Green Screen Photography: Try it

If you have a camera, enjoy taking pictures and would like to learn a fun new way to expand on that green screen photography might be the thing for you to try. Green screen photography is a commonly used photography technique that is not really difficult for the average picture taker to accomplish. It allows a photographer to take the subject of a picture, remove it from the background and then composite it onto a new background. A couple pieces of equipment, a few guidelines to remember, a good editing software and you have the perfect setup to try it yourself.

If you have a camera you are already half way to having everything you need. When practicing green screen photography you will need a digital camera, 35 mm film will not work, and a way to get your pictures onto your computer. 35 mm film will not work because green screen photography uses digital software to compile the final product. With a digital camera the picture is taken and stored in a digital format, as opposed to a physical format like a roll of film, and is still able to be modified once it is transferred to your computer. Getting the pictures to your computer is not hard as most cameras come with a card or an adapter specifically for this purpose.

Now you will need the actual green screen for green screen photography. A green screen is a fabric curtain or drop that is placed behind the subject to be photographed. Sometimes paint is used instead of a drop or fabric, but it is not recommended that you do so since the colour is very bright and saturated which makes it difficult to match with paint. A quick internet search of “green screen photography” or “green screen” will yield an array of resources where you can purchase a green screen at very affordable prices.

Now that you have a camera and a screen the only thing left to get is a good photo editing software. Not all photo-editing software is suitable for use with green screen photography. It will take some research to find which software is capable of producing the final compiled image, so make sure you check out different versions and vendors. Once you have all of this in place you are finally ready to try green screen photography.

Before you start shooting pictures you need to decide what your subject will be and what kind of final product you will want. You will need to find a background image that fits your ideas and study it to ensure that you take proper care to place your subject in such a manner that will fit in with the final image. For example if you want a final image of your pet sitting on a remote mountain you will need to make sure you take your photos from a realistic angle. One more important consideration in green screen photography is lighting. You will need to make sure the lighting is believable as well. Do not use a spot light to brighten up your green screen picture if the final product will be compiled with a sunset image. Once you have made all the proper preparations and considered your final product carefully you will then be ready to try green screen photography for yourself.

Links: