeable impact on sales. Might be worth spending the time learning your way around keying in FCP so ou can produce decent results moving forward. I'm pretty handy in After Effects, but not FCP unfortunately. Would be happy to have a go on one of your clips and send you a screenshot of the settings, and/or the project files for if you have/or plan to get AE.
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I appreciate the kind offer, SpaceStockFootage, thank you! I do have After Effects 6, so I could key using that. I've uploaded a snippet to Dropbox and will PM you the link.
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Thanks for the reply. I had the same thought. But when I key it in FCP X and test it by placing it over a plain black background, I'm clearly seeing outlines on the person - not green outlines but more whiteish (if I use a white background instead of black, everything looks perfect). Maybe I'm just not good enough at keying to do this method? Or is FCP X a crap program for keying?
If you can't get a perfect key, it's likely that the buyer can't either. As Dr. Spaceman said, I would spend the time to learn to both film and key so it's near perfect. The camera you use also matters quite a bit when it comes to pulling a clean key.
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A public thanks to SpaceStockFootage! His AE settings were just the ticket, came out much cleaner than FCP X. Very much appreciate the help!
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No problem!